Every Sound

DO YOU HEAR

Precision Hearing Is Helping Southern Utah Residents Hear Every Sound

By Diane Del Toro

The change in Dan Johnson’s* hearing was so gradual, he hardly noticed. He missed a sentence in a phone conversation with a friend or received a perplexed look from his daughter when he appeared to be ignoring her questions. Eventually, when he couldn’t hear enough of what was going on to be confident in social settings, Dan withdrew from friends and family members, preferring instead to stay in familiar environments.

After several years, Dan’s wife observed that he often “faded away” whenever they went to a restaurant or met up with friends. “I had such a hard time understanding what was being said,” Dan explained. “All the noise around me made it impossible to follow a conversation, so I’d mentally checked out. I always felt like I was missing something and even felt myself falling into depression.”

Dan’s experience is compelling because it highlights the social, psychological, cognitive, and health effects of hearing loss. Impaired hearing results in distorted or incomplete communication leading to greater isolation and withdrawal and therefore, lower sensory input. In turn, the individual’s life space and social interactions become restricted.

“A large number of people wait seven to eight years or more from the point that they first recognize they have a hearing loss to when they purchase their first hearing aids,” explained Ryan Gaines, owner of Precision Hearing. “This is a tragedy since they might not be aware of the impact this delayed decision has had on their life and the lives of their family and associates.” Precision Hearing is located at 321 West Tabernacle in St. George, Utah. Since opening its doors to the public in 1987, Precision Hearing has dedicated its efforts to helping southern Utah residents regain their quality of life after experiencing hearing loss by providing exceptional hearing care. According to Ryan, there is a long list of ways that an individual can be impacted by hearing loss. This list includes embarrassment, fatigue, irritability, stress, anger, avoidance of social activities, withdrawal from social situations, depression, negativism, danger to personal safety, rejection by others, reduced general health, loneliness, social isolation, decreased alertness to the environment, impaired memory, diminished adaptability to learning new tasks, reduced coping skills, and reduced overall psychological health.

For those who are still in the workforce, uncorrected hearing loss has a negative impact on overall job effectiveness, opportunities for promotion, and life-long earning power. Few would disagree that uncorrected hearing loss is a serious issue.

That is why choosing a hearing professional is one of the most important decisions a hearing impaired person can make. Since a hearing aid fitting has many subjective patient-related components, proper hearing aid recommendation and adjustments are highly dependent on the judgment and skill of the professional selecting the instrument.

And this is where Precision Hearing excels. Their services include comprehensive hearing exams, specialized diagnostic testing, advanced fitting of hearing instruments, and verification techniques. They also repair hearing aids and work with all of the major hearing aid manufacturers including Oticon, Phonak, Signia, Starkey, ReSound, and Widex. What is more, when compared to other local offices, Precision Hearing can provide their products and services at considerable savings, with patients saving upwards of $2,000 to $3,000 on premium products.

“Ryan at Precision Hearing has taken a genuine interest in my hearing problem,” said Rose Baxter, a local resident who is one of Ryan’s patients. “His expertise provided the very best solution for me; people don’t even notice that I’m wearing hearing aids. The pricing was very reasonable—much lower than other places I checked into. I’m very pleased with that.”

Because hearing loss can develop slowly over time, many people are not aware of the gradual changes to their hearing until hearing loss is pronounced. For this reason, there is a tendency to put off a hearing test, but an annual hearing exam is a very important step to overcoming a hearing problem. A regular hearing examination can: • Identify medical conditions. Although most hearing loss is caused by aging, there are a host of medical reasons for hearing loss, such as diabetes or high blood pressure. Some patients are able to relieve their hearing problem simply by treating the underlying medical condition, or by removing earwax. • Track hearing changes and potential problems. An annual hearing test tracks changes in your hearing and makes adjustments as you need them. • Prevent hearing loss from impacting other areas of life. When hearing problems go undiagnosed and untreated, all areas of life are affected. And the loss of hearing can be linked to increased injuries as car horns, smoke alarms, sirens, and other sounds of danger may not be heard. • Signal that treatment should begin. The identification of even a mild hearing problem is a positive thing. Treatment can begin at the moment hearing loss is identified. Precision Hearing can provide hearing solutions as soon as possible. They offer many different types and styles of hearing aids to assist a wide range of hearing losses. Ryan will walk you through the options, letting you know which device will best suit your condition as well as your lifestyle. As for Dan Johnson, after years of living with hearing loss, his wife finally insisted he do something about it. He scheduled a hearing test, where he was diagnosed with high frequency hearing loss and fitted for hearing aids specific to his needs. It didn’t take Dan long to realize that he had become used to a lackluster life. He is now reestablishing tattered relationships with family and friends. Regardless of the level of noise in a room, he and his wife socialize frequently with other couples, and Dan can hear every sound. “It’s nice to feel included in the activity, especially when there are lots of people around,” he said. “Life is just so much happier when you can be a part of it.” *Name changed to protect privacy

About the Author Diane Del Toro is the Director of Operations for St. George Health & Wellness Magazine and Southern Utah Business Magazine. She graduated from Dixie State University with a degree in English literature and is a freelance writer and copy editor and a piano instructor. Diane enjoys hiking, backpacking, and quilting and loves every second she spends with her six children and twenty-one grandchildren.

For more information or to schedule an appointment, please call Precision Hearing at 435-767-0042 or visit www.StGeorgeHearingAid.com.