Our ears never sleep
By Hanne Rosenkilde, M.Sc., AudioMas SL

Our ears are fragile and avanced. The three bones the hammer, the stirrup and the armbolt are the smallest bones of the body. Thousands of small cilias in the inner ear are deciding which frequences we can receive, and if there are any problems with the liquid in the inner ear, we can not keep the balance. So the ears are sensitive and determing partly our well-being.

We inform ourselfes with our ears – we can determine the direction of a sound, and where we are. If we did not have the advanced hearing ability, we would not be able to develop a language.

Problems hearing often demands extra energy, and can therefore cause fatigue, stress and/or insomnia. As the hearing is of high importance to our communication with other people, it is important that the hearing problem is taken seriously – it has to be solved.

The most common hearing problem is age related, but can also be otosclerosis, noice induced, heritage, wax, certain types of medication and other reasons.

Age related hearing deficiency
Comes with age, and above 65 years more than 50% will experience a loss. You experience the loss that all sounds become weaker, and it is getting difficult differenciating words.

Hearing deficiency comes with two symptons:

• Firstly all sounds and noises become weaker
• Secondly it becomes harder to seperate the words

Problems distinguishing words is caused by the cilias – they are worn down a bit. Apart from sounds becoming weaker, sounds also get twisted.

Elderly people with hearing deficiency risk isolation, as it is harder to hear when several people are together, as well as filtering out the background noise. It is hard work to keep up, so it is easier to stay at home.

The hearing loss can not be undone, and with a hearing aid one can regain a lot of hearing. It will always take time to get used to the hearing aid, and after a couple of weeks you can not live without it.

Noise related hearing deficiency

A noise related hearing deficiency will show itself as a hearing loss in specific frequency ranges, that will typically related to the noise one has been exposed to. Even if a noise related hearing deficiency only touches upon a small frequency range, it can have big consequences. E.g. if the frequency is in the part of the high tone, speech gets unintelligible.

Tinnitus
Tinnitus (noises and high pitches sounds in the ear) is today a common phenomenon. High pitched sounds in the ear does not necessarily mean hearing deficiency, but it does mean that parts on the inner ear’s sensory cells are damaged and might be the same as noise related hearing deficiency in specific frequency ranges. A hearing aid can help when the tinnitus is associated with a hearing loss. When you do not hear speech etc well having tinnitus, the tinnitus will dominate and you can focus or concentrate.

No matter whether it is tinnitus or a hearing loss the result will be hearing deficiency, either generally or in specific situations. You are welcome at AudioMas for a free consultation to check your hearing, tinnitus and discuss the possibilities for improving you hearing.

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Euro
Weekly – Costa del Sol April 2007

The others mumble
By Audiologist Hanne Rosenkilde, M.Sc., AudioMas

Naturally your hearing is normal; it has always been like that. It’s just unbearable, that others have started mumbling.

It takes time, often years, before you actually realise that your hearing ability has started decreasing. In the beginning the hearing loss is so little, that nobody notices – and especially not yourself.

• You nod – even though you have not heard what was said
• You find others are mumbling
• You often ask others to repeat what they just said
• You turn the television/radio set up
• You have difficulty understanding speech on the phone

If you recognise any of this, it is about time you get your hearing checked.

There can be a difference in how we hear male- and female voices. The reason being that some of us primarily loose the hearing in the high frequency, and then we hear male voices better than female. Others loose the hearing in the low frequency area, and have difficulty hearing male voices. That being one of the reasons why the hearing loss is sneaking in on us – because we can hear some of it, and others just talk unbelievably unclear.
Our ears are sensible and advanced mechanisms. The bones in the ear, the hammer, the ambolt and the stirrup are the smallest bones of the body. Thousand of small cilia hairs in the inner ear are responsible for which frequencies we can receive.
We orient with our ears – we fell where the sound comes from, and where we are. If we did not have an advanced sense of hearing, we would not be able to develop a language.
A hearing loss often demands more energy resulting in fatigue, stress and often sleeping disturbance. As the hearing is of great importance in communication and togetherness with other people, it is necessary to take hearing loss seriously – and do something about it.

Old age hearing loss is very frequent, and the loss shows in two ways. First of all the person receives all sounds at a weaker level. Secondly it is difficult to differentiate the words – hat and cat seems the same! The differentiating problem starts when the cilias is beginning to be worn down. Have you been working or living in a noisy environment the hearing is often a mix of old age and the noise.
People with a hearing loss tend to isolate – because they do not feel part of the togetherness in the group. It is very tiring and demanding to follow the conversation – it is just easier to stay at home.
The hearing loss as such we can not do anything about – but with a hearing aid you can get the hearing back. The challenge with differentiating will to an extent disappear, and it always takes time to get used to a hearing aid. Suddenly you can hear again.

If you want your hearing tested or your hearing aid adjusted you can call 951260702 – it is all for free

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Hearing is also…
a question about quality of life

Bad hearing has graver consequences than expected by most! One of the consequences can be that a person with a hearing loss also looses a major part of the contact with the surroundings – and does thereby experience a loss of life quality. AudioMas works to improve hearing to an optimal level.

Every second citizen above 70 years of age has decreased hearing ability, and about 16% of the European population is estimated to have a hearing loss requiring treatment. But only between 0,5 to 5 % in area depending  – is offered a hearing aid in Europe leaving a large uncovered requirement.

At AudioMas it is important, that the customer gets the correct hearing aid – the hearing aid insuring optimal intelligibility - the handicap of hearing loss having been significantly reduced.

AudioMas started in Denmark more than 10 years ago and has had great success – because of the quality insurance is in top and the prices are competitive.

To insure that this expertise will be available to residents on the Costa del Sol, AudioMas has started in Fuengirola, Marbella and Sotogrande.

AudioMas provides free hearing tests, adjusting hearing aids of any kind and do a constant follow-up to insure that your hearing is on top at all times.