Better Hearing Institute Advises People with Even Mild Depression and/or Anxiety Should Get Their Hearing Checked

The Better Hearing Institute (BHI) is urging people with symptoms of depression and/or anxiety to get their hearing checked and to address any diagnosed hearing loss, the institute announced today. Research shows that hearing loss frequently co-exists with depression and/or anxiety, and that people with untreated hearing loss may be at an increased risk of depression.

Hearing loss and depression are increasing worldwide. In fact, according to the World Federation for Mental Health (WFMH), the current global financial crisis has led to an increased number of people developing depression. According to a BBC report, the World Health Organization (WHO) predicts that within 20 years depression will affect more people than any other health problem. Already, hearing loss is the third most prevalent chronic health condition facing older Americans. And as far back as 2004, more than 275 million people worldwide had moderate-to-profound hearing impairment. According to the WHO, hearing loss is the second leading cause of YLD (years lost due to disability) only after depression.

“We’ve known for a long time that depression and hearing loss often exist together, particularly in people with untreated hearing loss,” says Sergei Kochkin, PhD, Executive Director of BHI. “In fact, when left unaddressed, hearing loss can lead to isolation and other emotional conditions that can affect both qualify of life and mental health. But we also know that by treating hearing loss, the risk of associated depression and other mental health issues lessens significantly.”

Studies show that when people with mild-to-profound hearing loss use hearing aids, they experience decreased depressive symptoms, anxiety and emotional instability; significant improvements in quality of life and functional health status; and have significantly higher self-concepts compared to individuals with hearing loss who do not wear hearing aids. U.S. research shows that the use of hearing aids reduces the risk of income loss, and that those who use hearing aids are twice as likely to be employed as their peers who do not use hearing aids. Moreover, the vast majority of people with hearing loss can benefit from hearing aids.

If you have any questions about hearing loss or hearing aids contact Hidden Hearing.

 

Dad … Dad? DAD! It’s Time to Get a Hearing Test — Part 2

Dad is also concerned a hearing aid would spoil the hearing he still had left, because it would feed back or amplify really loud sounds. I admit, I had wondered about that too.

Modern hearing aids have made great strides. Digital technology allows the hearing aid to monitor and control sound levels. Devices are programmed to cut off at unsafe levels and control feedback as well as isolate specific sounds, making it easier to hear in a crowded room for example.

Wait Not, Want Not

If my father continues to avoid dealing with his hearing loss, the neurological components of his hearing that function properly may atrophy at an accelerated rate. It’s called auditory deprivation.

Reams of studies have been conducted on sound deprived children, adults, and unfortunate baby rats. Google it.

“When you have a hearing loss, you’re depriving the auditory system of the stimulation it needs to run efficiently,” Saunders says.

“The longer you leave a hearing loss untreated, the less efficient the system becomes. It [your brain] forgets how to process certain sounds.”

“Your 90- or 80-year-old self is really going to suffer for your decision at 70 to wait.”

Dad is worried a hearing aid will give him an ear infection. Today’s popular models, called open-fit hearing aids, don’t plug your ear completely. Air and sound enter the ear freely. There is little wax buildup, and you won’t feel like your voice is booming when you speak.

At nearly 74, my father is also concerned a hearing aid will make him look old. (It’s a perfectly legitimate concern for such a handsome guy.)

These days, the only visible part of an open fit hearing aid is a tiny, clear tube going into your ear. The largest part is hidden behind your ear.

“Those tiny hearing aids which tuck behind your ear have advanced technology with directional capabilities,” Saunders says.

There are also implantable hearing aids that stay in your ear for three months at a time. Others fit deep in your ear canal and are removed nightly.

“If somebody wants an inconspicuous hearing aid, we have a ton of options to show them.”

It seems there are several completely invisible options, and an added benefit, according to Saunders, is that “you will appear younger, [because] you’ll be part of the conversation again.”

