Hearing Loss Myths Debunked

Hearing loss is a bigger problem than many people in Calgary realize.Statistics show over a million Canadians report having a hearing – related disability. < /div> That’s more than 50% greater than the number of people reporting problems with their eyesight. Our Calgary hearing loss clinic is home to our very own Soundwave Hearing Care team, a group of highly skilled professional audiologists and hearing aid acousticians. They wanted to debunk some myths about hearing loss. Keep reading to find out what they had to say.

Hearing Loss Only Affects Old People
Actually, hearing loss can occur at any age, even infancy. A recent study for WorkSafe BC showed that 25% of young people entering the workforce had early warning signs of hearing loss. And according to studies by the American Medical Association, hearing loss affects one in five teens and nearly 15% of children. Soundwave Hearing Care is one of the only clinics in Alberta that specializes in pediatric hearing loss treatment.

My Family Doctor Would Have Told Me If I Had Hearing Loss
Apart from a quick glance when you’ve got a cold, when’s the last time your doctor looked inside your ears? Fewer than 14% of GPs screen for hearing loss during routine checkups. Unless your hearing loss is extreme and obvious, it’s all too easy for it to go unnoticed.

Hearing Loss Is Something You’re Born With. It’s Not Something You “Pick Up”
Increases in recreational and environmental noise, like the noise from wearing earbuds or headphones, have contributed to a greater incidence of hearing loss. There’s even a name for it: noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL).

Hearing Loss Is Normal for a Person My Age
That doesn’t mean that you have to suffer through it. A trip to an audiologist could help you maintain a higher quality of life despite your natural loss of hearing.

A Little Hearing Loss Isn’t a Big Deal
Actually, it is. Any degree of hearing loss can have a huge effect on your physical, emotional and social well-being. Unmanaged hearing loss puts you at greater risk for slip-and-falls, isolation, depression and cognitive decline.

Hearing Loss Can’t Be Helped
Au contraire. Counselling, environmental changes and hearing aids offer vast improvement to almost 95% of people with hearing deficits. This applies to all types of hearing loss conditions including, but not limited to, sensorineural hearing loss, conductive hearing loss, tinnitus, hearing loss in one ear, M’e9ni’e8re’s Disease, high-frequency hearing loss and nerve-related hearing loss.

Hearing Aids Will Make Me Look “Old” or “93Handicapped”
Today’s modern hearing aids are sleek and subtle. Some even fit entirely in the ear canal and are practically invisible.

Still have questions? Audiologists and registered hearing aid practitioners at all of Soundwave’s hearing loss clinics in Calgary and throughout Alberta are standing by to meet your hearing-care needs. We offer hearing assessments at our locations in High River, Grand Prairie, Lethbridge and Calgary. Contact us to learn more about our state-of-the-art and customized hearing care solutions.