FEBRUARY 17, 2017
LIVING 50 PLUS
THEPRESS.NET
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Sound advice for seniors AMY SCHRADER
environments, you may be experiencing presbycusis, or age-related hearing loss. Local hearing experts have advice on what to do if you’re experiencing these symptoms and steps you can take to preserve your hearing. “Most people are in denial and think they hear fine,” said Toby Hill, board-certified hearing-instrument specialist and owner of the Contra Costa Hearing Aid Center in Brentwood and Walnut Creek. “It’s not until friends, family or employers make a point that they are not hearing well that they seek help.” If you think you might be suffering from hearing loss, pay attention to how you feel in loud environments. “If you feel like you’re having a much harder time keeping track of conversations in these situations than your companions, you may be experiencing the beginnings of hearing loss,” said Kevin Garnett, hearing health-care provider at Hearing Services of Antioch. Hill recommends that everyone over 40 get a baseline-hearing test. Rest assured technology has caught up with hearing devices. “Hearing aids are microcomputers, and ... they have changed dramatically,” said Hill. “They have gotten much smaller, and now they have Bluetooth integrated into them, which allows people to talk on the phone and control the hearing aids from their phone.” The technology built into hearing aids also allows the devices to be precisely designed for the user’s needs.
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Renee Parrett, Senior Financial Advisor First Vice President – Investments 1115 Second St., Brentwood, CA 94513 Direct: 925-513-6004 renee.c.parrett@wellsfargo.com • wellsfargoadvisors.com CA Insurance # 0C92754 L
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“The new aids can be customized, so they only pump up the frequencies that are challenging to you and leaving the other frequencies you can hear fine alone,” said Brentwood resident Tim Biglow. “Hearing Services of Antioch provides exemplary service.” Having a qualified hearing professional conduct a thorough evaluation of your hearing, select and fit the correct device and verify the fitting will dramatically change lives. “Personal relationships are the most important part of our lives,” said Hill. “Giving people the ability to communicate with their spouses, children, grandchildren and friends is immeasurable.” Hill said he’s had police officers burst into tears in his office after hearing their wive’s voices for the first time in years. “This is why I do what I do,” he said. “We change the lives of everyone we see.” Addressing hearing loss early can help you retain your understanding of speech and sounds. “The longer your brain is required to cope with diminished hearing sensitivity, the more difficulty it will have understanding speech, even if hearing amplification is obtained at a later time,” said Garnett. “The sooner you can obtain hearing technology, the better your brain will be able to handle those missing sounds when you start hearing them again.” Contra Costa Hearing Aid Center is located at 1240 Central Boulevard, Suite A2, in Brentwood. For more information, visit www.contracostahearing.com or call 925-203-9134. Hearing Services of Antioch is located at 4045 Lone Tree Way, Suite D, in Antioch. For more information, visit www.hearingservicesofantioch.com or call 925-237-9689. To comment, visit www.thepress.net.
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