Serving the Community for Over 30 Years

Transcription

1 Serving the Community for Over 30 Years

2 Visit us at one of our locations: HearWell Audiology National Ave., Suite 2 Los Gatos, CA P: F: HearWell Audiology 5293-D Prospect Rd. San Jose, CA P: F: Center for Better Hearing Aids 5406 Thornwood Drive San Jose, CA P: F: Sonoma Valley Hearing Center 511Third St. West Sonoma, CA P: F:

3 Our Mission Our HearWell mission is, to keep you connected to your family, friends and activities with healthy hearing. Through comprehensive diagnostic evaluation, education and cutting edge technology, our expert staff of caring professionals will partner with you on your journey to better hearing. Our HearWell family is dedicated to maximizing your hearing ability, in a fun environment, because we believe that everyone should HearWell.

4 PREPARING FOR YOUR VISIT In order to make the most out of your visit, we encourage you to come prepared. Before your appointment, please spend a few moments thinking about how hearing affects your life, what challenges you face, and what you would like to improve upon in regards to hearing wellness. Please answer these questions and bring them with you to your appointment. They will help your hearing healthcare professional better understand your needs. It may also be helpful if you talk these over with your family and friends. 1. Do you think you have any difficulty hearing? Please explain. _ 2. In what situations do you experience challenges with your hearing? 3. Does your hearing frustrate you? _ 4. Have your family members or friends mentioned anything about your hearing? _ 5. Would your spouse, family member or friend like to make any comments? OUR WELLNESS PROGRAM PROVIDES: Complete Hearing Healthcare Risk-Free Trial of Brain Hearing Technology Annual Audiometric Evaluation Connect-Hear Educational Sessions Free Batteries and Supplies Repair and Loss & Damage Warranty

5 Your Visit If you have never visited a hearing care professional, you probably don t know what to expect. You are in for a pleasant experience that is interesting, informative and a great start on your path to better hearing. You should feel at ease during your visit because you will have an opportunity to better understand your hearing needs and explore possible solutions. Some Important Facts to consider: Two Ears matter Your two ears work together to serve many purposes such as keeping you safe, locating where sound is coming from, and helping you follow a conversation. Think of your hearing as a system-your two ears and a brain. The system constantly takes in a wide variety of clues, then automatically and effortlessly identifies the sound and locates where they are coming from. In noisy situations, two ears work together to improve your speech understanding by providing access to important details in the sound environment. Sound is an individual experience No two people experience sound in exactly the same manner. Two people with the identical test results may experience the same listening environment very differently. These differences are more than mere preferences. They reflect how each individual experiences sound. The best listening experiences are those that can be customized. Living with reduced hearing levels can be tiring Getting through the day with hearing difficulties can be hard work. Everyday situations require more effort to hear that most people take hearing for granted. Finding a solution to make your day easier and stress free is the key to success.

6 Bring Someone with you to your visits Hearing affects not just yourself, but those that you communicate with the most. Communicating with friends and family is often the main reason people decide to move forward with a hearing solution. Because of this, you will greatly benefit from having a spouse, friend, family member or communication partner join you during your visits. We, at HearWell, are strong advocates in helping our patients and their support system, enhance communication strategies to allow for a more productive conversation. These strategies will be reviewed during your visit. Be a Part of the Conversation If you struggle to hear or follow along when conversing with others consider these tips to help you communicate more effectively: Listen better look at the person speaking or ask them to face you. Listen with your full attention follow one conversation at a time Ask others to speak slowly and clearly. Ask for specific clarification regarding what you missed rather than just asking What? Don t hesitate ask others to repeat themselves if you don t understand something. Eliminate or move away from noise when possible. Communicate in the same room and sit closer to the speaker or sound source. In restaurants, ask for a quiet place, sit near a wall, in the middle of your group, and away from the kitchen and/or bar. Stand with your back to the wall in noisy places in order to reduce background sounds that can interfere with communication. In Churches, movies, theaters, etc., sit as close as possible and ask for assistive listening devices that may be available. If you wear hearing devices, tr to wear them all day and adjust them for telephone or noise, if necessary. Above all else, be patient. Likewise, if a family member has a hearing loss, consider these tips to help keep the engaged: Get his/her attention first before speaking. Make sure he/she can see your face clearly. Speak face to face. Speak clearly and slowly at a normal level. Reduce background noises such as TVs, dishwashers, etc., whenever possible. Try rewarding/rephrasing if he/she doesn t understand what you said. Be Patient.

7 Hearing Affects Everything REDISCOVER your hearing and reconnect with the important things in life you might be missing. Hearing affects everything we do and people most often don t think about what happens between their ears. In the hearing part of the brain, sound becomes information and your brain needs to work hard to make this happen. When sound signals from your ears are compromised, your brain has to work even harder to fill in the gaps. We believe that Hearing Care is Health Care. It is your brain that matters not necessarily your ears. We know that your hearing ability is as unique as your fingerprints. Your sense of hearing is a vital link to the world a source of pleasure, information and communication. During your visit, our Professional Team will discuss this with you and those that you communicate with the most. You will have the opportunity to discuss your personal hearing needs, ask and answer questions, and receive a hearing evaluation. If you have hearing difficulties, you will receive recommendations about the actions you should take.

8 The Consequences of Untreated Hearing Loss Research demonstrates the considerable negative social, psychological, cognitive and health effects of untreated hearing loss with far reaching implications that go well beyond hearing alone. In fact, those who have difficulty hearing can experience such distorted and incomplete communication that it may seriously impact their professional and personal lives, at times leading to isolation and withdrawal. Studies show that untreated hearing loss is linked to: Irritability, negativism and anger Fatigue, tension, stress and depression Avoidance or withdrawal from social situations Social rejection and loneliness Reduced alertness and risk of personal safety Impaired memory and ability to learn new tasks Reduced job performance Overall diminished health Our professionals are here to help keep you connected to your family, friends and activities with healthy hearing. Thank you for allowing us to take part in your journey.

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