Hearing Solutions Center Blog
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Hearing Screening Tool for Healthcare Professsionals
October 14, 2011HEARING SCREENING FOR HEALTHCARE OFFICE
PROCEDURE
1. Screenings should take place in a quiet, enclosed room. Stand 3-5 feet behind the patient or cover your mouth so no visual cues are available.
2. Tell the patient that you will use the phrase “Say the word _____” and then they should repeat only the last word out loud.
a. Examiner: “ Say the word shout”
b. Patient: “Shout”
3. Select one of the lists and present all the words on the list in a normal conversational voice. Record the number of words that were repeated correctly on the patient’s record.
4. In this quiet situation with no distractions, if the patient gets even one or two words wrong, it is possible that he/she has a hearing loss. It is recommended that the patient be referred to the audiologist for further evaluation. Complete the MDS or RAP for referral.
WORD LISTS
List One List Three
Shout Sell
Vine Third
Take Love
Fell Page
Chalk Week
List Two List Four
Juice Bite
Pick Seize
Raise Shirt
Thought Time
Match Dip
10 Truths about Diabetes and Hearing Loss
October 14, 2011Ten Truths about Diabetes and Hearing Loss
- There is a medical link between diabetes and hearing loss. In people age 60 and older with type 2 diabetes, high blood sugar causes tiny blood vessels in the inner ear to break, disrupting sound reception.
- The same microvascular changes which often lead to nephropathy and retinopathy in diabetic patients, can affect the cochlear vasculature.
- A high correlation exists between diabetes and hearing loss. In one study, diabetes was associated with a 100% increased odds of low/mid-frequency hearing impairment and a 67% increased odds of high frequency hearing impairment after controlling for age, sex, race/ethnicity, education, smoking, and occupational noise exposure.
- Increased creatinine levels in diabetic patients have been correlated with increased hearing loss. Creatinine level is a rough indicator of kidney function and tends to be elevated in diabetic patients. The kidneys and inner ear share similar physiologic, ultrastructural and antigenic properties. Diabetes often results in chronic kidney disease.
- Screen diabetic patient’s hearing when identified with diabetes. Hearing loss is an invisible handicap. Thus, patients must be screened to determine if there is a hearing problem.
- Hearing loss due to diabetes can be progressive. Refer for an annual or periodic assessment of hearing levels.
- People with hearing loss often show signs of withdrawal, cognitive loss, depression, social isolation, or psychosis. The psychosocial effects of hearing loss should not be underestimated.
- The best hearing aids are the ones you wear. Encourage use of hearing aids if recommended. A new hearing aid wearer usually needs 6-12 weeks to become adjusted to hearing aids.
- Hearing aids are part of the solution. A recent National Council on Aging study of 2,069 people with hearing loss and 1,710 family members provides compelling evidence of the benefits of hearing aids, including improvement in emotional stability, interpersonal relationships, overall health, and cognitive function, and a reduction in anger, frustration, anxiety, social phobias, and depression.
- Seek an audiologist for hearing services. Audiologists hold a Masters or Doctoral degree in hearing science and hearing habilitation.
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Kathryn Dowd, AuD phone: 704-944-4283
Hearing Solution Center fax: 704-944-4285
6201 Fairview Road, #200
Charlotte, NC 28210
Posted in Diabetes and Hearing Loss, Uncategorized | Tagged AADE, ADA, Charlotte hearing aids, diabetes, hearing aid, hearing loss, Hearing Loss Association of America | Leave a commentThe Price is Right
September 12, 2011The Price is Right
On a recent reality show “Pit Boss”, one of the show’s characters went to the House Institute in Los Angeles for a hearing test. The test showed a mild-moderate hearing loss. Hearing aids were recommended: for a price of $8000-$12,000 a set. As the show went on, this person with the hearing loss was found working a second job and seeking ways to pay for the new medical devices he needed.
That is Los Angeles, CA. This is Charlotte, NC. And the price is right in Charlotte at Hearing Solution Center. Hearing aid unbundling allows hearing aids to be dispensed at single unit cost plus a professional fee. This unbundling approach to hearing aid dispensing is recommended by the Hearing Loss Association of America (HLAA) as a more adequate way to serve the public’s hearing health needs.
According to Brenda Battat, Executive Director of Hearing Loss Association of America:
“From the consumer perspective the issue with unbundling is transparency. Letting consumers know what they are paying for. Currently they think all the cost is for the hearing aids. In our view this devalues audiology services. All professionals charge for their services – lawyers, doctors, etc. Why should audiology be any different? So when someone purchases a hearing aid they should be informed that the device costs this much and the follow up services that are needed to ensure successful device use is charged at this rate. There is too much branding of devices and not enough branding of audiology services.”Check www.hearingsolutioncenter.com for lists of hearing aid prices for several manufacturers. The hearing aid prices are greatly reduced and the professional services are added to the reduced price. The overall cost including the hearing aid and professional dispensing fee of $500 shows a savings of $400. to $900. per instrument. Our previous hearing aid cost was $3300. per instrument for premium, top technology hearing aids. Now these same hearing aids with unbundling cost $2400. for a savings of $900. per aid or $1800 a pair! Service visits following the initial dispensing period (45 days) cost $75. per visit. We recommend 1-2 visits a year for hearing aid cleaning and checks.
Hearing aids can be dropped off for the cleaning service and picked up within 24 hours for a reduced charge of $50.
Change the way you purchase hearing aids and enjoy better hearing!
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