Untreated hearing loss can take a toll on many aspects of life including mood, cognitive health, and relationships. To minimize the effects of hearing loss, there any several treatment options including hearing aids, cochlear implants, and EAR EXERCISES!
Being fit with hearing aids or cochlear implants is only one piece of the puzzle to better hearing health. Another important piece involves various exercises and activities aimed at refining your listening skills. As with any workout regime, ear exercises range in difficulty from easy to extremely difficult. Your level of hearing loss and ability to understand speech in the presence of noise will help determine the best starting place for you. Your audiologist will be able to work with you to determine the best plan of action to develop a healthy ear exercise routine.
Some examples of ear exercises that may be recommended by your audiologist include:
Telephone With Confidence: An excellent tool to use if you struggle to understand conversation over the phone. Cochlear offers this free tool for anyone to use. This program pairs well with new hearing aid or cochlear implant recipients.
Communication Skills Program: Another great free resource made available by Cochlear is the Communication Skills Program. This program involves completing various activities and exercises with a communication partner of your choice (ex. spouse, friend, family member, etc.)
The "Hu?" Reducer: This exercise involves making a specific effort to say "Hu?" less often and to replace this reflexive remark with a reiteration of the pieces of the sentence that you were able to hear. For example, if someone asks you, "Did you see that video of the flying hamburger?" and you did not completely understand what was said (but you understood a few words), try responding by saying, "Did I see what?" This alternative response is meant to help both the listener and the speaker have a more effective communication experience.
"Being fit with hearing aids or cochlear implants is only one piece of the puzzle to better hearing health."
Staying healthy and caring for your hearing is important. Having the right resources to properly care for your hearing is also important. That is why we have an audiologist (Doctor of Audiology) that provides expert hearing care to our community. You can trust that your hearing is in good hands at Space City Audiology.
Have you had your hearing tested recently? (It is recommended that hearing be tested every year for individuals 55 and older and every other year for individuals under the age of 55.) Give us a call today. We look forward to meeting you!
Your destination for hearing healthcare
281-809-6008
info@spacecityaudiology.com