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One of the first signs of hearing loss is when someone, who typically hears well in quiet environments, struggles to hear in noise. Why is that?

Even for someone with normal hearing, noisy settings can be tricky to navigate when trying to make out speech. That’s because we all tend to use contextual cues — or clues from words we do make out — to fill in the gaps we miss or don’t make out due to background noise.

Background noise tends to mask the finer sounds of speech — like higher-pitched consonants — which makes it difficult for even those with normal hearing thresholds to hear in crowded, noisy environments.

Add to that, the variable of hearing loss, and these situations can be incredibly strenuous, as the brain is not always able to separate speech from the background noise and fill in the blanks of those missed sounds. Even when it can, the cognitive fatigue that we undergo in these situations can be exhausting.

How do hearing aids work in noise?

Hearing aids are incredible technology that use some key differences between speech and noise to separate the two types of auditory stimulus (sounds) from one another.

Noise tends to be more steady-state, meaning it does not have much fluctuation in its frequencies (pitch) or amplitude (loudness). Speech, however, tends to be highly variable in both frequency and amplitude.

Hearing aids work to analyze and distinguish all sounds coming into the microphones, then treat noise and speech differently so that the target signal — speech — is amplified and prioritized, while the background noise is compressed not enhanced.

To experience this difference for yourself contact Purchase Ear Technology for a FREE demonstration of our latest technology. You can reach us by phone at (270) 558-3996 or visit our office at 2008 Broadway St, Paducah, KY  42001.

Hearing loss is a global and national health crisis. Our advice – know the facts and seek treatment.

Hearing Loss Prevalence – Not Just For The Old

• According to the World Health Organization, 360 million people worldwide have disabling hearing loss.
• There are 48 million people in the US with hearing loss, yet only 2 million consider themselves deaf, using sign language as their primary mode of communication.
• One in 5 teenagers has hearing loss. This study was published in 2010, so the numbers are probably higher today.
• 60% of veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan come home with hearing loss and tinnitus.
• Hearing loss and tinnitus are the #1 and #2 most prevalent war wounds.
• According to the Better Hearing Institute, 65% of people with hearing loss are below age 65.
• About 2 to 3 out of every 1,000 children in the United States are born with a detectable level of hearing loss in one or both ears.
• On average, it takes seven to 10 years before someone with hearing loss seeks treatment for it.

Hearing Loss Is Associated With Many Health Problems

• Hearing loss is associated with a higher risk of falls. People with a mild hearing loss are nearly three times more likely to have a history of falling. Each additional 10-decibels of loss increases the chances of falling by 1.4 times.
• Hearing loss is twice as common in people with diabetes. Among people with pre-diabetes, the rate of hearing loss is 30 percent higher than in those with normal blood glucose levels.
• Those with even mild hearing loss are twice as likely to develop dementia and this likelihood increases with higher degrees of hearing loss.
• Hearing loss is linked to accelerated brain tissue loss.
• There is a high correlation between hearing loss and cardiovascular disease.
• Roughly 10 percent of the U.S. adult population, or about 25 million Americans, has experienced tinnitus lasting at least five minutes in the past year. Hearing loss occurs in 90% of tinnitus cases.

If you or someone you know is experiencing hearing loss on any level, we encourage you to contact us a Purchase Ear Technology located at 2008 Broadway Street, Paducah, KY  42001 or give us a call at (270) 558-3997.

It is very rare that a person with hearing loss self-diagnoses the issue. While hearing loss can begin in your 30’s, the long gradual decline can be barely noticeable on a month to month or even year to year basis. In addition, as hearing declines, our brains adjust and we become remarkably effective lip readers, particularly of those we spend the most time with. We don’t even realize we are lip reading until we see that we can only understand people when they are directly in front of us.

Some of the signs of hearing loss:

• Asking friends and family members to repeat information frequently.
• Increasing the volume on the radio or TV to a level that’s uncomfortable for individuals with normal hearing.
• No longer enjoying social activities like group dinners at restaurants. Your friends think you have lost interest in them when really it’s just that you struggle to hear well in groups
• You constantly ask people them to repeat what they said or it appears that you forget what was just said (because you didn’t actually hear it).
• You miss the beginning of conversations because it’s hard to hear them and then when you jump in, they say “that’s what we were just talking about!”

