PASS: Your results suggest that you are able to hear all of the sounds within the range of normal hearing. In order to keep your ears in top shape, be sure to practice safe listening habits to prevent damage from noise exposure. Learn more about safe listening here
FAIL: Your results suggest that you may not be hearing one or more sounds within the range of normal hearing. We recommend scheduling an evaluation with an audiologist who will conduct an in-depth hearing test to access your hearing health. Call our clinic at 312-346-1136 today to schedule an appointment.
We believe that annual physicals for anyone age 65+ should include hearing tests. Studies show that 86% of physicians do not screen for hearing loss during annual physicals, which means patients are left responsible for their own hearing health. While audiologists are actively trying to change this dynamic, it is clear that most patients will only have a hearing test if they are already having problems with their hearing. However, you can be your own advocate and make annual hearing tests part of your overall preventative wellness checks.
Early signs that you may have a hearing loss and why you should NOT ignore them:
- Cognition: You start to spend more time trying to understand what someone is saying than actually listening and engaging in the conversation.
- Depression: this starts when your hearing loss takes you to a place of social isolation and you stop participating in everyday life events because its too strenuous on you.
- Dementia: The strain of decoding sounds over the years may overpower the brains of people with hearing loss, leaving them more vulnerable to dementia.
- Risk of Falling: Hearing loss decreases the awareness of the surrounding environment and increases the cognitive load. In turn, the risk of falling increases.
- Overall Health: Hearing loss is also related to these common medical conditions such as diabetes, high blood pressure, kidney disease, heart disease and vision loss.
Take action for your hearing health today by trying our free hearing screening!