You’re still young and active. You might even argue that you’re still in the prime of life. Hearing challenges and hearing loss are far off on the horizon.
So, what possible need is there for you to begin worrying about your hearing and having a hearing test?
The bottom line is that most people assume that hearing challenges only affect the elderly. However, in our noisy world that is full of ototoxic chemicals and the capacity to blast music, videos, and video games directly into our ears, the lives being impacted by hearing loss are becoming increasingly younger year by year.
In fact, the National Institute of Deafness and Other Communicative Disorders (NIDCD) estimates that over 60 million American adults below the age of 69 are exposed to damaging noise levels where they work, and close to 18 million are exposed to hearing damage from non-occupational noise.
Essentially, we can no longer assume that hearing challenges are reserved for those 70 years old and older. We also cannot assume that all hearing challenges are the same.
Fox Valley ENT Associates provides personalized hearing care to reach individuals struggling with hearing challenges regardless of which age bracket you fit into, and the most important tool available to us for identifying and overcoming hearing loss is a hearing assessment.
How Can a Hearing Assessment Help Me?
Tragically, most people wait up to seven years after they have begun to experience a hearing loss before doing anything about it. During that time, their condition worsens, and they begin to experience other healthcare issues, like cognitive decline and balance disorders.
Having your hearing tested even before you begin to experience any of the signs of hearing loss is a major positive! Mainly because we can establish some real, baseline numbers from which we can begin to track the changes of your hearing as your hearing challenges develop.
Early hearing assessments also provide us with a broader range of preventative treatment options or a less complicated set of treatment options to help head off additional damage to your hearing.
Overcoming the Stigma
Let’s face it, hearing loss, especially hearing aids, has a huge negative stigma attached to it. Those with hearing challenges are seen as being old and broken, but we see things differently.
We see your hearing challenges as a sign that you have had a life full of wonderful experiences, some of them a bit too loud, and we want to provide a healthy way for you to continue to enjoy thousands more.
Many of our patients come in for a hearing assessment with a dejected sense of doom and leave feeling more confident about their hearing, themselves, and their futures. More and more of them are adults in their 50s and younger who are waking up to the fact that specialized hearing care is a positive lifestyle choice.
What Happens during a Hearing Assessment?
A hearing assessment at Fox Valley ENT Associates begins with a conversation with your audiologist that covers topics like your health records, family history, occupation, hobbies, and social activities. This conversation helps us identify some of the risk factors that are common in developing hearing loss.
Your initial interview will be followed by a physical examination of your ears. During this examination, your doctor of audiology will be looking to see if your ear canal is blocked by a foreign substance, earwax, a growth, or inflammation while also looking for any structural damage to your ears or eardrums.
After the physical examination of your ears, your audiologist will begin to conduct a series of tests that determine the type and severity of any hearing loss you might be experiencing, including testing how well you are able to hear and process speech in a noisy environment.
Following the tests, your audiologist will show you your test results, explain what they mean, and then provide you with solutions to prevent any additional damage as well as go through the various options available to help you achieve better hearing.
Become Proactive about Your Hearing Health
We highly recommend that you begin to have hearing wellness tests every couple of years after you reach the age of 50. The ability to monitor changes to your hearing allows us to stay ahead of the curve, ensuring that your active and independent lifestyle continues without interruption before you reach retirement and beyond.
If you’re looking for a way to safeguard your future—your social life, work life, and family life—a hearing assessment is a proactive approach to staying in control of your hearing health and your quality of life as you age.
Don’t put things off until the damage has started; schedule a hearing assessment at Fox Valley ENT Associates by clicking here, or give us a call at any of our Northern Illinois clinics: Algonquin: (847) 854-0005, Elgin: (847) 741-8500, St. Charles: (630) 377-5000, Huntley: (847) 741-8500.
