Hearing Health Center in Naperville Magazine: Fisher Foundation for Hearing Health Care
Tell me again you love me, Momma, I can hear you now.” The simple phrase from a seven-year-old boy who had lost his hearing after recovering from brain cancer meant everything to Dr. Ronna Fisher.
“It was one of the most gratifying moments of my life. Everyone in the room was crying,” she recalls. “I knew then I had found the purpose for my foundation; these children with brain cancer have a need no one is filling.”
Fisher started her Fisher Foundation for Hearing Health Care nonprofit in 2005; it provides hearing aids to anyone who cannot afford them, as the costs are not usually covered.
Walking into a busy restaurant, a work meeting, or even a family gathering, you may feel overwhelmed and frustrated with all the sounds your hearing instruments are picking up. This is normal! Even people with normal hearing have difficulty in these situations. Here are some tips to help you hear your best:
1. Always sit facing the person that you are trying to hear, and put your back to the crowd/noise! Do not sit with your back to a wall and face the crowd.
2. Make sure there is adequate lighting. A dark restaurant makes it difficult to read facial expressions and lips.
3. If you are in a large meeting, ask if the room is looped or if they have assistance for the hearing impaired.
4. Use a remote microphone to hear the speaker (if your hearing aids are compatible).
5. Turn down the noise if possible (turn off the television, turn down the radio).
6. Do not be afraid to tell people when you didn’t hear them! If you do not understand something, ask that the speaker repeat or rephrase. You would be surprised by how many other people also missed what was said!
7. Find a quiet place to talk. Stay away from speaker systems and music while talking with others.
Hearing aids, like all electronic or mechanical devices, need routine maintenance! No matter what style of hearing aid you have, they are all electronic devices that are put in a sweaty, waxy, moist environment for an average of 18 hours a day so they need daily maintenance to function properly and consistently.
Below, are some tips to help keep your hearing aids functioning well:
Wipe down hearing aid and/or dome daily with a tissue or moist wipe
Brush microphones, receivers, and other parts of hearing aid daily– you can use what was given to you by your audiologist, or a small soft baby toothbrush
Hearing aids that have wax guard systems—check and change at least once month, or anytime the wax guard is clogged and you’re not hearing well. Wax guards are available for purchase at all offices!
Domes should be replaced if they start to get loose or saggy, so they don’t get stuck in the ear canal. Consider changing your domes every couple of months to prevent this from happening.
Open battery door at night to turn your hearing aids off and let air into the battery compartment. This should also save you some battery life!
Do not store the hearing in a humid environment (i.e. bathroom).
Put the hearing aids in a Drying Unit at night! Most units have fans to circulate the air, UV lights to kill bacteria, and a desiccant to remove moisture and humidity from the hearing aids. If you don’t have one, GET ONE!
IT’S VERY IMPORTANT TO PROTECT YOUR INVESTMENT
Remember—daily maintenance will improve the performance of the hearing aid, but it will not necessarily extend the life of a hearing aid. National average lifetime of a hearing aid is 3.8 years—at that point it is time to consider upgrading technology so that you can continue to hear as best as you can!
Naperville Mayor Steve Chirico helped christen the new offices for Hearing Health Center in the Fox Run Square shopping center on October 24, but not before receiving a clean bill of hearing.
Just prior to his thanking Hearing Health Center’s founder, Dr. Ronna Fisher, for 33 years of support in the Naperville community, Chirico had his own hearing checked by Dr. Ning Jing, a longtime Naperville resident celebrating his 15th year with the practice.
A special guest at the evening’s ribbon cutting ceremony, open house and hearing tech expo, Chirico admitted he hadn’t had a hearing checkup since grade school. “I’m surprised that doctors don’t test hearing,” he said. “They take our blood pressure, check our cholesterol, and run a myriad of other tests. Why don’t they check our hearing?
They will soon if Fisher has anything to say about it. As one of the nation’s foremost audiologists, Fisher has been advocating for incorporating hearing tests in yearly physicals for years.
“The problem is that most people don’t have any trouble communicating in a nice quiet room, three feet from their doctor, with no background noise,” Fisher Explains. “Patients don’t mention it and doctors don’t pick up on it or think to ask.”
New research links memory, early dementia and increased falls to hearing loss. When the brain does not receive all of the sound stimulation it should, the ability to process and understand speech deteriorate, and it gets worse the longer treatment is delayed. Early detection and using hearing aids, the only treatment for 95% of all hearing loss, is key.
“Hearing aids today are virtually invisible,” said Hearing Health Center patient Walter Jacobson, the legendary WBBM-TV news anchorman and reporter who attended the Naperville grand opening. “I thought I heard fine until I missed an important part of a conversation. When I got hearing aids, I was shocked. I had no clue I was missing so much. They changed my life.”
Hearing Health Center opened in Edward Hospital 33 years ago. Today there are five additional locations in Chicago, Highland Park, Oak Brook and Resurrection Hospital in Park Ridge.