Audiologists and hearing instrument specialists are health professionals

Here’s another common concern: If you go to get tested at a place that sells hearing aids, are you more likely to end up leaving with one?She objected to the idea that places that both test hearing and fit for hearing aids are doing more than offering a needed service.

“If you’re seeing an audiologist you’re seeing a health professional. Everybody has to have a master’s degree or equivalent,” Kealey says.

Fitting hearing aids is only a small part of what an audiologist does. You may also be tested and fitted by a hearing instrument specialist who is college-trained specifically in hearing aid technology.

The hearing clinics I spoke with use differing combinations of both. Professional conduct doesn’t appear to be the real issue.

“The biggest problem we have is getting people with serious hearing problems in the door for a test,”  “Even if the problem is easy to solve, you’ll never know if you don’t get tested.”

‘Did Kleenex always make a sound?’

The key to a successful experience is working with professionals you feel comfortable with.

Improper device tuning during the fitting process can create unsatisfied customers. A skilled professional will be able to provide you with good results. “What makes the difference between a good hearing aid and a bad one is how it’s programmed.”

In the event that you need to go back a few times to get the programming or the fit just right, you need to feel confident you will get excellent service and all the time you need.

It is also important that people get assistance and counseling when acclimatizing to the change in their hearing.

Saunders says some clients have forgotten what the world really sounds like. Accustomed to living with hearing loss, they are not used to hearing natural sounds at normal levels. “They ask, ‘Did Kleenex always make a sound?’”

If you have any questions about the latest hearing aids and digital technology contact Hidden Hearing.

Source The Epoch Times: Read More>

Dad … Dad? DAD! It’s Time to Get a Hearing Test

Untreated hearing loss has a lot of social and emotional consequences, and loss in communication is typical.

You’d better take a deep breath and call from the top of your lungs if you want him to hear you from the living room.

Forget about talking to him on the phone—he won’t even answer it. He calls you a “mumbler.” The television volume is on max, always.

He just won’t admit he can’t hear and he won’t get tested. Sound familiar? Well, he’s my dad. Is he yours too?

He’s driving my mom crazy. “Instead of saying, ‘I didn’t hear you,’ he says, ‘you never told me,’” explains my mother. Miscommunication causes conflict, which is never good for a marriage.

Social activities have become more difficult for my parents. “It’s very annoying in the middle of plays, movies, or speeches, to have someone say, ‘What did he say?’ Now you have to stop listening to the rest of it to answer,” complains my mother.

When mom attempts to answer, dad will often respond “No, no. Not that. The other thing they said!” Other people in the audience fail to find this banter amusing.

My father’s hearing loss is becoming a source of resentment, especially because he’s refusing to acknowledge it. Now mom feels she’s stuck with his problem.

Loss in Communication

The loss in communication is typical, Hearing loss deteriorates slowly over time. Often the person with the hearing loss isn’t aware of the depth of the problem.

“People with hearing loss live in a world in which others expect them to hear normally. They may find themselves ridiculed, ignored or the target of anger and frustration,”

“If left untreated, hearing loss is proven to negatively impact interpersonal and family relationships.”

And so, in support of my mother (and maybe your mother too), I sought to find out all about hearing aids and hearing tests, or die trying.  According to the Canadian Association of Speech and Language Pathologists and Audiologists (CASLPA) 10 percent of the general population, 20 percent of those over 65, and 40 percent of those over 75 have a significant hearing problem.

It seems my parents are certainly not alone.

Testing, Testing 1, 2, 3

I decided to get my hearing tested. I called for an appointment. Most places that dispense hearing aids offer free testing. The tests are similar no matter where you go.

The first test involved plugging my ears and changing the air pressure in the canal followed by some rather loud tones played at a couple of frequencies.

Changing the air pressure tests the health of the eardrum. The loud sounds test the acoustic reflex, in short, the strength of the stapedius muscle that controls the movement of the stapes in response to loud noise.

