Hearing loss
Improving hearing usually starts with understanding the type of hearing difficulty, then matching the plan to daily communication needs.
Hearing loss usually arrives over years, so it is easy to dismiss. The people around you often notice first. If you are missing words in busy rooms, or someone at home has started asking you to repeat yourself, the team at Audiology Associates of Westchester can find out what is happening and what can be done about it.
The Effects of Hearing Loss
Untreated hearing loss is hard on the people around you as well as on you. Conversations get shorter. Family events stop being worth the effort, and so do some of the things you used to enjoy. Improving your hearing starts with a hearing test at Audiology Associates of Westchester, which tells us what kind of loss you have and what will actually help.
Types of Hearing Loss
Different types of hearing loss call for different solutions, and the first job of a hearing test is to tell them apart. Conductive Hearing Loss: sound is blocked on its way through the outer or middle ear, often by earwax, middle-ear fluid, or infection, and it is frequently treatable and sometimes fully reversible. Sensorineural Hearing Loss: the hair cells of the inner ear or the hearing nerve are damaged, which is the most common permanent type, and well-fit hearing aids are the usual answer. Mixed Hearing Loss: a conductive problem sitting on top of a sensorineural one, so the plan usually has two parts, one medical and one technological. Sudden Hearing Loss: a rapid drop in hearing, usually in one ear, is a medical urgency and should be seen promptly rather than waited out. Find out which one applies by calling the hearing doctors at Audiology Associates of Westchester. We serve patients in and around Scarsdale, White Plains, Harrison, Rye and Mt. Kisco, NY, as well as Greenwich, CT.
Conductive Hearing Loss: sound is blocked on its way through the outer or middle ear, often by earwax, middle-ear fluid, or infection. It is frequently treatable and sometimes fully reversible.
Sensorineural Hearing Loss: the hair cells of the inner ear or the hearing nerve are damaged. This is the most common permanent type, and well-fit hearing aids are the usual answer.
Mixed Hearing Loss: a conductive problem sitting on top of a sensorineural one, so the plan usually has two parts, one medical and one technological.
Sudden Hearing Loss: a rapid drop in hearing, usually in one ear, is a medical urgency. It should be seen promptly rather than waited out.
Hearing training to hear better in noise
Many people say the hard part is noise, not quiet. A restaurant, a meeting or a family dinner can be the hardest room. Hearing training, also called auditory training, is practice at listening. The American Academy of Audiology says listening is a skill that can be practiced and improved, and that some audiologists recommend programs for hearing in noise. The American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) says auditory training can support hearing care, especially when it is combined with other approaches. It can be done in person, at home, or with computer programs and mobile apps.
Training does not replace hearing aids or other care. Hearing aids that are fitted well and set for your hearing do much of the work. Other tools also help in noise, such as remote microphones and simple habits: face the speaker, ask for a clear repeat, and choose a quiet seat. The best plan depends on your hearing test, so ask your audiologist what suits you.
How to start
Start with a hearing test. It shows whether noise is hard for you because of how your ears work, how you understand speech in noise, or both. Then tell your audiologist which rooms are hardest. Call our Harrison office at (914) 949-0034 or our Somers office at (914) 556-6720 to book.
It may help some people. The American Academy of Audiology says listening is a skill that can be practiced, and ASHA says auditory training can support hearing care when combined with other approaches. Ask your audiologist whether it suits you.
No. Hearing aids that are fitted and set for your hearing do much of the work in noise. Training and communication habits are added to that care.
Hearing aids set for your hearing, a remote microphone, a seat with your back to the wall, and facing the speaker. Your audiologist can tell you which of these suit you after a hearing test.
Start with a hearing test at our Harrison or Somers office. Tell us which rooms are hardest.
Product information is educational. For personalized hearing aid recommendations, schedule an appointment with Audiology Associates of Westchester.
FAQ
It may help some people. The American Academy of Audiology says listening is a skill that can be practiced, and ASHA says auditory training can support hearing care when combined with other approaches. Ask your audiologist whether it suits you.
No. Hearing aids that are fitted and set for your hearing do much of the work in noise. Training and communication habits are added to that care.
Hearing aids set for your hearing, a remote microphone, a seat with your back to the wall, and facing the speaker. Your audiologist can tell you which of these suit you after a hearing test.
Start with a hearing test at our Harrison or Somers office. Tell us which rooms are hardest.