Protect your hearing and don’t wait for treatment

By Emma Castleberry for Aging at Altitude

Hearing loss is an extremely common and frustrating experience for most seniors. Luckily, there are easy steps you can take now to prevent hearing loss and keep your hearing in tip-top shape – which is a far better approach than waiting for your hearing to become a problem. “With hearing, it’s important to be proactive rather than reactive,” says Dr. Georgianna Hearne, an audiologist with

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Family Hearing. “Preventing and treating hearing loss early is the best medicine for mitigating risks associated with untreated hearing loss like depression, anxiety, balance issues, cognitive decline and of course difficulty communicating.” While most health matters benefit from a prevention approach, this is especially true for hearing because there aren’t many options once it’s lost. Furthermore, damaged hearing has a ripple effect on other realms of your health. “We hear with not just our ears but our brains, so any damage to our ears has a higher impact on cognitive function,” says Dr. Shawna Beasley with Hearing HealthCare Centers. “Once hearing has been lost, there is no medical treatment or cure for hearing loss. However, there are technology devices being used as a form of treatment to provide functional hearing.”

All is not lost if you’re already experiencing difficulty with your hearing, but a preventative approach is quite simple and should be implemented regardless of the current quality of your hearing. “Top three tips: protect, protect, protect,” says Dr. Beasley.

One simple protective step is reducing your exposure to loud sounds and noisy environments. “Noiseinduced hearing loss is one of the leading causes of hearing loss and is 100 percent preventable,” says Dr. Hearne. Loud situations aren’t always avoidable, so Dr. Hearne recommends “giving your ears listening breaks,” which “can help keep your hearing system strong when it encounters noisy situations like lawnmowers, power tools or concerts.” Using earplugs or other ear protection can also reduce the damage done to your hearing by loud noises.

Your diet and general health matter, too. Eating nutritious foods in the proper portions and maintaining good cardiovascular health will ensure that your heart can deliver vital oxygen to your hearing system and keep it functioning properly. But even the healthiest individual shouldn’t skip their check-ups! “Get your hearing checked annually to monitor for any changes,” says Dr. Hearne.

“Hearing is extremely unique and personal to each person, so it’s important you collaborate with a professional to achieve your better hearing goals.” The team at Family Hearing takes pride in their individual approach and customized treatment that is tailored to each patient’s lifestyle and expectations.

“As a company, we pride ourselves on old-fashioned customer service paired with the most modern and up-todate equipment and testing,” says Dr. Hearne.

If the loud concerts and noisy lawn work finally catch up to you and you experience hearing loss, it’s not a time to procrastinate or see if it gets better on its own. “It’s crucial to keep your hearing in shape and pursue immediate treatment when you start to experience hearing loss,” says Dr. Beasley. The team of doctors of audiology at Hearing HealthCare Centers is trained to partner with patients to help determine the appropriate treatment.

“We work with most insurance carriers and provide best practices within each of our locations,” says Dr. Beasley. “If you or a loved one are experiencing any signs of hearing loss, do not wait. Call and get help right away”

For more information or to find a provider, visit familyhearingco.com and hearinghealthcarecenters.com.