Educational Seminar
Overview
1 Sounds of Life
2 Hearing and Hearing Loss
3 Evaluating Your Hearing
4 Reconnecting to Your World
5 When Hearing Instruments are the Solution
6 Today’s Hearing Instruments
Sounds of Life…
Sounds of Life
Hearing connects us with:
– Family
– Friends
– Sounds in our environment
– Music we love
When hearing loss is present it can
put limits on your life.
Hearing is Important
• Personal Safety
– Driving
– Walking
– Public Places
• Environmental Awareness
– Phone calls
– Door bell
– Alarms and smoke detectors
Communication Around You
• Radio and TV
• Telephone
• Meetings
• Religious Services
• Theaters
• Traveling
• Family and Friends
Hearing and Hearing Loss…
How We Hear…
The ear is made up of 3 parts:
• Outer Ear
• Middle Ear
• Inner Ear
Each of these three parts has a
special function that allow us to hear.
Outer Ear
Sound is:
• Picked up by the outer ear – pinna
• Sent down to ear canal to the
eardrum
Middle Ear
As sound is sent down the
canal to the eardrum
• Sound vibrations cause the eardrum
to rock back and forth.
• Three tiny bones in the middle ear
send the sound vibrations the inner ear.
Inner Ear
The inner ear contains over 30,000 tiny hair cells
• Vibrations from the middle
ear cause hair cells to move.
• Hair cells are connected
to the hearing nerve and
send the hearing signal to
the brain
Three Types of Hearing Loss
1. Conductive Hearing Loss
Sound is blocked in the outer or middle ear.
Causes:
• Excessive earwax
• Damaged eardrum
• Ear infection or fluid in the
middle ear
• Stiffness in the bones of the
middle ear (otosclerosis)
Solution:
• Most often medically treated with high success
• Hearing aids very successful if unable to treat medically
Three Types of Hearing Loss
2. Sensorineural Hearing Loss
Inner ear hair cells or hearing nerve is
damaged and cannot send complete signals to the brain.
Causes:
• Aging
• Noise Exposure
• Hereditary factors
Solutions:
• Cannot be corrected with medicine or surgery
• Hearing aids can be very helpful
Three Types of Hearing Loss
3. Mixed Hearing Loss
Both conductive and sensorineural hearing loss
occur simultaneously
Causes:
• Can be one or several causes
Solutions:
• May be possible to restore some
hearing with medicine or surgery
• Hearing aids can be very helpful
Evaluating Your Hearing
Terms Used to
Describe Hearing Loss
Loudness: Decibel (dB)
Pitch: Frequency
Type of hearing loss:
Sensorineural (nerve);
Conductive (middle ear) or
mixed (both)
Severity of hearing loss:
Mild, Moderate, Severe, Profound
Shape of hearing loss:
Flat, Sloping, Ski-slope
Degrees of Hearing Loss
Audiogram
Familiar Sounds Audiogram
Speech Sounds
Conductive Hearing Loss
Sensorineural Hearing Loss
Presbycusis:
Hearing Loss due to Aging
The Impact of Hearing Loss
on Speech Understanding
•
•
•
Most people with hearing loss
have difficulty with high pitched
sound like “s” “sh” “f” and “t”.
For example:
• “eeee”
• “see” “she” “fee” “tee”
sounds all sound alike
It is common for people with a
hearing loss to say “I can hear
but I can’t understand” because
important sounds are missing.
Reconnecting to
Your World
Incidence of Hearing Loss
10% of Canadians
have a hearing loss.
• 1 in 10 people have some
degree of hearing loss.
• 1 in 3 Canadians over
the age of 65.
Hearing loss is reported as
the third most common health
problem in Canada today after hypertension & arthritis
Signs of Hearing Loss
• People around you seem
to mumble
• You often ask others to repeat
themselves
• You can hear but cannot
understand
• Difficulty following
conversations when background
noise or when in groups
• Children and women's voices are difficult to hear
• Need to turn up TV or radio louder
• Cannot hear high pitched sounds such as birds,
crickets and bells
Common Reactions to Untreated
Hearing Loss
• Denial
• Anxiety
• Search for a cure
• Feeling powerless
• Emotional detachment
• Isolation
• Depression
• Withdrawal from communication situations
Why Doesn’t Everyone Get Help?
• Unaware of hearing loss
• Denial or blame others for
hearing loss
• Lack of desire to interface
with others
• Negative stories
• Vanity
• Prior problems with other
hearing aids
• Misinformed – can’t be helped
because of “nerve loss”
• Cost $$
Benefits of Improved Hearing
National Council on Aging Study
The majority of hearing aid wearers
reported significantly improved quality
of life including improvements in:
• personal relationships
• self-esteem
• overall health
Family members reported an average
of 15% greater benefit than the
hearing aid wearer.
Treatments for Hearing Loss
• What can be done to
improve your hearing?
– Use correctly fitted
hearing aids
– Use good communication
strategies
– Use Assistive Devices
When Hearing Aids
Are the Solution
Are All Hearing Aids the Same?
Hearing aids range in:
• Style and size
• Technology
• Flexibility
• Effectiveness within a
noisy environment
All of the above factors are reflected in price.
Size and Style
• In the Ear
• In the Canal
• Receiver In the Ear
• Completely in the canal
• Behind the Ear
Flexibility
Everyone's hearing needs
are unique
• Degree and tones affected
• Tolerance to loud sounds
• Listening environments
Hearing aids can be customized
to your hearing needs using
a computer.
One Hearing Aid or Two?
If there is hearing loss in both
ears, you should wear two
hearing aids. Why?
• Better sound sensitivity –
“Stereo” quality
• Improved ability to locate sound
• Easier to understand speech
in noise
• Risk of “auditory deprivation”
is reduced
Hearing in Noise
A normal auditory system can:
• Detect and focus on speech
• Tune out unwanted “noise”
• Automatically minimize
annoying sounds to enhance
speech
Hearing impairment disrupts these
abilities.
Today’s Hearing
Instruments
Digital Hearing Aids
Digital Technology
• changes speech & sounds
into numbers
• applies mathematical
calculations to the numbers
Benefits
• enhanced clarity
• more detail in the speech
• programmed using a computer
for optimal flexibility
• ability to do more advance sound
processing (e.g.. noise reduction,
feedback management)
Digital Hearing Aids
– What Users Say
• Arlinger et al., 1996
– Better sound quality
– Better speech intelligibility
• Warland et al., 1997
– Improved overall hearing/
clearer sound
– Enhanced performance in noise
• Knebel & Bentler, 1998
– Crispness of sound
– Feeling more comfortable with the
accuracy of what was heard
– Improved ability to hear high
pitched sounds e.g.. bird sounds
Assistive Devices
• Amplified Telephones
• Wireless headsets for TV
Bluetooth Technology
• Can use this technology to receive sounds
from your TV, telephone, or cell phone
DIRECTLY to your hearing aids without any
cords
Choose the Best Hearing Solution
• Consider your long term needs
• Your hearing professional
recommends the best possible
solution for your hearing loss
and lifestyle
• Your involvement, expectations,
and level of motivation play a
major role in a successful outcome
Who is…
• Committed to helping people with hearing loss.
• Staffed by certified, registered Audiologists and Hearing
Instrument Specialists…experts in hearing related issues.
• Committed to making audiology and hearing care accessible
to all.
• Provides the ongoing support, supplies, services, counseling
and education to make hearing aid wearers successful.
• Provides the best guarantees and warranties in the Province.
• Convenient locations and hours of operation, including home
visits.
QUESTIONS?
Contact your local ListenUP! Canada
location for your complimentary hearing
test.