Hearing Loss Prevention 101

As an upcoming retailer joining the U/D Retail Main Street, we sat down with Hannah, the Clinical Director at the Hearing Loss Clinic, which offers award-winning hearing health care. She gave us the 101 on hearing loss, and preventative measures that clients of all ages can implement on a daily basis. Their doors are anticipated to open in June with a wide range of services available including Comprehensive Hearing Tests. Hearing Aid Fittings, Maintenance and Repair, and Custom Hearing Protection.

As a new patient, what should they expect when they have their first appointment?

“New patients can expect to have an informative and positive experience when they walk through our doors. Our goal is to educate our clients about their hearing and have them take a proactive approach to their hearing health. We begin each appointment with an intake questionnaire to get to know our clients and their concerns, and then proceed with a comprehensive hearing assessment. The assessment is followed up with counseling regarding the results, preventative measures they should be taking, and any appropriate referrals or treatment plans that may be necessary.”

Why is it important to start doing regular hearing check-ups at a young age? What age do you suggest to start?

“Definitely. All babies are screened for hearing loss at birth, but ideally, kids will have another hearing test when entering kindergarten to catch any potential progressive hearing losses or hearing issues related to chronic ear infections. This sets them up well for school knowing that they’re not missing out on speech at school or straining to hear, both of which can lead to behavioural concerns. If results are normal, we suggest retesting every two to three years as a preventative measure.”

What services do you provide, and are any services covered by insurance?

“At The Hearing Loss Clinic, we strive to be hearing experts and, as such, have expanded our services to offer a wider scope than most clinics.  We perform comprehensive hearing evaluations (including pediatric and industrial testing), wax removal, concussion testing, ototoxic monitoring, and middle ear monitoring. We also provide ENT referrals, vestibular assessment referrals, hearing aid fittings and maintenance, custom hearing protection (including in-ear monitors for musicians), home visits, and educational sessions. We deal with many third-party insurance companies to provide funding for hearing aids, including AADL, WCB, DVA, NIHB, and private insurance companies. We want to make hearing health accessible to everyone!”

What are your top 3 tips for preventative care for your hearing?

1. Wear hearing protection in noisy situations (work, concerts, mowing the lawn).
2. Keep moving! Exercise keeps the blood pumping throughout the body, including the ears. This keeps the internal parts of the ears healthy.
3. If you are listening to music or something else, keep the volume at a safe level.

What are your top 3 tips for hearing health?

1. Get a baseline hearing test
2. Try to let go of any stigma with hearing aids – the technology is pretty amazing these days and putting off treatment makes things much more difficult down the road. 
3. Only use appropriate tools to clean your ears, and avoid foreign objects such as cotton swabs, bobby pins, keys or paperclips. We will professionally clean out any bothersome or occluding wax at our clinics with curettes and suction – it is much safer than attempts at self-cleaning.

The Hearing Loss Clinic has one simple mission: make a positive difference in the lives of our clients. They currently have eight locations and are incredibly proud of their team, the work they’re doing in the community  and most importantly, how they help empower people to hear and live better every day.