The stapes and the stapedius are the smallest bone and muscle in the human body. They indirectly connect to the eardrum to transmit sound.

If the test findings are outside normal range, you will be referred to an ear, nose, and throat specialist before being fitted with a hearing device. “We would always want to get medical clearance first,”

What happens if there’s a blockage? It may be good news. Taking the wax out of your ear is much cheaper than a hearing aid. It saved my grandmother several thousand dollars! Lucky for her, wax was her only problem.

Next, I was placed in a booth with glass windows. Each ear is individually tested at a variety of volumes and frequencies. When you hear a sound, you press a button. Simple.

Next comes the word recognition test. It tests how clearly you hear. Though generally in English, you can call around to different hearing clinics for an audiologist or hearing instrument specialist who speaks your language.

My test was completed in under an hour. Apparently my hearing was “excellent.”

Effective Communication Saves Time

It’s time to address father’s many concerns about hearing aids, which my mother wrongly calls excuses.

My dad has always been a chronic over-achiever, which is why he’s fun to be around. Instead of retiring, he’s busy running an art college. He says he simply has no time for a hearing test.

Unfortunately, people with hearing loss may end up creating extra work for themselves because of ineffective communication, resulting in lost time.

“If you invest time in your hearing, you save time because you become a more effective communicator,” says Bennett, “Plus it’s exhausting straining to hear all day.”

If you have any questions about hearing loss contact Hidden Hearing.

Source: The EpochTimes/ read more>

FREE HEARING TESTS FOR DUNGANNON

FREE HEARING TESTS FOR DUNGANNON

SOURCE: TYRONE TIMES Published on Tuesday 20 March 2012 09:06

 

FREE hearing tests will be available in Dungannon throughout Hearing Action Week 2012 which takes place from Monday 26th March.

 

The free tests will be provided by Hidden Hearing Northern Ireland at Northland Healthcare on 14a Northland Row, Dungannon, Tyrone.

Hearing Action Week is a national awareness campaign run by Hidden Hearing Northern Ireland highlighting the issue of hearing loss. This year the campaign will focus on encouraging people to take action on their hearing loss, highlighting that some people delay for up to 15 years in addressing the issue.

A host of initiatives will be held during the week making it easier for people to take action. These include a mobile hearing screening clinic visiting towns and cities across the province offering free hearing screenings. A website http://www.hearingactionweek.org has been set up to provide tips and advice of hearing loss, details of the mobile clinic itinerary and an online hearing test. Hidden Hearing Northern Ireland will also be providing free hearing tests at each of its 11 clinics during the week.

Discussing Hearing Action Week 2012, Dr. Nina Byrnes, Hidden Hearing’s Medical Advisor said: “We are delighted to launch Hearing Action Week 2012, which will help people take a proactive approach to their hearing health. Loss of the ability to hear or discriminate sounds is one of the most common everyday disabilities in Northern Ireland. Research in the area has shown that hearing loss affects almost one of every six people in the province and a third of Northern Irish people over the age of 60. It’s important if you notice issues with your hearing that you address the problem early and take positive action. Research has shown that some people delay far too long in addressing their hearing loss and this can affect their social interaction and confidence”.

 READ MORE>

Saliva Tests for Infants May Identify Risk of Hearing Loss, Study Shows

A simple saliva swab may help doctors better identify newborn babies born with an infection that is responsible for as much as 25 percent of hearing loss early in life, a study found.

The study, led by researchers from the University of Alabama at Birmingham, identified all babies infected with cytomegalovirus, or CMV, when using a wet saliva sample and about 97 percent when using a dried saliva sample. The research was published today in theNew England Journal of Medicine.

One in 150 children born in the U.S., or about 30,000, are infected with CMV, the most common infection passed from mother to unborn child, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. About 10 percent to 15 percent of those will develop a disability such as hearing loss, said pediatrician and lead study author Suresh Boppana. While babies aren’t currently screened for CMV, the study’s findings could help make testing for the infection routine, he said.

