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 If you have trouble hearing, you're not alone. More than 25 million Americans have hearing loss, including one in four people that are 65 or older.
Hearing loss may result from repeated exposure to loud noise, such as music, power tools, or jet engines. Changes in the way the ear works as a person ages can also affect hearing.
There are ways to handle hearing loss and improve your
hearing today!
If you have trouble hearing you should visit the audiologists at Kenwood Hearing Center to find out if you do indeed have hearing loss. They can help you identify your hearing loss and start treatment with today's latest technology.
Instructions for the first time hearing aid user.
Getting used to a hearing aid takes time. Your listening skills should improve gradually as you become accustomed to amplification. Even your own voice may sound unusual at first when you begin wearing a hearing aid.
When first using a hearing aid, keep these points in mind:
 Hearing aids won't return your hearing to normal. Unlike corrective eyewear that restores your vision to normal, hearing aids can't restore normal hearing. They can improve your hearing, however, by amplifying soft sounds and reducing loud background noises.
- Allow time to get used to the hearing aid. It may take several weeks or months before you're used to the hearing aid. But the more you use it, the more quickly you'll adjust to amplified sounds.
What can I expect from Hearing Aids?
- Improved hearing in quiet situations
- Improved hearing with moderate background noise
- Hearing in loud noise should be no worse than without hearing aids
- Soft speech should be audible, conversational speech comfortable and loud speech not uncomfortable
- Comfortable Earmold
- Acceptable level of own voice
Though it may be awkward at first, over time you'll adjust to the device and enjoy your enhanced ability to hear and communicate in a variety of situations. By wearing your hearing aid regularly and taking good care of it, you'll likely notice significant improvements in your quality of life.
Tips for Having a Conversation with Someone Who Has Hearing Loss
 Use Clear Speech
- Pay attention to making each speech sound fully formed without missing parts or dropping word endings.
- Do not shout – this causes speech to distort and often will become uncomfortable to a person with a hearing impairment.
- When you say words and sentences in a precise, accurate and fully formed manner, a person with hearing loss can better follow a conversation, resulting in less frustration for everyone.
- Improve the Communication Environment
- Get closer: the ideal distance for normal conversation is approximately three feet.
- Do not try to communicate from another room unless it is necessary.
- If possible, move away from the background noise and towards the hearing impaired person. Don’t try to have a conversation in rooms with numerous noises.
- Turn down the volume of competing noise - do not try to talk over the TV or radio.
- When possible, choose quieter restaurants. If someone with “good” hearing has difficulty hearing in a restaurant, a person with hearing loss will have even more difficulty there.
- Use Better Communication Skills
- Face the person who has a hearing loss when speaking. Make sure the listener can see your face and lips – visual cues are very helpful to understanding with hearing aids. Keep your hands away from your mouth.
- Periodically cue the topic. “We’re talking about…” This will help fill in the blanks for things that cannot be heard.
- Talk TO the person, not “around them.”
- Listen carefully and be encouraging to the person with hearing loss as communication starts to improve.
- Do not talk to the spouse, partner, family member or friend instead of the person who has a hearing loss. Talk to the person.
- Be courteous to the feelings of the person with the hearing loss. Do not be patronizing – hearing loss has nothing to do with lower intelligence.
Improve Your Listening Skills: Improve Your Hearing
- Make good eye contact with the person or persons speaking. This shows you are interested in what is being said.
- Look interested. Try not to let your mind wander or think about how you will respond.
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Don’t Interrupt. Let the other person finish before you speak. 
- Provide feedback to let the speaker know you are following him or her.
- Don’t monopolize the conversation. This is common for people with hearing loss to do.
- Focus on what the person is saying. What is the main idea? What are the specific details?
- Ask for clarification if you are not sure what the speaker is talking about.
- Ask insightful questions. Don’t just say, “huh” or “what.” Ask the speaker to clarify a point or expand on an idea.
- Listen for the meaning behind the words. Words have different meanings – is the speaker happy, sarcastic, sad, angry or fearful?
- Watch the body language and facial expressions of the speaker; this will give you valuable information.
Always let the speaker know if you have not understood or have lost important parts of the conversation. Never just smile and nod if you aren’t sure what has been said. You may be responding totally inappropriately to a situation.
Getting Used to Your Hearing Instruments
 Don’t Expect to Hear Everything
Don’t expect to have “Super-Human Hearing.” Even people with “good” hearing cannot hear everything.- Get Comfortable Wearing Your Hearing Aids
Hearing aids are made to be worn, on average, 12-16 hours a day. Your hearing aid should become a normal everyday part of your life, similar to wearing glasses or contact lenses.
- Give Yourself Time to Discover better Hearing
Hearing aids are designed to provide you with a greater range of sounds. Encountering all of these “new” sounds may surprise and might even tire you at first. That is why you should:
- Retain yourself for more effective communication
- Be an active listener
- Coping with a Noisy World
We live in an increasingly noisy world. Your hearing aids will reintroduce you to many sounds you may have forgotten, such as the ticking of a clock, the beeps of a coffee maker or microwave oven, the chirping of birds and a child’s high-pitched voice. With time, you will learn how to focus on what you want to hear and “tune out” the rest.
- Binaural Hearing – Using Two Ears
With a hearing loss in both ears, it makes sense to wear two hearing aids. We are born with two ears for a reason. When compared to hearing with just one ear, a person can hear sounds from both sides, hear sounds fuller with better clarity, and understand speech better.
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