— Hearing loss, a disability currently untreated in about 85 percent of those affected, may be the nation’s most damaging and costly sensory handicap.  It is a hidden disability, often not obvious to others or even to those who have it.

Its onset is usually insidious, gradually worsening over years and thus easily ignored.

Most of those affected can still hear sounds and think the real problem is that people aren’t speaking clearly. They often ask others to speak up, repeat what was said or speak more slowly. Or they pretend they can hear but their conversations may be filled with non sequiturs.

As hearing worsens, they are likely to become increasingly frustrated and socially isolated. Unable to hear well in social settings, they gradually stop going to the theater, movies, places of worship, senior centers or parties or out to restaurants with friends or family.

Social isolation, in turn, has been linked to depression and an increased risk of death from conditions like heart disease. And now there is another major risk associated with hearing problems: dementia and Alzheimer’s disease. This finding alone should prompt more people to get their hearing tested and, if found impaired, get properly fitted with aids that can help to keep them cognitively engaged.

Perhaps it will also grab the attention of politicians who determine what is and what is not covered by Medicare and, in turn, by other health insurers. Currently, Medicare does not pay for hearing aids, and many older people cannot afford the many thousands of dollars that quality aids and auditory training can cost.

Furthermore, for the fewer than 15 percent of hearing-impaired people who have hearing aids, the devices themselves are not an adequate solution. Hearing aids work best when the distance between the sound and the listener is less than six feet and when background noise is minimal, which can preclude clear communication in theaters, airports, restaurants and many other social settings.

Hearing and the Brain

Although hearing impairment was first linked in major medical journals to dementia and cognitive dysfunction more than two decades ago, not until last year did researchers demonstrate an independent association with dementia over time.

By following 639 people ages 36 to 90 for nearly 12 years, Dr. Frank R. Lin, an otolaryngologist at Johns Hopkins Medicine, and his colleagues there and at the National Institute on Aging showed a direct relationship between the participants’ degree of hearing loss and their risk of later developing dementia or Alzheimer’s disease.

For each 10-decibel loss in hearing, the risk of dementia rose about 20 percent among the participants. Compared with those who could hear normally when first examined, the risk of dementia doubled among those with mild hearing loss, tripled among those with moderate hearing loss and increased fivefold among those with severe hearing loss.

The relationship between hearing loss and dementia persisted even when other factors linked to cognitive disease, like hypertension, diabetes and smoking, were taken into account.

“People are most likely to notice communication problems when their hearing loss exceeds 25 decibels,” Dr. Lin said in an interview. “It’s not that they can’t hear, but they can’t understand. Hearing loss at this level affects the clarity of words.”

How, then, might this lead to cognitive deficits?

“The brain dedicates a lot of resources to hearing,” Dr. Lin said. “When the clarity of words is garbled, the brain gets a garbled message. It has to reallocate resources to hear at the expense of other brain functions.”

Thus, the overworked brain may lose “cognitive reserve,” the ability of healthy parts of the brain to take over functions lost by other parts.

Another mechanism may be the effects of social isolation. “A decline in social engagement and resulting loneliness is one of the most important determinants of health outcomes in older adults,” Dr. Lin said. Isolation has been linked to an increase in inflammation throughout the body, which in turn can result in age-related disorders like heart disease and dementia, Dr. Lin said.

How Proper Aids Help

Rose Marie Jewett, 83, of Janesville, Wis., who had experienced progressively worsening hearing loss for 40 years, had all but given up hope of hearing others speak or ever again enjoying music.

She said she could understand how hearing loss could lead to dementia, because she was “forgetful” when she did not hear what she should have heard.

It’s not that she forgot things; rather, she had never heard them to begin with, and the strain of constantly trying to piece things together was taking its toll.

“When you can’t hear anybody, you don’t pay attention,” Ms. Jewett said. “You shut yourself off from the world, you don’t think very well, your memory gets bad and you get kind of dull.”

But now it’s a whole new world for Ms. Jewett. Linda S. Remensnyder, an audiologist and founder of Hearing Associates in Illinois, taught her how to maximize her ability to hear clearly in social settings. She fitted Ms. Jewett with the right kind of hearing aids and with devices that allow her to hear clearly on the telephone, when watching television and in public settings that have been equipped with hearing loops.

A hearing loop, installed around the periphery of a room, is a thin copper wire that radiates electromagnetic signals. The signals can be picked up by a tiny receiver called a telecoil that is built into most hearing aids and cochlear implants. With the press of a tiny button on the aid, sound comes through to people with impaired hearing with even greater clarity than can be heard by someone with normal hearing.

Since 2009, Dr. Remensnyder said, hearing loops have been installed in about 1,000 public places, including museums, stores, banks, theaters, airports, sports arenas and other spaces that are challenging for the hearing-impaired.

“The public is misled into thinking that by getting two hearing aids, they’ll be able to hear everywhere,” she said. “Aids are just a small segment of the solution.”

Neither Dr. Lin nor Dr. Remensnyder can yet say whether improving auditory signals for the hearing-impaired will diminish or delay the development of dementia. That remains for a clinical trial to demonstrate. Meanwhile, Dr. Remensnyder said, it can “revolutionize” the lives of people with hearing difficulties, a virtue in itself.

