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. >>> WELCOME BACK.
HEARING LOSS AS WE AGE IS NOT
UNCOMMON, IN FACT, 1 IN 3
PEOPLE IN THE UNITED STATES
BETWEEN 65 AND 75 HAS HEARING
LOSS AND THAT NUMBER JUMPS TO
HALF OF ALL ADULTS OVER 75.
HEARING LOSS UNTREATED CAN
LEAD TO SERIOUS HEALTH
CONDITIONS.
CONDITIONS. IT'S GOOD TO HAVE YOU HERE.
>> THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME.
>> WE GET OUR HEARING CHECKED
IN SCHOOL AND THROUGHOUT LIFE.
BUT IT'S A NATURAL PART OF
AGING THAT THAT DIMINISHES A
BIT AS WE GET OLDER.
WHY IS IT SO COMMON?
WHAT'S PHYSIOLOGICALLY
WHAT'S PHYSIOLOGICALLY HAPPENING?
HAPPENING? >> MOST HEARING LOSS IS
SENSORINEURAL, WHICH IS A NERVE
LOSS.
LOSS.
LOSS. WE
LOSS. WE LIVE IN A VERY NOISY WORLD.
OVER THE YEARS THAT CATCHES UP.
AGING OF COURSE SLOWS DOWN A
LOT OF OUR SENSES.
AND THEN GENETICS HAS A LOT TO
DO WITH IT ALSO.
>> WE WANT PEOPLE TO GO IN AND
BE TREATED EARLY AND PAY
ATTENTION TO THIS FOR A LOT OF
REASONS.
REASONS.
REASONS. AND I WANT YOU TO TELL ME ABOUT
SOME OF THE COMPLICATIONS IF
YOU LIVE THIS TO JUST GO.
COGNITIVE ISSUES CAN DEVELOP.
>> YES, SO HAVING HEARING LOSS
GO UNTREATED STARTS WITH WHEN
YOU HAVE HEARING LOSS, YOU HAVE
A HARD TIME IN CONVERSATIONS.
SO YOU START ISOLATING YOURSELF
FROM YOUR FAMILY, YOUR FRIENDS,
OR GOING OUT AND DOING THE
THINGS YOU USED TO ENJOY
BECAUSE YOU'RE NOT ABLE TO
PARTICIPATE.
PARTICIPATE. WITH THAT COMES THE ISOLATION,
LONELINESS, DEPRESSION, AND
THEN THERE'S A HIGH RISK OF
DEMENTIA DUE TO THAT.
AND OTHER HEALTH --
>> JUST COGNITIVE DECLINE THAT
COMES FROM NOT PARTICIPATING.
>> NOT STIMULATING THE HEARING
AND THE BRAIN STARTS TO FORGET
SOUNDS OVER TIME.
>> HIGHER RISK OF DIE BEET IF
YOU DON'T GET YOUR -- DIABETES
IF YOU DON'T GET YOUR HEARING
LOSS CHECKED.
LOSS CHECKED. >> WHEN YOU HAVE DIABETES
THERE'S A LOT OF ISSUES GOING
ON.
ON.
ON. SECRETARIULATION, WE HAVE --
CIRCULATION, WE HAVE ART ARE
RIS IN OUR EAR, WITH DIABETES,
YOU'RE MORE LIKELY TO HAVE
SIGNIFICANT HEARING LOSS.
SO AGAIN, SOMETHING THAT YOU
NEED TO GET CHECKED.
>> AND YOUR HEARING AFFECTS
YOUR BALANCE.
YOUR BALANCE. >> WITH HEARING LOSS, YOU'RE
NOT AS AWARE OF YOUR
SURROUNDINGS AND YOUR
ENVIRONMENT.
ENVIRONMENT. SO THERE MIGHT BE SOUNDS OUT
THERE THAT YOU'RE NOT GETTING.
SO IT MAKES US A LITTLE
UNSTABLE.
