Hearing is one of the most vital senses we have.
We use it while communicating with others, learning, orientating ourselves within our environment, detecting alarms and danger signs as well as balance. Without our ears, we would struggle to live functionally in our world. With the advancement of modern hearing aids and systems, using a hearing aid allows you to bring back the function into your world and participate in life to its fullest.
Screening
Screening is a quick assessment
performed across a select number of frequencies which allows us to determine whether you are at risk for developing or have already developed a hearing loss. Screening is particularly useful for schools in which quick detection and prevention of hearing loss may make or break a child’s academic performance. It is also very useful for industries in which their employees are exposed to high levels of noise and as such, are at risk for developing a hearing loss.
Diagnostic hearing assessments
A diagnostic assessment is a more in depth look at your hearing acuity.
It provides a better picture as to what may have caused a hearing loss or whether it is progressively getting worse. Here a wide number of frequencies are assessed as well as your ability to hear and understand speech at various loudness levels. This test may be preformed when: a screening assessment raises some red flags, when you are concerned about your hearing or your child’s, when you are referred or prior to fitting a hearing aid.
Fitting the latest modern and dynamic hearing aids
Hearing aids are evolving rapidly these days and are split into two categories
Analogue and Digital hearing aids. While analogue hearing aids rely on you to change their settings, digital hearing aids contain a circuit board which allows them to learn about the sounds you experience in different environments and adapt themselves accordingly. These days, modern hearing aids may be fitted behind the ear or in the ear. Some are hard to see as they are hidden inside the ear canal. Many patients enjoy a more retro look to their hearing aids spicing them up with animal prints and vibrant colours. With all this advancement in the modern age, hearing aids can be wirelessly accessed via Bluetooth from iPads, cell phones and TVs for your convenience. Accessories for cleaning and maintaining your hearing aids are provided here as well as for children making mom and dad’s lives easier with huggies which help prevent the hearing aid from falling out or pins to help stop them from getting lost.
Hearing protective devices (HPD)
Musicians and industries exposed to high levels of noise
on a daily basis may require custom made protective devices to assist in preventing long term damage to their hearing. Here, an impression is taken of their ear canal and a personal HPD is created to suit their needs.
Aural rehabilitation
Many people assume that once a hearing aid is fitted, they are good to go.
But this is not so in some cases. It may be necessary that the brain has been starved of sound for so long that it needs a bit of help to start recognising various sounds again, including speech. If we close our eyes and listen to the sounds around us, we take for granted that we can recognise the footsteps in the passageway outside or even a dog barking. Aural rehabilitation assists with relearning these basics and provides you with a solid grounding in what our ears do best... hear.
Ear wax removal
Ear wax is a normal product produced by our ears
which assists with cleaning dust and dirt out of the ear canal. This assists with the prevention of infection. For numerous reasons, our ears can sometimes collect ear wax which in turn compacts forming a plug. This plug can cause a temporary hearing loss which can affect our daily functioning. Other symptoms include a ringing in your ears, itchniness, discomfort, a feeling of fullness or even coughing. Impacted wax can be easily and quickly removed by a trained professional. Beware of home remedies as these can often cause a bigger problem than it needs to be and may even cause damage to your ears.
Tinnitus
This is a ringing sound in your ear/s
which can sound like a swarm of bees or a cricket chirping. It can pulse or remain constant and it can also persist throughout the day getting worse at times. The constant irritant sound can cause a huge impact on a persons emotional and psychological state and in severe cases can lead to depression and sleep loss. Tinnitus can be treated by an audiologist who can fit Tinnitus retraining devices and provide assistance to minimize the impact Tinnitus has.
Vertigo
Our ears are integral in our balance and perception
of where we are in the world around us. Are we standing up, lying down or on our side? Are we moving or standing still? When something goes wrong in this system we often experience the sensation of movement when there is none. You may feel as if you are spinning inside yourself or as if the world is spinning around you. Sometimes people may even feel as if they are still on the plane even though they have already landed 2 days ago. These attacks can be triggered by certain movements (such as turning your head) or sights such a car moving next to you results in you feeling as if you are moving. These attacks may also be sudden and unexpected which can be debilitating. Vertigo can seriously impair your life preventing you from participating in the most basic activities such as fetching your kids from school or going to work. Depending on the cause of the vertigo, various treatment options are available.