” …We live in a noisy, noisy world, so noisy that the question these days isn’t ‘Can you hear me now?’ but ‘Can you hear me at all?’ Excessive noise is now the number one cause of hearing loss, not aging. And of the nearly 30 million Americans who suffer from hearing loss, over half are under the age of 65.”

View the full story here.

Visit thehearingcenter.com for more information about Lyric Hearing, our Comprehensive Services, and please don’t hesitate to Contact Us. for appointments or more information.

— The Hearing Center of Asheville invites you to join us on Friday, May 13th ~ for a FREE Open House and Seminar covering some of the latest advances in hearing aid technology.

Connecting to Everyone — Phonak Ambra

Phonak was the first to introduce zoom technology to enhance understanding in challenging hearing situations. The new Phonak Ambra makes zooming even more effective by mimicking the way sound is naturally perceived and heard.

☆ Open House attendees will receive a free demonstration of Phonak’s newest technology, and be eligible to schedule a complimentary personal consultation.

Experience Lyric Hearing —

The first and only 100% invisible, extended wear hearing device

Lyric is placed deep inside your ear canal and uses your outer ear to naturally direct sound into the ear canal. This placement helps minimize background noise, improve speech clarity, and deliver natural sound quality.

☆ Take advantage of a RISK-FREE Lyric 30-Day Trial.

Speakers will include:

Christopher Hamilton, Au.D. — Doctor of Audiology — The Hearing Center of Asheville
Shannon White — Technology Representative — InSound Medical, designer of the Lyric Hearing Device

☆ Two sessions will include a clinic introduction, technology seminar, and an opportunity for questions.
☆☆ Free Refreshments will be available.
☆☆☆ RSVP… Seating will be limited to 20 guests per session. Please call us at (828) 277-1000 to reserve your spot today.

The Hearing Center of Asheville is proud to be one of the select offices in the United States to offer Lyric Hearing to its patients. Lyric was featured on Good Morning America as a new hearing technology that is not only tiny and invisible, but also delivers exceptional sound quality without daily hassles.

Lyric is the first extended wear hearing device that is 100% invisible. It is comfortably placed in the ear canal by a Lyric trained hearing professional and can be worn 24 hours a day, seven days a week, for up to 4 months at a time.¹ No surgery or anesthesia is required.

Unlike many other hearing aids, Lyric is positioned completely inside the ear canal, so it uses your ear’s natural anatomy to funnel sound to your eardrum. This unique design and placement helps reduce background noise and feedback and provides exceptionally natural sound quality. Because it remains in the ear canal 24/7 for months at a time, you don’t need to worry about daily hassles like putting the device on or taking it off, or changing batteries, so you can forget about your hearing loss and spend time connecting with friends and loved ones.

Lyric Benefits

• 100% Invisible
  • Once placed, Lyric is 100% invisible
• Effortless Hearing, 24/7
  • Lyric can be used during your daily activities, such as exercising, showering, talking on the phone, and sleeping.
  • There are no batteries to change, no maintenance is needed, and no daily insertion or removal is required.
• Natural Sound Quality
  • Lyric’s placement deep in the ear canal allows the outer ear (the pinna) to direct sound into the ear canal naturally, resulting in reduced background noise and feedback, and exceptional sound quality

A recent study shows that of the patients surveyed, 99% preferred Lyric over their previous hearing aids,² 95% preferred Lyric sound quality over their previous hearing aids,³ and 96% would recommend Lyric to a friend or loved one⁴.

Please call us today to make an appointment to see if Lyric is right for you. Receive a Free Lyric Screening and Risk-Free 30-day Trial.

For more information about Lyric, please visit www.lyrichearing.com.

¹ Individual replacement needs may vary.
² Based on a telephone survey of 67 patients who have worn Lyric for at least 30 days.
³ Based on a combination of results from three surveys totaling 86 patients who had worn Lyric for at least 30 days
⁴ Based on a telephone survey of 90 patients who have worn Lyric for at least 30 days.

Lyric is not appropriate for all patients. See a trained Lyric professional to determine if Lyric is right for you.

Asheville, NC (February 10, 2011) — On Tuesday night’s Evening Rounds – Asheville Public Radio’s WCQS program devoted to your health – host David Hurand and Dr. David Berkey sat down to discuss symptoms of hearing loss, causes, risk factors, testing and diagnosis.

“According to Dr. David Berkey (Au.D.) with The Hearing Center in Asheville, one in ten Americans experience hearing loss. Yet most of us wait years to have our hearing checked.”

Listen Here —

Stäfa, Switzerland (December 3, 2010) – The new Phonak Ambra microM has won the internationally recognized iF product design award in the category “Medicine / Health Care.”  With its clear and functional design, this new premium hearing aid convinced the international jury.

The international jury of respected designers, entrepreneurs and professors rated 2,756 products from 1,121 participants and 43 countries.  993 were awarded and are now running for one of the 50 iF gold awards which will be presented in spring 2011.  With the award the International Design Forum “iF” acknowledges “excellent design from innovative companies.”

This recognition for Phonak Ambra follows in line with the three Phonak products Audéo SMART, Audéo MINI and Click’n’Talk, all of which were prized by the iF last year.  These awards helped Phonak to establish itself as one of the top three Swiss design brands represented in the iF ranking.  Thanks to Phonak’s strive for excellence and continuous innovation the Phonak hearing aids are simply stylish, tiny, functional and robust.