102 Years Old Patient Positively Improves Her Hearing at Hidden Hearing

Hidden Hearing has an extensive branch network in Northern Ireland and offers world-class hearing healthcare services, free aftercare service including 4 year free service on all hearing devices. It gives a full diagnosis of hearing loss absolutely free including free wax removal.  Added to this are free batteries for life.

Recently 102 year old Isobel Manning visited Hidden Hearing at 73 Carlisle Road, L’Derry and was delighted with the positive improvement to her hearing.

Isobel Manning with Hidden Hearing’s Graham Sutton

It’s important  to look after your hearing  call 0800 587 7267 or log onto www.hiddenhearing.org to book your free hearing screening today.

Tinnitus Awareness Week 3-9 February – Useful Therapies for Managing Symptoms from Hidden Hearing

Tinnitus Awareness Week 2014 runs from 3-9 February. The British Tinnitus Association will be raising awareness of the condition throughout the week.

Tinnitus can commonly sound like ringing or buzzing in the ears. It’s not a disease or an illness and it’s generated within a person’s own auditory pathways. For some people it comes and goes and in more severe cases it is present permanently, causing problems with sleep and concentration.

If you are one of the many people who suffer from persistent or occasional tinnitus, here are five useful therapies for managing tinnitus:

Firstly, try not to worry. One of the things that we do know about tinnitus is that stress can bring it on or even make it worse. There is help available and this will probably mean managing the condition – it may even disappear if a symptom of an underlying condition can be treated.

What can be done?

Tinnitus therapies vary and it is important to point out that we can only talk about relieving tinnitus. Most therapies revolve around counselling and using alternative forms of sound as a distraction to the tinnitus.

Suggested Therapies:

*Sound Relaxation Ball – This plays seven sounds of nature and includes a built-in timer and can be used anywhere.

* Sound CDs – A box of four relaxation CDs including Tranquil Horizons, Cloud Dances, Classical Thunderstorms and Harmony can be listened to anywhere you have access to a CD player.

* Tinnitus Masker – A hearing aid device that plays white noise to mask the sound of your tinnitus. Noise exposure is a common contributor to Tinnitus. Tinnitus therapy can involve the sufferer listening to another sound source to serve as a distraction.

* Amplification – Hearing aids themselves have been known to help where there is a hearing loss. Some now even have a dedicated program for tinnitus distraction.

* Tinnitus Counselling – A trained Tinnitus Counsellor can help discuss how to manage the condition.

Anybody who might be concerned about their tinnitus can avail of a free hearing test and consultation at any of the Hidden Hearing branches in Northern Ireland, you can find your nearest clinic here. Or you can book a hearing check free of charge by calling our Freephone number 0800 587 7267 or by visiting www.hiddenhearing.org

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New study findings: Hearing impairment shrinks brain faster

Hearing Loss Linked to Accelerated Brain Tissue Loss

We know that as we age our brain becomes smaller but the results of a recent study from the Johns Hopkins University in Maryland now suggests that older adults who suffer from hearing loss are more likely to experience a higher level of brain shrinkage at a faster rate.

For the study, Dr. Frank Lin, M.D., Ph.D., and his colleagues analyzed 126 participants aged between 56 and 86 years for up to a 10-year period. The study participants underwent yearly magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans for their brain changes to be tracked plus physical examinations, including hearing tests. At this point, 71 participants had normal hearing, while 51 had impaired hearing with a minimum loss of 25 decibels. The participants with impaired hearing also lost at least an extra cubic centimeter more of brain tissue every year, compared with those who had normal hearing.

Address hearing loss ‘sooner rather than later’

Dr.Lin says it is not surprising that these particular brain structures were affected. He explains that because people with hearing loss tend to use speech and sound less, brain structures linked to these processes are more likely to shrink due to lack of stimulation.

He also says their findings emphasize the importance of treating hearing loss as early as possible, adding: “Our results suggest that hearing loss could be another ‘hit’ on the brain in many ways.If you want to address hearing loss well, you want to do it sooner rather than later. If hearing loss is potentially contributing to these differences we’re seeing on MRI, you want to treat it before these brain structural changes take place.” Dr. Lin and his colleagues say they plan to eventually examine whether treating hearing loss early can reduce the risk of associated health problems.

You can book a hearing test free of charge at any of Hidden Hearing’s extensive branch and clinic network.Freephone 0800 587 7267 or visit www.hiddenhearing.org