Blog | Parker Audiology, PC

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5 Simple Ways to Boost Your Mood This Winter

On October 15th, 2020 | by admin | in Comorbidity, Hearing Health

Hearing health and mental health have a clear connection.

In fact, untreated hearing loss increases your risk of depression, anxiety, social isolation, and more. Winter is also a prime time for seasonal blahs. If you could use a little mental-health boost, here are some simple ways to get started.

Express Gratitude

Gratitude improves happiness, well-being, and mental health. The best-researched method is keeping a gratitude journal. Once or twice a week, choose one act or person you’re grateful for and write a few sentences detailing why. In daily life, you’ll begin to seek out the positive — rather than the negative — and writing it down allows you to really savor that positive emotion.

Exercise

Exercise releases endorphins, which relieve stress and boost your mood. You can even use small things that add more activity to your day, like skipping the elevator …

Illustration of hand holding a smart phone with several different icons representing types of virtual communication surrounding it

5 Tips to Hear Better in Virtual Meetings + Gatherings

On October 1st, 2020 | by admin | in Hearing Accessories, Hearing Aids

Working remotely with hearing loss can be a big challenge.

Whether you’re conducting business online or just want to virtually connect with family and friends, these listening strategies and tactics can go a long way toward helping you stay engaged.

Explore the conferencing platform well before the online meeting or gathering — including reading a little about it or checking out a few quick instructional videos from other users — to build familiarity and confidence. Encourage everyone to use the video function — not just the audio option — to aid in lipreading and interpreting facial expressions. Also, try to keep your eye as much as possible on the person speaking rather than on your own camera image. Turn on the closed-captioning option, which can help take a big load off. In addition, consider using the real-time chat function, when available, to get clarification if you missed a point or …

Illustration of couple traveling with hearing aids

Hear Your Best On The Go

On September 15th, 2020 | by admin | in Hearing Accessories, Hearing Aid Maintenance, Hearing Aids

6 Tips to Keep Your Hearing Aids at Their Best

Whether you’re on the town or out of town, you depend on your hearing technology to keep you consistently connected. Don’t miss a moment when you’re on the go with these tips for maximizing your hearing.

Protect Your TechHearing aids are tiny computers — keep them safe! If you’re in warmer climes, invest in hearing aid accessories such as a splashguard, a wind protector, or a sport clip. For those of you in less toasty towns, a hat, a scarf, or earmuffs can provide protection.

Use GeotagsMany hearing aids now come with a smartphone app that can assign a geographical “bookmark” — or geotag — to your favorite locations. Simply optimize your hearing aid settings for a location (for example, a coffee shop) and apply a geotag. Every time you return to that spot, the app automatically switches to your …

You Need Hearing Aids. Now What?

On September 1st, 2020 | by admin | in Hearing Aids, Hearing Loss

Q: It turns out I need hearing aids. What’s my next step?

A: Hearing aids aren’t one-size-fits-all devices, so your question is a good sign you’re approaching this with the right mindset. Your first step is to confirm you’ve had a complete audiological evaluation.

An online “hearing test” can’t determine whether you need hearing aids — it simply reports whether you’re hearing certain sounds. Only an audiological evaluation can determine if you have hearing loss that requires hearing aids. If you haven’t had one, this is your next step. If you have, it’s time to schedule your hearing aid consultation.

Choose Your ProviderAny hearing aid is simply a tool. It has to be selected, customized, and fit to your ear by an experienced professional in order treat your specific hearing loss. Then it’s your key to a better quality of life.

A clinical audiologist or doctor of audiology has had …

Graphic representing loud noise that requires hearing protection

Are You Protecting Your Hearing?

On August 15th, 2020 | by admin | in Hearing Protection

Fireworks and concerts might come to mind when pondering ear-busting sounds, but power tools and even some livestock can reach dangerous decibels, too. Let’s talk hearing protection, which can go a long way toward keeping harmful noise at bay.

Types of Hearing Protection

At home, work, or play, the world can be an exciting but noisy place, putting your hearing health at risk. How? Loud sounds — especially those in the danger zone of 85 decibels or higher — can lead to hearing loss, tinnitus, or both.

It’s helpful to avoid loud environments in the first place. That’s not always practical, however, especially if the job you love, favorite hobbies, and other important activities bring joy — and add some noise — to your everyday life.