What to do about it?

First of all, don’t assume you need hearing aids. Just get a hearing test. This is a good step for your general health. Declining hearing can be an early sign of something more serious. Hearing test are quick and easy to do. They normally take about 30 minutes.

If you think are experiencing any of the signs listed about, give us a call at Purchase Ear Technology at (270) 558-3996 or stop by our office at 2008 Broadway St, Paducah KY  42001.

A recent study published in The Lancet, one of the world’s leading medical journals, called dementia “the greatest global challenge for health and social care in the 21st century.” The study, conducted by The Lancet Commission on Dementia Prevention and Care, noted that 50 million people have dementia worldwide — and that the number is expected to triple by 2050.
The commission’s purpose was to provide recommendations for prevention and management of dementia. The need is urgent, it determined, as dementia not only affects the person with dementia, it also impacts their family and friends.

Managing hearing loss earlier in life can reduce the risk of dementia.

Be proactive earlier in life to help prevent dementia later. The commission’s 24 international experts concluded that one in three cases of dementia could be prevented if people managed just nine lifestyle factors — one of which is managing hearing loss during midlife (between age 40-65).

The other eight include increasing childhood education and exercise, maintaining social engagements, reducing or stopping smoking, and management of depression, diabetes, hypertension, and obesity.
Dementia typically doesn’t manifest itself with symptoms until we’re 65+, but the study’s authors note that it likely begins between ages 40-65. They determined that managing these nine modifiable risk factors at various stages of life could “contribute to prevention or delay of dementia.”

The link between dementia and hearing loss.

The commission admits science isn’t yet unanimous on why unmanaged hearing loss can increase the risk of dementia. But research has confirmed that hearing loss adds to the cognitive load of the brain, leads to social isolation and depression, and accelerates brain atrophy — all of which are likely contributing factors.
Now, at least, there’s research that points to ways we can “reduce the incidence of dementia or substantially delay its onset” — and nearly all are within our control. This is terrific news for anyone worried about being affected by this awful condition.

We can help you manage your hearing loss.

Hearing loss is definitely something you can manage with the help of a trained hearing professional. If you have or think you have hearing loss, this new research gives you a great reason to do something about it as soon as you can.
Purchase Ear Technology can help improve your hearing and help prevent the long-term effects outlined in this study. Give us a call today at (270) 558-3996 or visit our office at 2008 Broadway St, Paducah, KY 42001.

When we think about happiness, we probably imagine a special memory we shared with a loved one, laughing with friends around the dinner table, or enjoying our favorite activity. Happiness probably conjures up similar memories and hopes in most of us. Some common things that make people happy are: family, vacations, lazy Saturdays, sunshine, chocolate, and  hearing aids.

While not typically the first things that enter our mind when thinking about happiness, if you or a loved one suffer from any degree of hearing loss, perhaps they should be. Study after study has shown the clear connection between both hearing aids and happiness, as well as untreated hearing loss and mental health concerns such as depression and anxiety.

We’ve outlined 3 very important ways that treating your hearing loss with hearing aids can make you happier.

 1.  Better Relationships with Friends and Family:

It is well documented that people with untreated hearing loss are at a high risk of becoming socially isolated. It makes sense, when you’re constantly straining to understand conversations, gatherings with friends and family can easily become tiring, frustrating, and downright difficult.

When treated with hearing aids, many of these concerns are virtually eliminated. A recent survey of about 4,000 adults with hearing loss by the Hear-The-World Foundation found that about 70% of respondents reported hearing aids having a profoundly positive impact on their relationships.

If you think this study is an isolated case, think again. The international non-profit organization Hear-It analyzed almost every peer-reviewed article on the benefits of using hearing aids from Australia, Europe and the US. Their findings? The overwhelming majority showed an overall improvement in quality of life, with the most profoundly positively affected area being in social and family relationships.

 2.  More Work Productivity:

We all know that money doesn’t buy happiness, however, it doesn’t hurt to get paid for your hard work – and feel successful while doing it. A recent study conducted through the University of Texas found that after only two weeks of use, hearing aids increased cognitive function in adults in their 50s and 60s with mild hearing loss when completing work related tasks. Their work productivity also increased significantly.

