Annual check-ups are an extremely important aspect of not just our physical health, but in many areas of our lives. Many companies employ annual reviews to check in with their employees on their progress and goals.
General healthcare practitioners recommend a yearly full physical to ensure overall health and help pinpoint issues early on for the best possible treatment. Even children experience annual academic checkups, by passing one grade in school and moving onto another.
See where we’re going here? Just as annual checkups are important in these other aspects in life, they are just as important for our hearing health!
Annual hearing tests are imperative for many reasons. We outline some of the most pertinent reasons below:
- Hearing loss is really gradual. In the vast majority of cases, hearing loss occurs over a period of years or even decades. Because of this, it is often really difficult for people to realize they have lost some of their hearing. On average, Americans wait about seven years from the time they notice something is different with their hearing to the time they seek treatment from a professional. Getting an annual hearing test can help one to stay on track with their hearing, and, along with their hearing health care professional, one will be able to have detailed conversations on their hearing health year over year.
- Treating hearing loss benefits many areas of life. Studies from across the globe have found that treating hearing loss with hearing aids has a positive rippling effect into multiple areas of one’s life. Treating hearing loss with hearing aids has been found to have a profoundly positive impact on our social, emotional, cognitive, and physical health, as well as our relationships and our earning potential. Getting tested each year will help to ensure that treatment can start as soon as it is needed, thus mitigating some of the negative effects of untreated hearing loss and amplifying the many positive benefits of using hearing aids.
- Hearing aid technology keeps getting more and more advanced. Some people avoid getting hearing assessments because they are under the false impression that hearing aids are bulky and ugly, that they just amplify everything, or that they provide horrible feedback noise. Luckily, huge advancements in hearing aid technology have been made and hearing devices only continue to improve and become more high tech. Today’s hearing aids are extremely discreet, with some models providing complete invisibility. They are also power-packed with some pretty amazing technology that is able to instantly determine which sounds are important and which are not, and only amplify the sounds you want to hear. Annual hearing tests will help to ensure that one is always provided with the most up-to-date hearing technology information.
- Hearing loss can really impact the people that we love. Many times, people choose to get a hearing test for the very first time or on a yearly basis because a family member has helped them understand that their hearing loss has a negative impact on them. Some spouses of people who choose not to treat their hearing loss report feeling isolated, lonely, and that they are not being listened to. An annual hearing test will help to identify hearing loss quickly, thus avoiding these negative impacts that could affect the people we hold most dear.
What to expect at an annual hearing test
Hearing tests are quick, completely painless, and provide valuable insight into your unique hearing profile. At an annual hearing assessment, you will be asked to update us with any changes to your lifestyle or perceptions of your own hearing. You will then be given a few hearing tests. Most of the time, these tests involve wearing a headset in a sound proof room, and raising a hand or pushing a button when you hear a noise.
Directly after your assessment, at the very same appointment, we will review your results with you. If you come in on an annual basis, we can compare your results from one year to the next, giving you real-time data on your unique hearing journey.
If you are ready to start the journey to better hearing, Hearing Wellness Solutions is here for you! Contact us today to schedule a consultation.