Our Valley Santa Clarita September/October 2016 | Page 9

Government

Dante Acosta,
Mayor Pro Tem

By Nola Aronson

W

hen you think of great
partnerships, what comes
to mind? Abbott and
Costello? Sonny and Cher?
Batman and Robin? How about your
brain and your ears? While their functions are distinctly different, your hearing health depends on how well your
brain and ears work together. Your brain
relies on both of your ears to collect
sound, comparing the incoming data
to decide what to focus on. The comparison helps the brain decide which
information is important in understanding speech and focuses on that source
while ignoring the background noise.

I

would like to take this
opportunity to invite
you to attend the
annual State of the City
Luncheon to be held on
October 27, 2016 at 11:30
a.m. at the Hyatt Valencia.
This is a great opportunity
to hear from your five
locally-elected
City
Councilmembers regarding
programs, projects and
services that impact your
daily life, right here in our
community.
The event includes lunch,
a commemorative gift and
brief video presentations
by the City Council. Much
of the work our City is
doing right now focuses
on our five year strategic
plan. The City’s Santa
Clarita 2020 strategic plan
includes millions of dollars
in new infrastructure, such
as a new Sheriff’s Station
in the center of the City,
a library and recreation
center in Saugus, and a
new Community Center
in Canyon Country, as well
as a host of programs and
services.
Santa
Clarita
2020
serves as a guide for our
organization, enabling us
to best prioritize resources,
achieve milestones and
maintain our unwavering
commitment to offering
the best services and
facilities today and into
the future. Santa Clarita

Your Brain and Ears:
Your Own Dynamic Duo!

2020 is a compilation of the
City’s existing major work
efforts, which includes
the development of new
programs and facilities, as
well as projects intended to
sustain aging and existing
infrastructure.
The plan is organized
around six main quality of
life themes: Building and
Creating Community, Public
Safety, Enhancing Economic
Vitality,
Community
Beautification, Sustaining
Public Infrastructure and
Proactive, Transparent and
Responsive Government
Services.
You can view the Santa
Clarita 2020 plan and all
of the current updates at:
www.SantaClarita2020.
com. If you are interested in
attending the State of the
City luncheon, the cost is
$40 per person and you can
RSVP via our City website at:
www.santa-clarita.com.
Dante Acosta is the Mayor
Pro Tem for the City of Santa
Clarita and can be reached
at: dacosta@santa-clarita.
com.

Your brain and ears also work together
to fight debilitating medical issues.
Because we hear with our brains, untreated hearing loss can lead to cognitive difficulties and increase the risk for
developing dementia and Alzheimer’s.
When the brain “forgets” what it’s like to
hear, it is difficult to regain those pathways. Not hearing well can lead to social
isolation, loss of income or earning potential, depression, anxiety, and anger.
Untreated hearing loss may also be an
underlying symptom for a larger health
problem, such as cardiovascular disease
or diabetes.
Scientists have been studying the rela-

tionship between hearing and the brain
for decades. Their findings are used by
hearing instrument manufacturers to
improve hearing solutions. Thankfully,
the majority of age-related hearing loss
can be treated with a hearing aid. While
hearing aids do not restore normal
hearing, hearing aid users report greater satisfaction with their daily routines.
To keep your brain healthy, medical
professionals recommend getting good
sleep, regular physical exercise, and
engaging in mind-challenging activities, such as crossword puzzles. To keep
your hearing healthy, hearing healthcare professionals recommend having
a baseline hearing test at age 50 — or
sooner if you suspect you have hearing
loss — and to address any hearing loss
diagnosis immediately.
Your brain and hearing are a dynamic
duo that work together not only to
help you hear, but to maintain your
overall health. Contact an audiologist
at Nola Aronson’s Advanced Audiology,
661-505-1135, to help you keep your
ears and brain working in tandem. For
the month of September, we will be
donating 10% of all hearing aid sales
to the 2016 Walk to End Alzheimer’s.
Nola’s website: http://www.scvadvancedaudiology.com