50+ Lifestyles

Experience Simulated Hearing Loss!

By Dr. Molly Parker
Audiologist
Parker Audiology, PC

Have you ever wondered what it is like to listen through the ears of the hearing impaired? There are websites that will allow you to experience various types of hearing loss. This is relevant if you have a grandchild who needs tubes, or if you have a spouse who needs the TV turned up, or if you have a friend who needs constant repetition.

Better Hearing Institute is a website that has several resources to learn about hearing loss. Some of my favorite features are listed below:

• Hearing Loss Simulator (described above).

http://betterhearing.org/hearing_loss/hearing_loss_simulator/index.cfm

• Hearing Test – Questionnaire. This is one of the best questionnaires that I’ve ever seen. It correlates your responses to your likely hearing loss. I used it on myself. I have hearing loss, as well as my husband, who has minimal hearing loss. Surprisingly, the answers were accurate within 5 dB.

http://betterhearing.org/hearing_loss/online_hearing_test/

• Hearing Loss Association of America (Formerly Self Help Hard of Hearing). This is an excellent website that you need to join (NOTE: There is a membership fee to join). I have appreciated the information they provide to professionals, but the real benefit is to provide support to families and to the individual with hearing loss. It is particularly beneficial to those who are losing their hearing and just don’t know quite what to do, and how to function for communication needs.

http://www.hearingloss.org

• Vestibular Disorders Association (VEDA). For those with dizziness and vestibular problems, this website will help answer general questions that you may have about your balance problems related to the inner ear. Vestibular.org

• Tinnitus. This website is worth an entire article by itself. It is an excellent resource for tinnitus, noises in the ear. Tinnitus plagues millions of people worldwide. It will provide information, support and help to those who have questions. If you suffer with tinnitus, I would encourage you to subscribe and get their magazine subscription. Even as a professional, there is often clinically useful information written in simple terminology for anyone to understand. Ata.org