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Owned and Operated by: Gail R. Grob ~ NJ Hearing Aid Dispenser #374

What a Racket!
Here's a look at the decibel levels of common noises. 
Anything louder than 85 decibels can cause damage with relatively short exposure.

Do You Know These FUN Facts About Hearing?

• Cicadas have their hearing organs in their stomachs.

• Crickets have their hearing organs in their knees.

• Male mosquitoes hear with thousands of tiny hairs growing on their antennae.

• Fish do not have ears, but they can hear.  They hear pressure changes through ridges on their bodies.

• Snakes do not have ears, but their tongues are sensitive to sound vibrations.

• In World War I parrots were kept on the Eiffel Tower in Paris, France, because of their remarkable sense of hearing.  When the parrots heard the enemy aircraft coming they would warn everyone of the approaching danger long before any human ear would hear it.

Do You Know the FACTS of Hearing Loss?

• 1 out of 10 Americans has a hearing loss, which is more than 28,000,000 people.

• 3 out of 1,000 children are born with hearing loss.

• 1.2 million children have hearing loss.

• 18% of "Baby-Boomers" (ages 45-64) having hearing loss.

• 29% of people over age 65 have hearing loss.

• The majority (65%) of people with hearing loss are below retirement age.

• The majority (60%) of people with hearing loss are males.

More FACTS about Hearing Loss!

• Excessive noise is the number one reason for hearing loss.

• Experts agree that continued exposure to noise of 86dB or louder, over time, will eventually harm hearing.

• The number one reason people seek a hearing solution is the recognition that their hearing has worsened.  Usually this occurs from making a serious mistake, family pressure or safety concerns.

• If you cannot carry on a conversation in the presence of noise, it is too loud for your ears and can potentially cause hearing loss.

• 1 in 4 workers exposed to high levels of noise will develop a hearing loss.

• Professions at risk of hearing loss include firefighters, police officers, factory workers, farmers, construction workers, military personnel, heavy industry workers, musicians, and entertainment industry professionals.

• The ear has over 25,000 tiny hair cells to help you hear the nuances of sound.

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Hearing Loss

Hearing loss is one of the world's most common health problems.  It can happen to anyone at any age.  Some people are born with a hearing impairment, while others experience hearing loss as a normal part of the aging process.  A head injury, ear infection or prolonged exposure to loud noise can also cause hearing problems.

Most hearing loss is not simply like listening to sounds with the volume turned down.  Instead, you will  probably notice that there are certain ranges of sound or tones that you have difficulty hearing.  Normal speech is a combination of many different frequencies.  Your hearing loss may affect your ability to hear some frequencies better than others.  Sometimes it can seem as if people are mumbling and not speaking clearly.  So, while we may not hear that people are talking, we may not be able to understand what we hear.

Types of Hearing Aids

In-the-ear (ITE), in-the-canal (ITC) and Completely-in-the-canal (CIC) are custom-designed to fit the wearer's ear.  Inconspicuous once in place, they fit comfortably and securely inside the ear or ear canal, in order to most closely imitate the natural hearing process.

Behind-the-ear (BTE) aids fit comfortably behind-the-ear and are attached to a custom earmold.

Digital hearing aids (computerized) boast today's most advanced technology.  These aids are available in all sizes/models.  Digital provides the clearest sound possible in today's hearing instruments and will help to control some background noises.

Digital Technology Update

Digital sound processing is fast becoming standard with modern hearing aids.  The main advantage of digital hearing aids over traditional hearing aids, are they are more automatic and flexible.  For example, with most traditional hearing aids, a volume control was used to control loudness levels.  The volume of the hearing aid depended on how quickly one could adjust the volume to each listening environment.  Digital hearing aids adjust to sounds automatically by ensuring that all the soft speech sounds are to be heard and loud sounds are not over powering.  Another feature of digital hearing aids is the number of programs that are available. Multiple memories allow for even more flexibility in the hearing aids.  Programs can be set in the hearing aid for specific listening environments.  AN example of this would be to have a program set for a noisy environment that will help reduce the background noise.  This allows the hearing aid to be more customized to the patient's lifestyle.  Digital hearing aid technology also means better sound quality, which will help with speech understanding.

Remember, all hearing aids provide some benefit but choosing a hearing aid that is more customized to your lifestyle is important.  Now that most hearing aids are digital, it is more important to focus on the features of the hearing aid that best match your lifestyle and budget.  The most sophisticated of digital hearing aids will be more flexible and include most of the features.  Recently, non-programmable digital hearing aids have been introduced.  These models offer a memories for different environments.

Life Expectancy of Hearing Aids

Hearing aids last for a number of years with reasonable care, the average life for hearing aids is between 3 and 4 years.  Hearing aids are not worn out at this point, but your own hearing can change and new technology will offer worthwhile improvements to your hearing and understanding especially with the Digital technology that we now can off the hearing impaired.

If your hearing aids are 3 years old, we suggest you make an appointment for a hearing evaluation to see if there have been changes in you hearing and also to find out how the Digital technology will help you in noisy environments.  It is important to always hear the best that you can - and hearing aids have come along way in improving sound quality.

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