Do You Need an Audiologist Or an Attitude Adjustment?
Think you or a loved one are suffering from hearing loss? Does everything seem more stressful and exhausting? Were you once the life of the party but now no one can convince you to go?
If so, you’re not alone. According to the National Institute of Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD), there are around 28.8 million adults in the United States who would benefit from hearing aids yet only a fraction use them. [1]
Age-related hearing loss occurs gradually so it may be difficult to notice it at first. But like with any condition, catching hearing loss at an early onset is best. And not only for the individual but also for their loved ones since communication is key in maintaining good relationships. So when it becomes difficult to communicate, frustrations can creep in for everyone.
Odds are you're familiar with this frustration but haven’t yet identified the source… until now! Regardless, your objections and denial cloud your judgment in the form of what we fondly call stubbornness.
And that’s okay — hearing loss can be overwhelming and frustrating! Especially once formally diagnosed, hearing loss can leave you feeling:
Anger
Guilt
Fear
Sadness
Confusion
Shame
Here's the good news — there is a simple way to see if hearing loss is the root of your anguish (or at least some of it). It's always best to let the professionals assess your hearing, but I get it, sometimes it takes a little more convincing before you’re ready to take the next step and schedule an appointment with an audiologist.
So I want to make sure you know where to begin if you’re fed up and ready to make a life-giving change. I’m also including a few self-assessment tests I recommend and trust to help you in this process.
How do you know if you have hearing loss?
You know yourself best but you may not always know where to look for the answers when faced with new challenges. Especially challenges related to your health. When it comes to hearing loss everyone’s experience is unique, but you'll likely identify with at least a few of the following signs and symptoms:
Muffling of speech and other sounds
Difficulty understanding words, especially against background noise or in a crowd
Trouble hearing consonants
Frequently asking others to speak more slowly, clearly and loudly
Or blaming others for mumbling and talking too quietly
Needing to turn up the volume on the television or radio
Withdrawal from conversations
Or controlling conversations by doing all the talking
Avoidance of some social settings[2]
But the truth is hearing loss is far more intrusive and far-reaching when it comes to how it can impact your life. See my post titled, Could the Secret to Aging With Grace Be Through Quality Hearing? for more on this. But I will summarize it for you - hearing loss can increase your risk for depression, dementia, falling, and the risks... I mean the list goes on.
Can you test your hearing on your own at home?
While there is no good substitute for an evaluation performed by an expert audiologist, there are plenty of online hearing tests. Most are offered by hearing aid manufacturers; you can find a list of those here thanks to the Hearing Industries Association.
If you insist on taking an online test, try the one offered by Healthy Hearing.
But the biggest reason I don’t recommend online hearing tests is they’re unreliable. For example, someone with significant hearing loss might be able to score better than someone with just a mild hearing loss.
How’s that possible you might ask?
Well, great question. There are way too many variables at play from the quality of sound on your device, how loud you have the volume, and your environment.
Hearing self-assessment surveys are your best bet.
What I would recommend is taking a hearing survey. They focus on the 'consequences', or how hearing loss affects you rather than the 'loudness' of sound.
How hearing loss affects you can vary drastically compared to how it affects someone else with the exact same degree of hearing loss. depending on how you experience the world. A few examples of these variances are as follows:
You may have very good compensation skills (speech reading, good listening skills, etc) and be able to deal better with hearing loss, while someone else may struggle and become isolated, depressed, reclusive, angry, etc and need more help.
OR
You may have a very socially active lifestyle or profession and really need the help from hearing aids to succeed and to be happy, while someone else may be a homebody who doesn’t spend time with others and only needs help hearing the television.
Here are a few different self-assessment surveys I would recommend exploring. And if you find it difficult to answer these questions, get feedback from someone close to you with whom you interact with regularly.
American Academy of Audiology: Questions on Hearing Acuity
Better Hearing Institute: Quick Hearing Check
The following illustration is the self-assessment survey created by the Hearing Loss Association of America (HLAA). [3]
Which type of provider is best when it comes to hearing loss?
While there may seem to be options when it comes to hearing health providers, each has its own place.
Audiologists specialize in diagnosing and treating all types of hearing loss. We help you navigate your condition and aim to improve your quality of life through amplification, or hearing devices. But if we find there's a medical issue causing or complicating your hearing loss, we'll refer you to an Ear Nose and Throat (ENT) specialist for evaluation, medical treatment, and clearance.
ENTs are otolaryngologists - a medical doctor specializing in medically caused hearing loss and diseases of the ear. They do have clinical audiologists on staff assisting them with diagnosing hearing issues.
Hearing Specialists, formally called Hearing Instrument Specialists or Dispensers, are not audiologists. They are technicians who specialize in sales. And while they can perform basic hearing tests, they are not trained in diagnosing underlying medical issues.
Unfortunately, audiologists and hearing specialists are often confused to be the same. But the truth is they couldn’t be more different. The thing that really sets them apart is the required education levels.
An audiologist — like yours truly — must have a Master’s Degree and the title M.S. behind their name or a Doctoral Degree with the title of Au.D. or Ph.D. This equates to another six to eight years of advanced study. An audiologist has mastered every aspect of hearing healthcare like how to:
Diagnose and treat hearing and balance disorders
Perform comprehensive hearing evaluations
Accurately fit, adjust, and maintain your hearing device
Counsel and train you and your family in strategies for communication and listening
The requirements for a hearing specialist are minimal. They must have a high school diploma and pass the state exam to be able to dispense hearing devices. They're a technician trained to do simple hearing tests and in hearing aid sales techniques. The exception would be a hearing instrument specialist on staff for an audiologist. They will have a much more technical role as the audiologist has likely trained them on the job.
I’ve mentioned it before, and I’ll say it again — you get what you pay for. Be wary of business offering “free hearing tests” and rock bottom pricing — I mean, ah-hum, killer sales. These are sales tactics with the purpose of selling hearing aids not meeting your individual hearing needs.[4] And more times than not, you'll have buyer’s remorse and a set of hearing aids that don't work right for you. I hear it all too often, but this ‘great deal’ you found becomes another item stashed away in your junk drawer.
Please HEAR this...
The most important thing when looking for a hearing professional to work with is that you'll receive the highest care possible from someone you trust and who will take a comprehensive approach to assessing, diagnosing, treating, and reevaluating your individual hearing needs.
Anything short of this will leave you once again disappointed and frustrated with the healthcare system. Hearing is worth the trouble. You just have to take that first step and begin the process of accepting your hearing might not be what it once was. Then reach out for help (from a reputable audiologist of course).
Speaking of reputable audiologists (sorry couldn’t resist), click here if you’d like to schedule a consultation with me. Not only will I come to you and assess your hearing in your hearing place but I will keep coming back until we’ve conquered your hearing loss.
After all, if life’s worth living… It’s worth hearing!
