September's Tip of the Month

COMMUNICATION BARRIERS

Hearing loss raises communication barriers and interferes with one's quality of life. For example, soft sounds become difficult to hear. And, consonants such as t, sh, f, p, s and th begin to fade. You might think that because they are higher pitched and spoken more softly than vowels, this wouldn't matter, but it does. The consonants actually convey most of the word information. Basically, the role of consonants is to separate syllables and words from one another-a task which takes place in the brain. A person with hearing loss cannot hear these sounds and so the information cannot be passed to the brain for interpretation and deciphering. Another communication barrier is noise. Restaurants are a good example of this-where the clatter of silverware, background music and people's voices all compete for your attention. A restaurant is also a good example of where people socialize. People with untreated hearing loss sometimes try to avoid social situations that are difficult for hearing well. It is not necessary today for people with hearing loss to miss out on any social situation! With today's hearing aid technology being better, smaller and highly beneficial, a person with hearing loss does not need to be socially isolated. A full hearing evaluation can help you understand your hearing loss, and your options for treatment.

Call for an appointment for either our Nashua location at 603-880-0090 or Manchester at 603-626-7600.