UNSTABLE.
UNSTABLE. OUR INNER EAR IS RESPONSIBLE
FOR OUR BALANCE CENTER.
SO WHEN THAT'S OFF A LITTLE
BIT.
BIT.
BIT. >>
BIT. >> THINGS CAN HAPPEN.
WE KNOW THAT IF YOU HAVE A BAD
COLD OR FLU AND YOU'RE
CONGESTED.
CONGESTED. YOU EXPERIENCE THAT.
>> THAT'S A PERFECT EXAMPLE.
DON'T WAIT TO GET TESTED.
HERE ARE SIGNS YOU MIGHT HAVE
HEARING LOSS.
HEARING LOSS. CAN I READ THIS LIST.
AND YOU TELL ME IF THERE'S ONE
THAT JUMPS OUT.
IF YOU HAVE DIFFICULTY
UNDERSTANDING CONVERSATIONS OR
FOLLOWING CONVERSATIONS IN A
NOISY ENVIRONMENT.
NOISY ENVIRONMENT. IF YOU HAVE THE TV VOLUME UP
TOO HIGH FOR THE OTHER PEOPLE
IN THE ROOM OR IF YOU HAVE
DIFFICULTIES ON THE TELEPHONE.
THESE ARE SIGNS YOU MIGHT NEED
TO GET CHECKED.
AND YOU KNOW WHEN THIS IS
HAPPENING.
HAPPENING. AND YOU WANT TO GET HELP.
WHAT STOPS PEOPLE A LOT OF
TIMES IS REMEMBERING WHAT THEIR
OWN GRANDFATHER WORE OR THE
THINGS THAT HAD TO HAPPEN FOR
HEARING AIDS.
HEARING AIDS. BUT IT'S A WHOLE NEW WORLD.
>> IT'S A WHOLE NEW WORLD.
WE ALL HAVE THE STIGMA OF
LARGE, BULKY, NOISY, UGLY
HEARING AIDS.
HEARING AIDS. AND WITH OUR DIGITAL TECHNOLOGY
AND OUR INNOVATIVE TIMES,
HEARING AID HAVES GOTTEN
SMALLER PROCESSING HAS GOTTEN
BETTER.
BETTER.
BETTER. SPEECH IS MUCH EASIER TO
UNDERSTAND.
UNDERSTAND. ESPECIALLY IN DIFFICULT, NOISY
SITUATIONS.
SITUATIONS. >> YOU CAN DO THIS.
YOU'RE WEARING A DEVICE NOW.
>> I'M WEARING A DEVICE.
THAT MAY BE HARD TO SEE.
BUT THAT'S THE WHOLE IDEA.
>> I DID NOT SEE THAT AT ALL.
STAY REALLY STILL FOR A SECOND.
TURN JUST A LITTLE BIT MORE.
AND WE CAN SEE THE BACK OF IT
IS BLACK.
IS BLACK.
IS BLACK. SO IT BLENDS INTO YOUR HAIR.
BUT IT'S TRANSLUCENT IN THE
FRONT.
FRONT.
FRONT. I
FRONT. I WOULD NEVER, EVER SEE THAT.
>> AND I WANT PEOPLE TO SEE
THAT THEY'RE INVISIBLE.
AND SO THE STIGMA NEEDS TO GO.
>> LET'S TALK ABOUT THE HEARING
AIDS AND ACCESSORIES THAT WE
HAVE HERE TO GIVE PEOPLE A FEW
EXAMPLES.
EXAMPLES.
EXAMPLES. >> WITH THE DIGITAL TECHNOLOGY,
THE HEARING AIDS ARE ARE PRETTY
SMART.
SMART.
SMART. THEY KNOW WHEN YOU'RE IN A
QUIET SETTING.