It has also been shown that those with untreated hearing loss are rated as less competent at their jobs than their peers with hearing loss treated with hearing aids. On average, people with severe hearing loss earn about $14,000 less per year than those without hearing loss. We all know that we’re happier when we feel like we’re good at our jobs, liked by our co-workers, and earning a salary we deserve.

 3.  Lower Risk of Depression:

Multiple studies have pointed to the clear connection between untreated hearing loss and depression. In a recent study by the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders, (NIDOCD), it was found that while only 5% of the population with normal hearing suffered from depression, that number was more than doubled for those with untreated hearing loss. In the same study, it was also concluded that those with hearing loss who do not wear hearing aids are much more likely to develop a major depressive disorder than those with the same degree of hearing loss who use hearing aids.

Another study concluded that hearing loss was associated with an increased risk for depression – especially in adults between 18-69. A study by John Hopkins came to similar conclusions – stating that those with untreated hearing loss are about 57% more likely to develop depression than those without hearing loss.

Do you think hearing aids may make you happier? Contact us at Purchase Ear Technology located at 2008 Broadway St, Paducah, KY  42001 or call us at (270) 558-3996. We look forward to helping you in rediscovering your happiness with hearing aids.

In order to understand hearing loss, we must first understand how we hear.

Hearing occurs when sound waves reach the structures inside your ear, where the sound wave vibrations are converted into nerve signals that your brain recognizes as sound.

Your ear consists of three major areas: outer ear, middle ear and inner ear. Sound waves pass through the outer ear and cause vibrations at the eardrum. The eardrum and three small bones of the middle ear amplify the vibrations as they travel to the inner ear. There, the vibrations pass through fluid in a snail-shaped structure in the inner ear (cochlea).

Attached to nerve cells in the cochlea are thousands of tiny hairs that help translate sound vibrations into electrical signals that are transmitted to your brain. The vibrations of different sounds affect these tiny hairs in different ways, causing the nerve cells to send different signals to your brain. That’s how you distinguish one sound from another.

Causes of hearing loss include:

Damage to the inner ear – Aging and exposure to loud noise may cause wear and tear on the hairs or nerve cells in the cochlea that send sound signals to the brain. When these hairs or nerve cells are damaged or missing, electrical signals aren’t transmitted as efficiently, and hearing loss occurs. Higher pitched tones may become muffled to you.  It may become difficult for you to pick out words against background noise. Heredity may make you more prone to these changes. This type of hearing loss is known as sensorineural hearing loss, which is permanent.

A gradual buildup of earwax- Earwax can block the ear canal and prevent conduction of sound waves. This can be restored with earwax removal.

Ear infection and abnormal bone growths or tumors- In the outer or middle ear, any of these can cause hearing loss.

Ruptured eardrum (tympanic membrane perforation)- Loud blasts of noise, sudden changes in pressure, poking your eardrum with an object and infection can cause your eardrum to rupture and affect your hearing.

Some types of hearing loss are preventable while some are not.  We encourage you to protect your hearing.  If you have noticed that you don’t hear as well as you once did, we would like to help.  Contact Purchase Ear Technology by phone at (270) 558-3996 or visit our office at 2008 Broadway St, Paducah, KY  42001.

If you’ve ever experienced a feeling of dizziness or the room spinning, you may be familiar with the term ‘vertigo,’ but do you know it by its proper name of Meniere’s disease? While there are other causes of vertigo, Meniere’s disease is the most common culprit of chronic unsteadiness. Meniere’s disease most frequently begins in those in the 20 to 50-year-old age range, continues into older age, and affects around 615,000 Americans.

Symptoms of Meniere’s

Feeling the room spinning is one of the most common symptoms of Meniere’s, particularly if this feeling begins and ends at random intervals. This feeling – vertigo – tends to last up to a few hours, but no longer. However, vertigo is often chronic for sufferers of Meniere’s. Another possible symptom is tinnitus, or ringing in the ears. Meniere’s disease can cause other types of hearing loss and pressure within the ear, though symptoms generally occur in only one ear at a time. These symptoms, along with headaches, light sensitivity, and blurry vision tend to disappear and reappear infrequently and can clear up after only one incidence.

