The holidays bring together families around the country, young and old alike look forward to these special shared moments. For those with hearing loss, the holidays can be overwhelming. Difficulty following conversations can lead to frustration and stress for both the individual with hearing loss and family.
Here are some simple tips for making the holidays a sound occasion.
During 2011-2012, 21 million U.S. adults who reported no work related no exposure exhibited hearing damage suggestive of noise induced hearing loss and implicated non-occupational noise exposure as a major public health concern (Carroll et al, 2017).
Examining Motivation for Hearing Health Care in those with Self-Reported Hearing Problems and Hearing Thresholds within Normal Limits
At one point or another, you've likely seen a patient in your clinical practice who has reported substantial hearing difficulties but whose traditional audiometric test results are essentially within normal limits. When considering next steps and/or rehabilitation options for these individuals, have you been curious how motivated such individuals are for hearing health-care services? Is it any different than your patients who have had a measurable pure-tone hearing loss?
Hearing difficulty (HD) and tinnitus in the presence of normal audiometric thresholds represent a clinical challenge. So-called, hidden hearing loss (HHL) has captured significant interest from clinicians and researchers in attempts to understand factors that contribute to this phenomenon. Etiologies ranging from cochlear synaptopathy to central auditory processing deficits have been suggested. Most audiologists have come across these patients with complaints of hearing problems (particularly in noise) but normal hearing.
