Christmas is the ultimate time for sharing for most people. But for those with hearing loss it can be a frustrating, even lonely, experience.
If that person is you or someone you know, now is the time to do something about it. Not only for the greater enjoyment of Christmas, but for a fuller, richer, more satisfying social life.
Acoustix Hearing founder and audiometrist, Thomas Müller, says: ‘‘Because hearing loss is a ‘hidden’ problem, it’s easy to deny it until it actually becomes an unavoidable complication.”
‘‘It’s a good idea to get your hearing tested regularly, in the same way you’d visit a doctor, dentist or optometrist. There may be nothing wrong, which is great, but at least you’ll know. And early detection of hearing loss is more likely to have a positive impact on your health and life generally.’’
Life in the twenty-first century is noisy. And it’s increasingly evident that hearing loss impacts on both physical and mental health. After seven years of undetected hearing loss, the brain has the potential to ‘dump’ certain information, even to the point of accelerating dementia. All the more important to have your hearing tested every five years or so, or sooner if problems arise.
It’s a simple process. Thomas will check for earwax build-up which can affect hearing a little. Once that’s removed, the hearing test can proceed.
The test itself takes place in an audiometric testing booth where there are no audio or visual distractions. The client will be presented with a series of pure tones to identify, followed by some spoken words which test the comprehension of speech recognition and confirm whether you’re receiving both high and low frequency sounds.
There are no tricks, hearing tests are perfectly normal and give you a baseline of how good your hearing is.
‘‘Good hearing technologies give you back the ability to communicate more effectively, socialize and interact with people again,’’ Thomas says. So, treat yourself this year and get a test well before the Christmas madness. Improved hearing might be the best Christmas gift you’ve ever had.
For a hearing health consultation, phone 09 520 5648. Acoustix Hearing is located at 347 Remuera Road, Remuera, down the drive opposite BNZ with free parking in front of the clinic.
Thomas Müller – Chief Hearing Technologist
Thomas' key area of expertise is in the technology of rehabilitative audiology and he has a long and substantial history of providing consulting advice to various audiologists and other hearing specialists on all aspects of this area.