QUIET SETTING. AND WHEN YOU GO OUT WITH A
SMALL GROUP OR A LARGE GROUP
WHEN THERE'S MORE NOISE AND
THEY AUTOMATICALLY CHANGE FOR
THAT ENVIRONMENT FOR BETTER
SPEECH.
SPEECH.
SPEECH. >> YOU DON'T HAVE TO DO
ANYTHING ABOUT THAT.
THESE HEARING AIDS IN HERE ARE
RECHARGEABLE FOR THOSE PEOPLE
WITH DEXTERITY ISSUES OR JUST
DON'T HAVE TO HAVE TO DEAL WITH
BATTERIES.
BATTERIES. YOU PUT THEM INTO THE CHARGING
UNIT EVERY NIGHT.
THEY CHARGE AND THEY WILL GO
ABOUT 30 HOURS ON THAT SAME
CHARGE.
CHARGE.
CHARGE. ALL THE HEARING AIDS ARE ARE
BLUETOOTH COMPATIBLE.
BLUETOOTH COMPATIBLE. SOME ARE DIRECT TO iPHONE.
SO THEY CAN HAVE CONVERSATIONS
NOW ON THE PHONE, HANDS FREE.
THE CONVERSATION GOES INTO BOTH
EARS.
EARS.
EARS. YOU
EARS. YOU CAN WATCH TV.
THE TELEVISION PROGRAM GOES
INTO BOTH EARS.
SO YOUR LOVED ONES DON'T HAVE
TO BE BLOWN OUT OF THE ROOM.
AND SO FORTH.
>> AND SO THEY'RE THESE TINY
ACCESSORIES THAT CHANGE VOLUME
FOR EXAMPLE.
FOR EXAMPLE. >> THIS IS YOUR TV ADAPTOR.
WHEN YOU'RE WATCHING TV, YOU
CAN ACTUALLY CHANGE THE VOLUME
FOR EACH SHOW.
>> SO IF OTHERS NEED IT AT A
CERTAIN VOLUME, YOU NEED IT
HIGHER, YOU CAN JUST CHANGE
THIS.
THIS.
THIS. >>
THIS. >> YOU JUST CHANGE THE VOLUME.
IN VERY DIFFICULT SITUATIONS,
HEARING AIDS ARE WONDERFUL.
BUT SOMETIMES IT'S STILL
DIFFICULT.
DIFFICULT. ESPECIALLY FOR PEOPLE WITH
SEVERE HEARING LOSS TO
UNDERSTAND.
UNDERSTAND. THIS IS THE MICROPHONE.
IT COMES WITH A CLIP.
YOU CLIP IT ON TO A, LAPEL.
YOU TALK INTO IT AND THAT
CONVERSATION GOES DIRECTLY INTO
THE HEARING AID.
SO THEY CAN BE OUT IN DIFFICULT
SITUATIONS.
SITUATIONS. THE BLUETOOTH FEATURES, IF YOU
DON'T HAVE AN iPHONE, YOU WEAR
THIS LOOP SYSTEM AROUND YOUR
NECK, AND NOW YOU CAN NOW HAVE
BLUETOOTH STREAMING THROUGH
YOUR PHONE, TELEVISION,
ANYTHING.
ANYTHING.
ANYTHING. >> THIS IS PRETTY COOL.
I WOULDN'T MIND HAVING THAT.
>> I WOULDN'T EITHER.
YOU CAN STREAM MUSIC THROUGH
THERE.
THERE.
THERE. >>
THERE. >> THAT'S WONDERFUL TO KNOW.
IT'S VERY IMPORTANT TO HAVE
YOUR HEARING TESTED.
WE HAVE LINKS ON OUR WEBSITE
WHERE YOU CAN BE REFERRED TO A
HEARING TEST FREE OF CHARGE,
WHEN WE COME BACK, YOU HAVE
QUESTIONS, WE HAVE ANSWERS
ABOUT MEDICARE, WE'RE GOING TO
USE YOUR QUESTIONS TO TRY TO
STUMP OUR