Information for GPs and ENT Specialists
Thank you for taking the time to find out how we can help your patients with hearing loss.
As a GP or ENT, you have a pivotal role in helping identify the early signs of hearing loss and encouraging your patients to have their hearing tested. By acting early, you can help your patients prevent Auditory Deprivation. Recent studies report “the reduction in cognitive performance associated with a 25dB hearing loss was equivalent to the reduction associated with an age difference of 7 years”*. Alarmingly, 25dB is a very mild hearing loss.
There is also a growing body of research evidence which links untreated hearing loss with an increased risk of dementia and memory loss. To learn more, visit our Auditory Deprivation page here.
*Source: Lin F: Hearing loss and cognition among older adults in the United States: Journal of Gerontology, October 2011
At Hearing Sense, we suggest asking the following questions:
Asking a few questions as part of a general health check for patients over 65 (or anyone who is concerned about their hearing) may only take a few minutes but can benefit your patients for years to come.
- Do you frequently say ‘Pardon’?
- Do you often think people are mumbling or speaking unclearly?
- Do you have trouble following conversations in noisy places, like a restaurant or party?
- Do your family or neighbours ever say your TV volume is very loud?
- Do you have trouble hearing while on the telephone, especially if there is any noise in the background?
- Do you ever miss the phone or doorbell ringing?
- Is it sometimes hard to know where a sound is coming from, e.g. when you are stuck in traffic?
- Are you more sensitive to loud noises than you used to be?
- Do you have trouble following the conversation when in the car?
- Do you occasionally answer a question and then realise you didn’t understand it correctly?
- Do you need to concentrate closely when someone is speaking softly, like at a doctor or allied health appointment?
- Are you experiencing ringing in the ears or tinnitus?
If your patient answered YES to any of these questions, there’s a chance they may be experiencing hearing loss.
Often patients come to us concerned that hearing aids will make their ears lazy and their hearing worse. The truth is the complete opposite! Hearing aids provide frequency specific sounds directly to the affected parts of the cochlea which force the hair cells to work. By stimulating the hair cells, auditory pathways and auditory cortex, hearing aids prevent and slow down further auditory deprivation and hearing loss.
For patients experiencing tinnitus, hearing aids are proving to provide relief by helping the brain focus on external sounds rather than any internal “ringing” sounds.
That’s why early detection and rehabilitation is vital
We are fully accredited providers under the Australian Commonwealth Government Office of Hearing Services and provide high quality, personalised care to all clients. We also offer Telecare appointments.
After each patient’s appointment, we’ll send you a copy of their audiogram results and a full GP Report.
