If you’ve noticed changes in your hearing, it’s natural to wonder what to do next. You’re not alone, and support is available. Our audiologists are here to guide you, answer your questions, and help you rediscover sounds that matter to you. It all begins with a simple hearing test.
How Does a Hearing Test Work?
In a sound-proof room, you will wear headphones connected to a device that sends noise to one ear at a time. The audiologist will ask you to press a button or raise your hand whenever you hear a sound.
There are no risks associated with the test, and you can typically receive your results the same day.
What Does an Audiologist Measure?
- How your ears respond to loud sounds
- The quietest sound you can hear at different pitches
- How well you can hear speech
- The movement capacity of your eardrum
- What type of hearing loss you have
Why Seek Treatment for Hearing Loss?
Meeting with an audiologist and determining the best course of action has many benefits. A few of them are:
- Improved physical and mental health
- Better relationships with family and friends
- Increased connection to the world around you
Improved Physical and Mental Health
Treating hearing loss can have a variety of other positive side effects on your health.
- Hearing aids decrease listening (related) fatigue.
- Treating hearing loss has been linked to a reduced risk of falls.
- Hearing aid use can improve working memory performance in adults, compared to not using hearing aids.
- Hearing aid users have reported lower levels of loneliness and greater emotional support following device use.
- Wearing hearing aids improves social engagement/activity amongst adults with hearing loss.
Better Relationships with Family and Friends
If you find yourself in arguments about the television volume or who said what, treating hearing loss with hearing aids will likely resolve these tensions. With help from an audiologist, you’ll be able to better understand what the people in your life are saying.
Increased Connection to the World Around You
Imagine hearing birds chirping outside, the pop of a bottle being opened in the kitchen or laughter from your children. Seeking treatment from an audiologist can help sounds big and small be part of your daily life.
Take That Next Step
The results of your hearing test, shown on an audiogram, will determine the course of action for your treatment plan. Just like people, each treatment plan is unique, and so the next steps might vary from patient to patient.
Though hearing aids are the most common treatment, each device’s technology and style are different. Your audiologist will work with you to find the model that works best for you, fit them and provide ongoing support.
Call Cedar Rapids Hearing Center for more information or to schedule an appointment.
