IN Fox Chapel Area Winter 2016 | Page 52

INDUSTRY INSIGHT YOUR HEARING SPONSORED CONTENT SO WHAT IF I HAVE A HEARING LOSS? H earing loss is more common than you might think. More than 10 million Americans over the age of 64 have significant hearing loss. Unfortunately, most people put off doing something to help them hear better — to their own detriment and to the detriment of their family and friends. Hearing loss was also shown to have a negative impact on a person’s earning power, reducing household income on average up to $12,000 per year. Sixty percent of people who have hearing loss are below retirement age, meaning that 16.3 million people with hearing loss were in the U.S. workforce in 2010. However, the use of hearing devices was shown to mitigate the effects of hearing loss by 50%. Studies show that untreated hearing loss can lead to: • Irritability, negativism and anger • Fatigue, tension, stress, sadness and depression • Avoidance or withdrawal from social situations • Social rejection and loneliness • Reduced alertness and increased risk to personal safety • Impaired memory and ability to learn new tasks • Reduced job performance and earning power InFoxChapel 100x_Eartique 11/29/16 1:06 health AM Page 1 • Diminished psychological and overall BETTER HEARING BEGINS HERE. scans your environment 100x per second Introducing Oticon Opn. TM A hearing device that works in harmony with your brain, constantly scanning your listening environment so you can distinguish speech from noise. Debra L. Greenberger, M.S., CCC-A Serving the Pittsburgh area for over 25 years The last stop you’ll make in successful hearing aid use Call today for a FREE consultation! Squirrel Hill ~ 2703 Murray Ave. ~ 412.422.8006 50 724.942.0940 TO ADVERTISE | Fox Chapel Area Studies have also shown that the longer you let a hearing loss go untreated, the harder it is to learn how to process sounds that your brain hasn’t heard. Your ears do the coupling of sound, but it is actually your brain that does the processing of what you hear. If you have a loss of hearing in certain pitches and your brain is not being stimulated with sound in those pitch ranges, eventually you lose the ability to process those sounds. Some people wait so long to do something about their hearing that by the time they finally decide they need help, there is limited help available. According to a study attributed to the Alzheimer’s Association, in conjunction with the Better Hearing Institute (BHI), strong evidence suggests that hearing impairment contributes to the progression of mental impairment in older adults. “People living with Alzheimer’s face many challenges,” says Sergei Kochkin, Executive Director of the BHI. “Hearing loss shouldn’t have to be one of them. When hearing loss is left unaddressed, it can significantly compound the challenges that people with Alzheimer’s and their families already face.” Dr. Kochkin states that untreated hearing loss is not hidden. It results in underachievement for nearly all who delay treatment while they are in the prime of their life. The tragedy is that untreated hearing loss impacts the individual and family for the rest of his or her life in the form of lost wages, lost promotions, lost opportunities, and unrealized dreams — not to mention lower income in retirement. Hearing devices in this day and age are very inconspicuous. Many devices are hidden by the ear or hair. There are even completely invisible devices that are placed deep in the ear canal. At Eartique, we offer a completely RISK-FREE 30-DAY TRIAL PERIOD on all hearing devices. We also offer a free consultation. Call our office (412.422.8006) for an appointment so that you can see for yourself what the new technology looks like. D on’t be that person who laughs inappropriately during a serious conversation or nods and smiles because you missed what was being said. Come to the audiologists at Eartique and let us be the last stop you make in successful hearing aid use. This Industry Insight was written by Debra L. Greenberger, owner of Eartique. She received her master’s degree in audiology (hearing science) from Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri, and she is certified by the American Speech and Hearing Association. Debra has been diagnosing hearing loss and fitting hearing aids for over 25 years. Allison L. Chase, Au.D., CCC-A, earned her Master of Arts degree in audiology from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, in 2004. She completed her clinical doctorate in audiology from Salus University in 2008. Allison is certified by the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association and has been practicing in the field for seven years.