Wednesday, July 25, 2001

It's important to understand what's going on

By ANDREW WAITS
Clinical audiologist

Do you enjoy being around people as much as you used to?

Have you been turning down social invitations from your friends lately?

This may sound bizarre, but those are symptoms of people with hearing loss. Because they have trouble understanding conversations, they begin to avoid being around other people.

Of course, there are other reasons why people isolate, but hearing loss is one of them.

Most of us lose some of our hearing as we reach our sixties. And the loss is so gradual that we hardly notice it. But it affects our lives in so many ways. It can cause social problems, even marital problems.

It's a shame, because there's help for people with hearing loss. But they can't be helped until they accept the fact that they might have a problem.

To find out if you have a problem, get an examination by an audiologist.

Why an audiologist? Because they know the most about hearing. They're college-trained with master's or doctoral degrees in audiology. Many have a Certificate of Clinical Competence in audiology and are Fellows of the American Academy of Audiology.

Another reason is that audiologists offer the full range of solutions to hearing problems. (It doesn't take a rocket scientist to know that if you go to someone whose only business is selling hearing aids, chances are he's going to try to sell you hearing aids.)

By virtue of their graduate education, professional certification and licensure, audiologists are the most qualified professionals to perform hearing tests, refer patients for medical treatment and provide hearing rehabilitation services.

Hearing aid options are thoroughly discussed with each potential user based on the results of a complete hearing aid test battery and the individual needs of each patient. Follow-up care is routine from dispensing audiologists.

People who have problems with their hearing can begin to hear their friends and family so much better and the quality of life can be greatly improved. All of my patients agree with a sign in my office that says, "A hearing aid is less conspicuous than hearing loss."