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Why You Should Schedule a Hearing Test for World Alzheimer’s Month

In Dementia & Alzheimer's, hearing health, hearing loss, hearing loss causes, Hearing Loss Treatment, Hearing Tests, Research by Laurie Duffy, M.S.

Does Alzheimer’s Disease or other forms of dementia run in your family? It can be alarming as experts still struggle to truly understand what causes this devastating disease. Experts believe that a family history of Alzheimer’s increases your risk by 30%, a risk on top of other risk factors. While you can’t change family history or advanced age, by identifying the risks in your life of Alzheimer’s you can modify behaviors and have a chance …

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Understanding Hearing Tests

In hearing health, hearing loss, Hearing Tests by Laurie Duffy, M.S.

It can be a long journey towards admitting you have a hearing loss. However, once you do you can finally take the steps towards treatment. The first step is to schedule a hearing exam. Your audiologist will measure your hearing ability and print it out on what is called an audiogram. An audiogram displays the results of your hearing test and while at first it may seem like a bunch of indecipherable lines and symbols …

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Know Alzheimer’s Disease: Treat Hearing Loss in September during World Alzheimer’s Month

In Dementia & Alzheimer's, Health, hearing health, hearing loss, Hearing Tests by Laurie Duffy, M.S.

September is World Alzheimer’s Month, and so our attention draws to Alzheimer’s Disease, a devastating cognitive disorder with mysterious causes. Although more and more research is being devoted to this condition, many of the causes remain elusive to scientists. The symptoms are well known, as is the degenerative nature of the disorder. And we have yet to discover a cure or a failsafe preventative measure to protect ourselves and our loved ones from the disease. …

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Sensitivity to Sound As We Age

In Ear Health, hearing loss, Hearing Tests, Research by Laurie Duffy, M.S.

As we get older, we face a growing number of critical life transitions, such as employment changes and retirement, children leaving home, the loss of loved ones, —and even the loss of independence. Healthy aging is typically determined by how we respond to and grow from these changes.  There are changes to your hearing, too, including an increased risk of sensitivity to sounds. Let’s take a closer look at this condition.  Aging and sensitivity to …

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How to Read an Audiogram

In Hearing Tests by Laurie Duffy, M.S.

If you have taken the leap and scheduled a hearing exam, then congratulations are in order! This is often the toughest step and the first one in seeking treatment. After you our hearing healthcare professionals guided you through a hearing exam, they will present the results on what is called an audiogram  What is an Audiogram? An audiogram is a graph or chart that shows the result of your hearing test. These charts can be difficult …

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Celebrate World Alzheimer’s Month with a Hearing Test!

In Hearing Tests by Laurie Duffy, M.S.

We all can be absent minded now and then but as we age this can actually be signs of a much larger problem. It is estimated that 5.8 million Americans age 65 and older live with Alzheimer’s dementia and 80 percent are age 75 or older.  World Alzheimer’s Month is held by Alzheimer’s Disease International (ADI) every September to educate, raise awareness and fight the stigma that surrounds dementia. The hope is that the more people understand this very serious issue, …

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Train Your Brain to Stave Off Hearing Loss

In hearing health, hearing loss, hearing loss causes, Hearing Tests, News by Laurie Duffy, M.S.

As we learn more and more about the human brain, it’s intricacies and processes become even more remarkable. For a very long time, it was believed that our brains were pliant only as children and that their pathways became permanent as we aged. Certainly, we believed that older adults were incapable of changing the ways that their brains functioned. After all, we’ve all heard the saying that “you can’t teach an old dog new tricks.” …

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This Holiday Season Give Yourself the Gift of Hearing

In Family and Relationships, hearing aids, hearing loss, Hearing Tests by Laurie Duffy, M.S.

Hearing loss affects about 20% of the population in the US, but it is undertreated. In fact, only one in five people who experience hearing loss and could benefit from using hearing aids to treat their hearing loss actually do. For many people, learning to “adapt” to their changing hearing abilities might seem like it’s a good thing to do, but the reality is, pretending to hear is not helpful. Furthermore, for people who do experience …