What a Hearing Specialist Can Do For You
Reviewed by Brandon Isaacson on October 05, 2015
Sources
Dr. Shelley Borgia, Au.D., CCC-A, FAAA
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Video Transcript
[MUSIC PLAYING]
JAMES SHRUM: Hi, how are you?
SHELLEY BORGIA: Hi, how are you?
JAMES SHRUM: So nice to see you.
SHELLEY BORGIA: So nice to see you again. Come on in.
JAMES SHRUM: Thanks.
SHELLEY BORGIA: Even if you have slight difficulty understanding people in noise in restaurants or if your companion says something and you may miss it from time to time, it's important to go to a hearing care professional and have your hearing tested.
JAMES SHRUM: I'm a partner in a group of restaurants in New York City and other parts of the US. And I'm a bartender in one of them. And I had been able to hear very clearly all my life. At some point, probably around the age of 45 or so, I began to notice that things weren't as clear as they had been before, that I wasn't hearing things as sharply.
SHELLEY BORGIA: People can have hearing difficulty at any age. I personally have patients in their 20s and as high as 90s and everywhere in between.
JAMES SHRUM: So I went to a hearing professional and got my hearing tested and found out, in fact, there was some hearing loss.
SHELLEY BORGIA: When you hear the tone, please raise your hand, even if the tone is very faint or far away.
[TONE]
[TONE]
JAMES SHRUM: At that point--
[TONE]
--I wanted to see if there were devices or anything that would help me. And, in fact, there were.
SHELLEY BORGIA: When you have hearing loss, your brain literally forgets how to hear certain sounds. Words may blend together, simple words like road and rose, or path and pass, can all sound the same. We program the hearing device to specifically address your loss.
JAMES SHRUM: From that point on, I was able to get hearing aids and other devices that made it so that I could in fact work and get as close to normal as I possibly could. I tried different types of devices. And I currently wear this device, which very easily fits into my ear which cannot be seen. Part of it is exterior to my ear.
But it's a very simple-to-use device. Very effective. And once I tried these different devices and found the one that worked best, then, you know, for me it became a new kind of normal, and it became something that I was very comfortable with.
SHELLEY BORGIA: People may be embarrassed to admit that they have any level of hearing loss. But truly, it's much more embarrassing when you miss the punchline at the water cooler or you miss information and respond inappropriately. It's critical to address your hearing at any age whenever you feel that something is missing or off. We have a variety of options that will best suit you, your lifestyle, your cosmetic appeal.
The hearing system will never define you. But you'll have that confidence back. You'll be able to understand and hear in those environments that you need to so you can express who you really are and not let the hearing loss define you.
SHELLEY BORGIA: Hi, how are you?
JAMES SHRUM: So nice to see you.
SHELLEY BORGIA: So nice to see you again. Come on in.
JAMES SHRUM: Thanks.
SHELLEY BORGIA: Even if you have slight difficulty understanding people in noise in restaurants or if your companion says something and you may miss it from time to time, it's important to go to a hearing care professional and have your hearing tested.
JAMES SHRUM: I'm a partner in a group of restaurants in New York City and other parts of the US. And I'm a bartender in one of them. And I had been able to hear very clearly all my life. At some point, probably around the age of 45 or so, I began to notice that things weren't as clear as they had been before, that I wasn't hearing things as sharply.
SHELLEY BORGIA: People can have hearing difficulty at any age. I personally have patients in their 20s and as high as 90s and everywhere in between.
JAMES SHRUM: So I went to a hearing professional and got my hearing tested and found out, in fact, there was some hearing loss.
SHELLEY BORGIA: When you hear the tone, please raise your hand, even if the tone is very faint or far away.
[TONE]
[TONE]
JAMES SHRUM: At that point--
[TONE]
--I wanted to see if there were devices or anything that would help me. And, in fact, there were.
SHELLEY BORGIA: When you have hearing loss, your brain literally forgets how to hear certain sounds. Words may blend together, simple words like road and rose, or path and pass, can all sound the same. We program the hearing device to specifically address your loss.
JAMES SHRUM: From that point on, I was able to get hearing aids and other devices that made it so that I could in fact work and get as close to normal as I possibly could. I tried different types of devices. And I currently wear this device, which very easily fits into my ear which cannot be seen. Part of it is exterior to my ear.
But it's a very simple-to-use device. Very effective. And once I tried these different devices and found the one that worked best, then, you know, for me it became a new kind of normal, and it became something that I was very comfortable with.
SHELLEY BORGIA: People may be embarrassed to admit that they have any level of hearing loss. But truly, it's much more embarrassing when you miss the punchline at the water cooler or you miss information and respond inappropriately. It's critical to address your hearing at any age whenever you feel that something is missing or off. We have a variety of options that will best suit you, your lifestyle, your cosmetic appeal.
The hearing system will never define you. But you'll have that confidence back. You'll be able to understand and hear in those environments that you need to so you can express who you really are and not let the hearing loss define you.