We take a closer look at how hearing loss can shrink one's world, stripping away the joy of everyday sounds and social interactions. Doug Leonard discusses the significance of getting a proper hearing evaluation and the transformative power of hearing aids. Learn how a simple hearing screening can open up a world of sound and restore a sense of belonging and vitality, especially for those who have unknowingly become withdrawn.
Let's check in with Doug Leonard from ASI, Audiological Services of Iowa, for some sound advice. Doug, we talk all the time that people are on the holidays and things like that, need to watch their older relatives for signs that they may be withdrawing from people and things, and that may be a sign of hearing loss. And that's how exactly hearing loss can shrink their worlds. I mean, they're not trying to withdraw from the world. The world's kind of withdrawn from them.
Yeah, I mean, this topic kind of came up because I walked outside the other day and just stood there for a little bit and just thought about everything that I could hear that was going on around me. I still luckily have fairly normal hearing at my age, but just thinking about the number of things if a person had a hearing impairment that they wouldn't realize were going on. You know, there were kids down the block playing, airplane flying overhead. There was, you know, some squirrels chattering in the oak tree right in our yard there. And, you know, when you have a hearing loss, usually we're not completely deaf, but we start missing out on some things like that. And yes, it can be the holidays and our activities around our family, but just being aware of what's going on around us. Our world really, it constricts. There's no question about it.
And springtime's a great time for noises. You get birds, you get kids outside. It's a fun time to enjoy those things. If they're not there, you just miss it and it does affect you physically.
Yeah, you know, I mean, we're kind of coming out of winter finally, thank God. And, you know, we started getting that little seasonal affective disorder because we've been trapped inside and haven't been able to enjoy the things that we like to do outdoors. And it's the same thing with patients with hearing impairment. They can become isolated. They can become depressed. They can lack the enthusiasm for doing the things that they used to do, whether that's going out to eat dinner or maybe going to a local tavern and having a drink with their friends or getting together and playing cards. We just become very isolated.
So if somebody notices someone that has kind of withdrawn, their world has shrunk a little bit, what can you do to help that person?
Yeah, well, I mean, it all starts with the hearing evaluation, you know, to really find out what's going on, to find out if they have a hearing loss, if it's a medical issue, if it's something that we could maybe treat with amplification, and then present those options to patients. And then a lot of times it ends up, we end up doing a demo with patients. And that's what they say consistently when they come back in is they didn't realize they were missing all these things. And once they're hearing again, you know, they feel like they're a part of their own world again.
Again, if these people are normally outgoing and they're just not partaking in things, their world has kind of shrunk on them a little bit. And hearing could be a major issue in that. So call Doug and Audiological Services of Iowa. They're here in Carroll several times a week. Doug, how many days a week and what's the phone number they call?
Yep, office is open Monday through Thursday, and I'm here a couple days a week, and the number they can call is 792-5933.
Get that hearing screening set because it's one of the most important screenings that you can do for yourself or your elderly parent going forward. The help of Audiological Services of Iowa.
