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Look What We Have For You!!
Good for the Month of May, we will be offering 20% off all
of our best digital hearing aids from Phonak, Rexton, Resound
and Oticon. Call today to make your appointment! We will review
your hearing test and make your moulds!
Spring Is Here!
April showers bring May flowers, what do May flowers bring?
Better Speech and Hearing Month! That's right, since 1927,
speech, language, and hearing professionals have been observing
May as Better Speech and Hearing Month. During this time we
raise awareness of communication disorders and educate the
public about them. One in 6 people are affected by a communication
or hearing disorder in this country. It can happen at any
age to anyone, and drastically hinder a person's daily activities.
If you think you know someone who may have a speech or hearing
problem, encourage him or her to visit their local audiologist
or speech-language pathologist for help.
In the Spotlight!
When you have a hearing loss, communication with those
around you can be difficult and often leads to frustration.
There are many proven strategies to help those with hearing
loss while communicating. If you have difficulty communicating,
try using these strategies:
- · Do not be afraid to ask people to repeat or speak
up louder.
- Do not pretend that you must have understood what
was said. It will cause confusion later.
- Carefully watch the speaker.
- Try to arrive early at large group functions to
take advantage of optimal seating arrangements.
- Relearn the trick of concentration. Pay attention.
Listen.
- Hearing in noisy places is a problem for all listeners.
At parties, meetings, theater, movies, and church,
practice will help you learn to separate speech from
background noise.
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Don't hesitate to inform the speaker that you have a hearing
impairment and suggest what they can do to help you hear well.
There are also specific strategies that can help those who
are communicating with you. If you have a spouse or loved
on who had difficulty communicating with you, have them work
on the following strategies:
- Speak slowly, at a normal loudness level. Yelling
distorts speech sounds.
- Get the person's visual attention before you start
speaking.
- Do no exaggerate mouth movements to help with lip-reading.
- Speak within a few feet of the listener.
- Rephrase, rather than repeat missed words.
- Do not eat, chew, or smoke while talking.
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These communication strategies are extremely important to
use whenever communicating. Remember theses strategies will
take practice.
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Why do Hearing Aids Make Whistling Sounds?
If you have ever noticed a high-pitched squealing sound
coming from a hearing aid while it was turned on, it doesn't
always mean that the aid is malfunctioning. If the hearing
aid is out of the person's ear and turned on, then the sound
exiting the receiver will be carried back to the microphone,
where it will be re-amplified in a continuous loop. If a hearing
aid is fitting properly in an ear, the sound should be directed
properly towards the eardrum, and not leaking out into the
open air.
If the hearing aid is sitting in the ear correctly, and it
happens to squeal, there are a few things that could be provoking
it.
- Cupping a hand or placing a solid object directly
over the hearing aid will make it squeal. This channels
the small amount of sound energy escaping through
the vent back into the microphone. The aid may briefly
squeak if you touch it at times.
- The ear mould could be loose, allowing sound to
escape and cause feedback. Ears do change shape over
time due to growth, weight loss or gain, or cartilage
changes with age. Make sure the hearing aid is fitting
snug but is not too tight in ear.
- There could be earwax build-up in the ear canal
or the hearing aid. Earwax acts like a barrier to
the sound waves, causing the sound to bounce back
out of the vent or ear canal. Also make sure the hearing
aid isn't collecting wax in the sound tube.
- There could be a crack in the hearing aids or sound
tube. If the hearing aid has been damaged or broken,
and there is a crack sound will leak out, then it
will feedback. Inspect the hearing aids for signs
of damage or have it checked by an audiologist.
- You may have exceeded the loudness capacity of
the hearing aid. All hearing aids have a point at
which they will start to squeal if they are outputting
enough energy. You may need to go to a different style
or more powerful circuit if your aids squeal before
you can turn them up to where you want them.
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If you think your hearing aids have a feedback problem,
have them looked at by an audiologist. They will also need
to look in your ears to determine if it is a fit or earwax
problem. Hearing aids should not feedback during normal use
Are you familiar with our locations?
We are proud to say we have 4 permanent locations to
serve you since 1997:
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Valerie Ray M.A., CCC-A
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207 S. Harrison Ste 4
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Mt. Pleasant, IA 52641
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319-385-9030 or 800-475-9110
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Coral Court Ste 1
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Coralville, IA 52241
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319-545-7125 or 866-272-7965
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Del Concha M.A., CCC-A
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618 18th St.
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Ft. Madison, IA 52627
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319-372-2999 or 800-569-8919
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Lindsey Tubaugh M.S., CCC-A
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1425 Morgan
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Keokuk, IA 52632
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319-526-6365
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