“Most babies with CMV infection won’t be identified at birth, unless you screen them for CMV infection, because they look like every other healthy baby,” said Boppana, a professor of pediatrics at the University of Alabama at Birmingham in a May 31 telephone interview.

Studies estimate that about 20 percent of hearing loss at birth and 25 percent of hearing loss seen in 4-year-olds is due to CMV, Boppana said. A screening test for CMV would cost about $2.50 to $3, he said.

Understanding CMV

In a separate trial currently under way, researchers are following children with congenital CMV and monitoring their hearing every six months until they are 4 years old. Results from the study, designed to give doctors a better understanding of how CMV causes hearing loss, won’t be available for several years, Boppana said.

“If our results confirm that congenital CMV is a major cause of hearing loss, then there’s an impetus on the national agencies to think about considering making a recommendation that every baby needs to be tested for CMV,” he said.

Researchers took saliva samples from almost 35,000 babies in seven U.S. hospitals from June 2008 to November 2009. Some of the saliva samples were stored in solution and some were air dried. The researchers then compared their results with another highly accurate test, called the rapid culture method, that isn’t conducive for widespread use because it involves lengthy incubation and testing procedures.

Of 17,662 newborns screened with the saliva samples stored in solution, 85 were positive for CMV, a 100 percent match to the rapid culture method. Of 17,327 newborns screened by having their dried saliva tested, 74 were positive for CMV. The rapid culture method found 76.

“It’s important for us to develop diagnostic tools to screen babies for congenital CMV infection so that those who test positive can be monitored for possible hearing loss and, if it occurs, provided with appropriate intervention as soon as possible,” said James Battey Jr., director of the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders, part of the National Institutes of Health, which funded today’s study, in a statement.

If you have any questions about hearing contact Hidden Hearing

To contact the reporter on this story: Nicole Ostrow in New York at nostrow1@bloomberg.net.

 

 

Hearing Tests: in addition to their newborn hearing test, children should begin to have formal hearing tests at each yearly visit to their pediatrician

 

 

 

Being aware of these pediatric best practices can help make sure your child is cared for following the latest recommendations from the American Academy of Pediatrics.

• Autism Screening: pediatricians should look for subtle autism red flags(poor eye contact, not responding to name being called, and delayed babbling and baby talk, etc.) that could be an indication of autism at each well child visit and should use a formal autism screen tool, such as M-CHAT(Modified Checklist for Autism in Toddlers), at 18 and 24 months or whenever a parent raises concerns that their child might have autism.
• Blood Pressure: children should have their blood pressure routinely checked at each well child visit beginning at age three years.
• BMI: children and teens should have their BMI calculated and plotted on a BMI growth chart each year to help identify excessive weight gain and a risk of developing childhood obesity. Do you know your child’s BMI?

