A delightful woman in one of my Toastmaster clubs gave a speech about the time she realized she had a hearing problem. It was while serving on Jury duty.
“It was then I first realized I was going deaf. I could hear the lawyer, and I could hear the witness. But, I couldn’t hear the judge! It was a drunken driving case, and fortunately, I was an alternate. Everything was going fine until the judge turned to us and said: ‘Now I want you to…&#%!@?!…; and then &#%!@?! *….’ I looked at the other jurors, and they were nodding like they knew what she was saying. Fortunately, the case was adjudicated. Thankfully, I was not called on to make a decision.”
A subsequent visit to an audiologist revealed she had a moderate hearing loss.
Do you have a hearing loss?
The National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD) offers this simple test to determine if you may have a hearing loss. If you answer “yes” to three or more of these questions, it is time to have your hearing checked.
1. Everyone seems to mumble
2. Always asking people to repeat themselves
3. Being told the TV (or radio) is too loud
4. Every phone call seems like a bad connection.
5. Not paying attention to sounds (such as voices, environmental noises)
This last one is an interesting phenomenon. It isn’t that I don’t HEAR, say, someone calling me, or my phone ringing, but it takes forever before it REGISTERS that I should listen. It is sort of like tuning out unintentionally.
Hearing test: Audiologist or Hearing Instrument Specialist?
When getting your ears tested, make sure you get a comprehensive evaluation and an objective presentation of the aids best suited for your loss and your budget. If possible, visit an audiologist, not a hearing specialist or hearing aid dealer. The primary reason is education.
Generally, hearing instrument specialists must have a high school diploma or GED with a certain number of hours in supervised training. During that training, they practice giving hearing tests, making ear molds, and fitting hearing aids. They are limited to testing and fitting of aids only. They do not diagnose the cause of the hearing loss.
To be an audiologist, one must have a Doctorate from an accredited university graduate program in audiology. Acceptance into an audiology program is very stringent. Audiologists are qualified and trained to assess the reasons/causes behind hearing loss and treat or rehabilitate the loss. If necessary, they refer cases for appropriate medical or surgical treatment (such as treatment for a conductive hearing loss or cochlear implants).
Now don’t get me wrong – I’m not implying that a hearing instrument specialist should be avoided at all cost. I am saying that an audiologist is trained to diagnose your hearing loss and make sure you get the type of aids programmed that will best suit your type of hearing loss. I know of many hearing instrument specialists that have delivered exemplary service to those who visited them. As with any service provider, some are better than others are. That goes for hearing instrument specialists and Audiologists alike.
Don’t wait too long
Studies show people who have a hearing loss often wait up to ten years before seeking help. You’ll benefit from hearing instruments much more the sooner you wear them after needing them.
