Do you feel you’re missing important parts of conversations, or maybe you’re having a tough time hearing certain words?
Do you hear the question, “how are you feeling today” as “how are you stealing the hay?”
If so, it’s probably time to get your hearing checked out, says Mani Rahnama, an audiologist and owner of NexGen Hearing’s Abbotsford Hearing Clinic. Not only is the test free at NexGen Hearing, it’ll give you a good baseline to know where your hearing is at, even if your hearing loss is minimal, he adds.
Sudden loss of hearing needs diagnosis quickly
If you’ve been concerned about your hearing, is your first thought to book an appointment with your family doctor to get to the bottom of the problem? While your doctor can make suggestions, going to a specialized hearing centre can determine your degree of hearing loss quickly.
“Often times it’s better to see the hearing expert first, especially if it feels like a sudden or drastic change,” Rahnama says. “That’s a big concern I see a lot in Abbotsford. If it goes untreated and undetected, that hearing loss can become permanent.”
Hearing loss can be caused by various things, he adds. While the aging process is the most frequent, it can also be brought on by reactions to certain medications, an auto-immune response or in younger people, prolonged or sudden exposure to loud noise at work or elsewhere.
Trouble hearing in a crowd?
If you have difficulties distinguishing voices from general background noise or in a crowd, you’re not alone. That’s the No. 1 complaint from people suffering hearing loss, says NexGen Hearing audiology expert Dr. Ted Venema.
“Most people, as they get older – usually around age 65 – start to lose hearing in the high pitches. We call it ‘the trouble with treble,’” he adds. Mishearing consonants and high-pitched speech, like the letters ‘s’ and ‘f’ and the ‘ch’ and ‘th’ sounds, can make it difficult to discern words.
That’s why people with hearing loss say, “You don’t have to raise your voice, I just can’t hear what you said.” Dishes or fishes? Kittens or mittens?
Your relationships can also be made difficult with hearing loss, he says, as it necessarily involves another person. “It’s all about communication with others. And we know that sometimes people’s patience gets stretched thin when the other person isn’t hearing them.”
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For more information or to book your free hearing test in person, drop by NexGen Hearing’s Abbotsford clinic at 306-2051 McCallum Rd. You can also follow what’s happening with NexGen Hearing on their Facebook page.