Diagnosing Meniere’s

Doctors conduct three different tests to confirm a diagnosis of Meniere’s. The first is a hearing test focused on pitches and volumes since those with Meniere’s tend to struggle with lower frequencies. The next test assesses the inner ear and balance. Did you know some of the ear’s balance sensors are connected to your eye movements? A test called videonystagmography blows warm and cold air into the ear canal to measure eye movements to test potential balance issues. Other balance tests involve walking on a platform without shoes, testing eye movements in relation to different stimuli, or sitting in a rotating chair. Finally, a patient’s blood work and imaging are tested to confirm no other cause of symptoms.

Unfortunately, there is no cure, but there are treatments available to both counteract current vertigo attacks and prevent future discomforts. The most popular course of action is decreasing sodium in a diet. Sodium leads to water retention and can cause pressure in the inner ear. There are water-reduction pills for an added boost, but a change in diet alone can create great benefits. Other pills like Valium, Dramamine, and Ativan are helpful during vertigo stints by decreasing dizziness and nausea. There is also Vestibular Rehabilitation Therapy, which can help the brain alter its reactions to imbalances and movement. This helps prevent future episodes of dizziness.

Often one of the easiest, non-invasive treatment options may be hearing aids. Symptoms like tinnitus and hearing loss are quickly treated with hearing aids which do not require extensive lifestyle changes or drug interference.   If you suffer from hearing loss due to Meniere’s, call Purchase Ear Technology at (270) 558-3996 or visit us at 2008 Broadway Street, Paducah, KY  42001 to find out how we may be able to help.

Life is loud. Spending just an hour cutting your lawn without wearing hearing protection can cause irreversible damage to your hearing. But whether you’re cheering on your favorite sports teams, flying on an airplane, or getting your teeth cleaned at your dentist’s office, remember that you could be exposing your ears to unsafe noise levels.

The good news is that noise-induced hearing loss is preventable. You can avoid damaging your hearing by establishing safe listening levels, understanding how much exposure is safe and by wearing hearing protection.

Listen Carefully recommends following three easy steps to prevent noise induced hearing loss:

• Distance yourself from loud sounds
• Lower the volume
• Protect your ears

So, just how loud is too loud?

Understanding what noise levels are safe and how long you can be exposed to those levels before damage occurs can be confusing. Professionals use a complex formula to calculate risk, but in simpler terms, the chance of hearing loss greatly increases as the sound level and duration of exposure increase.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, prolonged exposure to sounds 85dB and above can be hazardous to your hearing.

Our musical devices and headphones:

Unfortunately, in today’s world, it is our headphones and personal listening devices that pose the most damage. A study in the Journal of the American Medical Association found that as many as one in five teens in the United States have a hearing loss, which is a 30 percent increase over the last decade. More than 20 percent of teens have measurable hearing loss because of noise exposure, and experts believe one in six teens may have permanent hearing loss due to loud sounds.

Personal audio devices bring sound into the ear canal and closer to the eardrum, increasing sound intensity and subsequently the risk of permanent damage. To ensure safe listening levels for personal audio devices, keep volume at or below half of the maximum output. Keep in mind that electronic manufacturers are not required to designate safe listening levels on electronics, therefore parents are encouraged to listen through their children’s headphones to make sure the levels of loudness are comfortable and safe.

The importance of protection:

Healthy listening levels should be established while using personal listening devices, especially for children, and hearing protection should be utilized when attending concerts or other loud events.

Hearing protection is especially important when it comes to occupational and recreational noises such as a construction site, a factory or when out hunting or shooting. Using hearing protection can reduce your risk of noise exposure and can be worn during everyday activities such as riding a motorcycle, mowing the yard or attending a concert.

Protection and Prevention:

There are a number of protective options including custom-fit earplugs, digital hearing protection or simply foam earplugs you can keep in your car or purse. For those involved heavily with music, consider custom headphones and stage monitors.

If you have questions about other ways to protect your hearing, please feel free to contact us at Purchase Ear Technology of Paducah at 270-558-3997 or stop by our office at 2008 Broadway St, Paducah, KY  42001.

You’ve heard of spring cleaning for your home, but what about your hearing aid?

The ritual of “spring cleaning” comes from the old practice of cleaning out the home after it was closed for months, keeping winter cold at bay. When wood fires and coal furnaces were the primary sources of heating and cooking, interior furnishings and surfaces would become coated with soot and ash and infused with the aroma of smoke. Even though we use cleaner forms of energy today, the ritual remains. Spring is a great time to freshen things up; and that includes your hearing aids.