Let’s talk about different types of hearing protection that can help keep you and your loved ones listening — and living — your best. …

Woman investigates link between hearing and brain function

Hearing Aids + Your Brain

On August 1st, 2020 | by admin | in Hearing Aids, Hearing Health, Hearing Loss

You won’t “mind” this news about better hearing and improved cognition!

Does hearing aid use help your brain? A growing amount of research associates hearing technology with improved cognition and slowed or decreased risk of cognitive decline. Get the latest on research that supports your better-hearing health — and your mind.

Have you heard? Yet another study links hearing aid use to reduced risk of cognitive decline!

We’ve long talked about connections between hearing and the brain. They work together to help keep you empowered and engaged, so it’s no wonder that hearing difficulties could go hand in hand with cognitive problems.

The good news? An increasing volume of research links hearing loss treatment to improved brain function or reduced risk of cognitive impairment.

A University of Melbourne study published in early 2020, for example, suggests that “more frequent use of hearing aids was associated with …

Man in hospital bed takes care of his hearing aids

8 Hearing Aid Tips for Hospital Stays

On July 15th, 2020 | by admin | in Hearing Aids

Checking into a hospital can seem a little stressful, making it all the more important to feel empowered, alert, and engaged with the help of your hearing aids. Help protect them during your inpatient visit with these handy tips.

It can be easy to lose track of your hearing aids when getting inpatient care at a busy medical facility, so we’re sharing eight tips to help you protect your tech and continue hearing your best.

Use a Container Keep a personally labeled container on the nightstand for your hearing aids when not in use. And remember: Hearing-aid dryers and dehumidifiers can double as storage, too! Bypass the Food Tray It might seem convenient to set your hearing devices on your food tray, but they can get damaged or lost that way. Better to keep them in their designated container. Take Them Out If staff comes to change the bedsheets …

Hear Better at Home

On July 1st, 2020 | by admin | in Hearing Accessories, Hearing Aids, Hearing Loss

You might be surprised how many small ways you can complement the better hearing you already get from your hearing aids. Read on to learn about technology that can improve communication — and connection — even more.

If you’re adjusting to hearing technology, you’ve no doubt noticed how many situations around the home could be improved through better hearing, especially if you’re retired, work from home, or have relatives who live far away.

Today’s hearing aids are tiny computers, which means they can take advantage of the latest in computer technology — and you can take charge of your hearing.

Captions

For those with hearing loss — with or without hearing devices — closed captions improve speech understanding. But if you’re on a video call with loved ones in a different state, or you work from home, is that even possible? Turns out, it …

Illustration of a woman pondering something with purple question marks floating around her

What To Expect At A Hearing Evaluation

On June 15th, 2020 | by admin | in Hearing Health

Q: What can I expect at my complete hearing evaluation?

A: Many people think a hearing evaluation is where your provider plays a tone, and you simply indicate whether you can hear it. Fortunately, a hearing evaluation is more thorough than that and happens in four steps.

A typical hearing evaluation lasts from 30 to 90 minutes, and we encourage you to bring a trusted loved one with you. We find that a complementary perspective can help paint a complete picture of how your hearing loss is affecting you and your family. They can also take notes for you to refer back to later.

The Conversation

During this step, we review and discuss your medical history. You describe what sort of hearing problems you experience in common situations and how the hearing issues affect you and your loved ones.

But we’ll go beyond that, because the better I …

Illustration of a mom and dad holding their two children, with grandma and grandpa in the background - all with big smiles on their faces

Protect Your Family’s Hearing This July

On June 8th, 2020 | by admin | in Hearing Protection

If you live in Canada or the U.S., you’ll be celebrating in early July. But you’ll also be in preparation mode: Those burgers aren’t going to grill themselves, the chairs need to be set out early for this year’s parade, and the kids need their patriotic outfits. To help out, we’re going to make this easy yet essential to-do for you: Protect your family’s hearing this holiday.

What You Need to Know About Fireworks and Your Hearing

The amount of damage that fireworks cause to your hearing depends on:

The distance you are from them The intensity of their explosion How old you are

The bangs and booms from fireworks can cause serious hearing damage, with sounds reaching 150 decibels (dB) at 3 feet.

For adults, the recommendation from the World Health Organization is not to be exposed to more than 140 decibels …

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