Did you know that sudden sensorineural hearing losses (SSHL) affect 27 out of 100,000 people? In fact, it is even more prevalent in the elderly and in men. What is SSHL? SSHL, otherwise known as sudden deafness, is an unexplained, quick loss of hearing that may occur all at once or over a period of [...]
One of the leading causes of hearing loss is noise damage. This type of hearing loss is due to exposure to loud noises for unsafe periods of time. Workplace safety standards typically agree that it is safe for workers to be exposed to 85 decibels (dB) for 8 hours. 85dB is equivalent to the noise [...]
Ear wax has antimicrobial and antifungal properties. Human babies start to hear from 18 weeks in the womb. Your ears never stop hearing, even when you sleep. Your brain just ignores the sounds! Your ears never stop growing throughout life. Humans hear between 20 to 20,000Hz whereas dogs can hear between 40 to 60,000Hz – [...]
Sound waves travel through many different parts of our hearing system before they are converted into electrical signals that are perceived as sounds by the brain. Let’s look at the anatomy of our hearing system so we can better appreciate what works behind the scenes for us to hear. Sound waves travel through the ear [...]
Myth #4 Hearing aids just make everything louder, including background noise. This is a very common misconception and needs to be addressed in terms of having realistic expectations for the hearing aids, as well as selecting the appropriate hearing aid model to suit the individual’s lifestyle. Individuals with hearing loss are typically hearing sounds softer [...]
Myth #3 - Hearing aids will cure my hearing loss. Most hearing losses are permanent and cannot be reversed. Hearing aids help by amplifying sounds that would otherwise be too soft for the person to hear. Since the sounds are louder, the person would be able to detect them even with reduced hearing. Similar to [...]
Hearing is usually not a topic that comes up in everyday conversations; however, it is one of our most important senses that allows us to be aware of our surroundings and to react in a proper way. Luckily, there are many fun and useful resources online that can help you learn about topics ranging from [...]
Myth #2 It is just a hearing loss. Having a hearing loss has widespread effects on your physical health and social life. Having even a mild hearing loss will triple the risk of falls in older adults (Lin & Ferrucci, 2012) and increase the chances of developing dementia (Lin et al., 2011). Naturally, hearing loss [...]
Hearing loss affects almost 20% of adults in Canada. In fact, this prevalence becomes much higher in seniors, affecting a whopping 78% of those between 60 to 79 years of age (Statistics Canada, 2016)! Knowing these facts, why do only a fraction of these people seek help for their hearing loss? Unfortunately, there are many [...]
The team at Ultima Hearing Centre is here to support you as you adjust to wearing, using and caring for your new hearing aid. We are dedicated to making this transition as positive as possible as your hearing aid becomes a part of your daily routine. Patients need different amounts of time for [...]
