There are plenty of reasons why we do a particular thing, but when it comes to our health there are two main reasons: for specific care related to a specific need, or for your annual checkup, and those reasons stand up whether it’s your doctor, dentist, or a hearing healthcare professional.
At Alberta Hearing Service, our team includes Registered Hearing Aid Practitioners who are Board Certified in Hearing Instrument Sciences. When it comes to ensuring your hearing health, Alberta Hearing Service offers complete audiometric evaluations; audiometric screenings (industrial, eps applications etc.); medical referrals to physicians; and, hearing aid consultations, products and services with two convenient locations in Edmonton.
There are many reasons for getting your hearing tested annually by a professional Registered Hearing Aid Practitioner. According to Statistic Canada’s Health Fact Sheet: Hearing Loss of Canadians, 2012 to 2015 (release date: October 13, 2016):
Hearing loss is an important health concern which is often unrecognized and undertreated. The majority of Canadians with measured hearing loss were not aware they had any hearing problems.
Hearing loss can have many emotional and social consequences including social isolation, depression, safety issues, mobility limitations, and reduced income and employment opportunities.
In older adults, hearing loss has also been shown to be associated with poor quality of life and functional limitations. The Canadian Health Measures Survey (CHMS) indicate that 40 percent of adults aged 20 to 79 had at least slight hearing loss in one or both ears. Hearing loss was more prevalent in older age groups. Males at 47 percent, were significantly more likely to have hearing loss compared with females at 32 percent.
In children and youth, there is evidence that hearing loss negatively affects academic performance and language development needed for classroom learning and vocational achievement. Audiometry results indicate that 8 percent of children and youth aged 6 to 19 had hearing loss that was considered slight or worse. The majority, 79 percent of children and youth with hearing loss, had hearing loss in only one ear.
According to the Canadian Hearing Society, the impact of hearing loss on older adults can be significant with unmanaged hearing loss:
Older adults may become withdrawn and socially isolated which can lead to the breakdown of support networks and the risk of depression.
Are at an increased risk of cognitive decline and developing Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia. However, there is encouraging evidence that hearing assistance, such as a hearing aid, can improve the lives of even those with significant dementia.
Research has revealed that there is a greater risk of falling with hearing loss, and the risk of falling increases with the severity of the hearing loss.
A properly fitted hearing aid, counselling or environmental changes can improve communication with 90 percent of people – of any age – with hearing loss.
The primary reason for having an annual hearing test is that hearing loss is often gradual and you need to monitor your hearing health and be alerted to any changes that might occur. Some hearing problems deteriorate without treatment so you need to take steps to deal with it before it gets worse. That’s why it’s important to get your hearing checked. Start by asking your doctor for a hearing test or schedule an appointment with Alberta Hearing Service, where a doctor’s referral is welcomed, but not required. Whether you think you might have hearing loss or if you just need an annual hearing test, take the first step is to schedule a convenient appointment in the Kingsway Professional Centre at 780-423-0886, and the Tawa Centre at 780-469-8372. Third Party Billings available to Alberta Aids to Daily Living, WCB, DVA, NIHB and Insurance Companies.