• Breastfeeding: pediatricians should encourage exclusive breastfeeding, without supplementary water, juice, or other foods, for the first six months of a baby’s life, and even after cereal and baby food is started around six months, “Breastfeeding should be continued for at least the first year of life and beyond for as long as mutually desired by mother and child.”
• Cholesterol Screening: children between the ages of two and ten years should have a fasting lipid profile blood test if they a positive family history of dyslipidemia (high blood cholesterol and/or triglycerides) or premature cardiovascular disease (high blood pressure, heart attacks, stroke, or heart failure, etc., at 65 (men) or 55 (women) years old and younger), if their family history is unknown, or if they are overweight, have high blood pressure, diabetes mellitus, or smoke cigarettes.
• Hearing Tests: in addition to their newborn hearing test, children should begin to have formal hearing tests at each yearly visit to their pediatrician beginning when they are four years old. A yearly hearing test is also done at age five, six, eight, and ten years. Less formal risk assessment for hearing problems should be done at their other yearly checkups.
• Hematocrit: a hemoglobin or hematocrit blood test is usually done at 12 months to test children for anemia, which is typically caused by iron deficiency. Additional screening for anemia risk factors, such as breastfeeding infants who don’t eat iron-fortified cereal or toddlers who drink too much milk, etc., is recommended at four months, 18 months, and then at your child’s yearly well child checkups.
• HIV: the CDC recommends routine HIV screening for teens beginning when they are 13 years old and repeated each year if they are at high risk for an HIV infection. The AAP simply states that pediatricians should make teens aware that HIV tests are available and encourage an HIV test for sexually active teens and teens who use drugs.
• Jaundice: All newborns should be routinely monitored for the development of jaundicebefore they are sent home from the nursery and a baby’s risk for developing jaundice should be assessed before they are sent home. They should then be seen by their pediatrician within a few days to make sure they aren’t developing jaundice. Parents should keep in mind that sunlight exposure to treat jaundice is no longer recommended by the AAP.
• Lead Poisoning: children, especially infants and toddlers, should be regularly asked about risk factors for lead poisoning and tested when appropriate, such as living in a home built before 1978, having friends or family members with high lead levels, or because of a state or local lead poisoning screening plan.
• Newborn Discharge: most newborns should be allowed to stay in the hospital for at least 48 hours after a vaginal delivery and at least 96 hours after a cesarean delivery, although some healthy, full term newborns without risk factors, who meet specific criteria can go home a little earlier if they will have follow up with their pediatrician within 48 hours.
• Screen Time: kids shouldn’t have a TV in their room and should be limited to no more than one to two hours each day of total screen time, including watching television, videos, and movies, and playing computer and video games, etc.
• Sex Ed: respecting the family’s individual and cultural values, pediatricians should talk to parents, children, and teens about sexuality education in age appropriate ways.
• STDs: all sexually active girls should be routinely tested for sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) each year, including chlamydia and gonorrhea, which they can have without symptoms.
• Sunscreen: pediatricians should remind parents that their kids should avoid sunburns, suntanning, and other measures to decrease sun exposure, in addition to recommending that once they are six months old, they apply a broad-spectrum sunscreen with an SPF of 15 or higher 15 to 30 minutes before going out in the sun, and that they need to reapply it at least every two hours. Infants less than six months old should be kept out of the sun, although when absolutely necessary, sunscreen can be applied on exposed areas that aren’t covered by a hat and other protective clothing.
• Swimming Lessons: in addition to counseling parents about childproofing their pool andwater safety, pediatricians should remind parents that most kids who are at least four years old should take swimming lessons until they learn to swim.
• TB Tests: a Tuberculin Skin Test (TST) is usually only done for children with TB risk factors, including children with HIV infection, incarcerated teenagers, children who have either have contact with someone with tuberculosis, have signs or symptoms of TB, recently emigrated from, including international adoptees, or traveled to a country with endemic TB.
• Universal Newborn Hearing Screening: all newborns should have their hearing tested and should be evaluated by the time they are three months old if they fail their first hearing tests, so that they can receive early intervention services before they are six months old if they do have a permanent hearing loss.
• Vision Tests: children should begin to have formal vision screening tests at each yearly visit to their pediatrician beginning when they are three years old. If they are uncooperative with the first vision screening test, your pediatrician will likely re-screen within six months. A yearly vision test is done though age six, and then alternates with less formal risk assessment for vision problems every other year until age twelve. Teenagers should have formal vision tests when they are 15 and 18 years old, and a vision risk assessment at their other yearly checkups.
• WHO Growth Charts: the CDC and AAP recommends that pediatricians use the World Health Organization (WHO) growth charts for children who are less than 24 months old, instead of the older CDC growth charts. The CDC growth charts can continue to be used for children and teens who are two years and older. The WHO growth charts will especially be helpful when evaluating breastfeeding infants, who sometimes appear to be gaining weight poorly on the CDC growth charts, even when they are breastfeeding well.

Pediatric Best Practice By Vincent Iannelli, M.D., About.com Guide