Spring Cleaning Hearing Aids

Your in-the-ear (ITE) hearing aid is a marvel of electronic engineering reduced to a miniature size. All that wonderful technology operates in a warm, damp environment that creates earwax. To keep your hearing aid technology in optimal shape, follow the below tips:

Wax Removal. Firmly, but gently, hold the hearing aid in your hand. Remove earwax using the tool that came with your hearing aid. Concentrate on brushing wax from the holes in a downward motion so that it falls away from the device and not into the holes. Use a wax hook or wax pick to remove the earwax from the holes.

Wipe Gently. Once all wax and debris are removed, wipe the entire device gently with a soft, dry, clean cloth.

Clean the Battery Compartment. Open the battery compartment and remove the batteries. Gently clean the battery compartment with your cleaning brush. Return batteries to their place. If you do this at bedtime, leave the compartment open to air dry.

Behind-the-ear (BTE) hearing aids need routine maintenance as well! It doesn’t take long, but it can help your hearing aids last longer. Since it requires some drying time, its best to do your spring cleaning just before you go to bed. Consider the following tips:

Remove Debris. First, remove all wax and debris with the wax pick or wax hook, brushing it away from any key components.

Clean the Earmold. Remove the earmold and clean it with a small amount of warm, soapy water.

Drying. Using a hearing aid dryer, remove water from tube. Then, lay the tube on a clean, absorbent towel to dry overnight.

Clean the Battery Compartment. Clean the battery compartment in the same manner as described for ITE hearing aids.

Most of these things you can do on your own.  If you are hesitant to do this, stop by Purchase Ear Technology located at  2008 Broadway Street in Paducah, KY.  We would be glad to assist you.

 

Every year, you get your car serviced at the mechanic and your teeth cleaned at the dentist. You even take your dog to the veterinarian for a check-up. If you have hearing aids, you can add ‘get a yearly tune-up’ to that list! A weak hearing aid is useless, so make sure yours is functioning at its best by following these hearing aid check-up tips.

Hearing Aid Tune-Up

Every six months to year, you should get your hearing aid checked and reprogrammed to fit your hearing needs. Just as your eye doctor gives you a new eyeglasses prescription, Purchase Ear Technology in Paducah can adjust your hearing aid levels as needed. Even a slight adjustment in programming can make a world of difference. During the tune-up, the hearing aids will also be examined to ensure they are working properly, so it is imperative to get this checked regularly. There are also several adjustments you can make at home to improve the quality of your hearing aid experience.

Changing Hearing Aid Batteries

There are many batteries compatible with hearing aids, but to make things easier, the batteries are color-coded for each hearing aid. If you are unsure which battery works with your hearing aid, open the battery door and take a peek inside. You will know when to change the battery when your hearing aid starts beeping or you notice a decrease in the hearing aid’s power.  Changing the battery is one of the simple ways to maintain the lifespan of your hearing aid.

Cleaning Your Hearing Aid

Because of the placement of a hearing aid inside your ear, it’s easy to get wax or residue build up, which blocks the sound from moving through the hearing aid and into your ear. In order to maintain the effectiveness of the hearing aid, you can regularly clean your hearing aids at home. Start with a gentle cloth rub of the hearing aid with a dry cloth. This will get rid of the outside debris. You can then remove the dome (if your hearing aid has one) and clean the inside with a brush – a dry toothbrush will work just fine. The dome is the rubbery portion that goes inside the ear. You can also change the wax guard on your hearing aid with a little more effort involved. This requires having a replacement wax guard and a special tool.

Hearing Aid Improvements

Over the course of three to five years, the technology behind hearing aids vastly improves. Whether it is the size, effectiveness, or features, advancements are regularly made to hearing aids. The processing speeds can quicken, wireless connections can be improved, and settings are added to decrease feedback and increase hearing. As technology evolves with cell phones, televisions, and streaming devices, hearing aid tech will have to keep up. During a regular hearing aid tune-up, Purchase Ear Technology may recommend purchasing an all-new pair to improve your hearing further, particularly with older pairs.

Keep up to date with your hearing aids and prevent future hearing loss!  Give Purchase Ear Technology of Paducah a call at (270) 558-3996 to schedule an appointment or stop by our office at 2008 Broadway, Paducah, KY.