Fisher is also the founder of The Fisher Foundation for Hearing Health Care, a nonprofit that provides hearing aids to her patients, and anyone unable to pay for treatment. Today the focus of the foundation is helping children with brain cancer that have permanent hearing loss from the treatment that saved their lives.
“These families are financially drained,” explained Fisher. “Their child is frustrated, angry and starting to lag behind. If they don’t get hearing aids immediately they will be behind the rest of their lives. They have no support and nowhere to turn. Thankfully, our foundation is there to help.
Festivities on October 24 included demonstrations, hearing tests, brain processing evaluations, and otoscopy, enabling guests to see inside their ear canals. In addition, leading manufacturers in the hearing aid industry—Starkey, Signia/Siemens, Oticon, Widex, Resound, and Phonak—were all on hand offering demonstrations of their latest hearing aid technology.
Hearing loss occurs slowly and may not be a problem all the time. Difficulty understanding words and parts of conversations in noisy environments or from a distance are the first indication of hearing loss, which now affects Americans as early as in their 40’s. That is the time to get it checked.
Mayor Chirico is tested by Dr. Jing
“People wait far too long to see a professional licensed audiologist,” added Fisher. “The longer your brain gets mixed up information, then your ability to process speech deteriorates. I can help you hear; I cannot fix your brain.”
Fortunately, the evening included some positive news for Naperville’s Mayor Chirico. “Good news for the City of Naperville,” Fisher announced to the crowd just before the ribbon cutting. “Mayor Chirico’s hearing is great and his brain processing is spot on! Dementia is nowhere in sight so he can be mayor for a long time.”
At Hearing Health Center, we are always inspired by those giving back to their communities. Meet 10-year-old Braden Baker, who is hearing impaired and has dedicated his young life to raising funds for those who can’t afford to buy hearing aids. Watch his recent segment on the Ellen show to see how he’s been changing lives around the world!
Similar to Braden’s efforts, the Fisher Foundation (founded by Hearing Health Center’s president, Dr. Ronna Fisher) provides hearing healthcare and support to those in need and unable to afford services.
It is heartwarming to know that the Fisher Foundation belongs to the same community of people who want to make a difference in someone’s life.
The following article appeared on betterhearing.org on October 11, 2013. Read on to get more information on how hearing loss and dementia are related.
Dementia-Hearing Loss Link Warrants Routine Hearing Checks, BHI Stresses for National Alzheimer’s Disease Awareness Month
Washington, DC, October 10, 2013 – As research showing a link between hearing loss and cognitive function mounts, the Better Hearing Institute is urging people to pay close attention to their hearing and take a confidential online hearing check at www.hearingcheck.org in recognition of National Alzheimer’s Disease Awareness Month in November. BHI is raising awareness of the relationship between hearing loss and dementia, and is underscoring the importance of addressing hearing loss for the benefit of overall cognitive function. Today, nearly 40 million people in the United States have some degree of hearing loss.
While the causality requires further investigation, the increasingly evident link between hearing loss and dementia elevates the urgency of diagnosing and treating hearing loss as soon as possible.
A study published earlier this year found that hearing loss is associated with accelerated cognitive decline in older adults. Conducted by Johns Hopkins otologist and epidemiologist Frank Lin, M.D., Ph.D. and other hearing experts, the study found that older adults with hearing loss are more likely to develop problems thinking and remembering than older adults whose hearing is normal. According to a Johns Hopkins press release, volunteers with hearing loss, undergoing repeated cognition tests over six years, had cognitive abilities that declined some 30 to 40 percent faster than in those whose hearing was normal. The researchers also found that the greater the hearing loss, the greater the levels of declining brain function.
In a 2011 study, Lin found that seniors with hearing loss are significantly more likely to develop dementia over time than those who retain their hearing. The study also found that the more hearing loss they had, the higher their likelihood of developing dementia.
Exploring the hearing loss-cognition connection
Other studies have shown related findings, including several involving Brandeis University Professor of Neuroscience, Dr. Arthur Wingfield. For many years, Wingfield has been studying cognitive aging and the relationship between memory and hearing acuity.
Wingfield and his co-investigators have found that older adults with mild-to-moderate hearing loss performed poorer on cognitive tests than those of the same age who had good hearing. These findings have included a significant interaction between hearing acuity and the level of difficulty listeners experience in cognitively processing linguistic information–which is a higher-level brain activity than simply interpreting the sound.
These findings, Wingfield says, suggest that the listener’s hearing ability not only affects their sensory processing of auditory information, but that it also affects higher level linguistic processing.
The study participants with hearing loss expended so much cognitive effort on trying to hear accurately, Wingfield concluded, that it diminished their ability to comprehend rapid speech and remember what had been heard.
More recently, Wingfield, along with colleagues at the University of Pennsylvania and Washington University in St. Louis, used MRI to look at the effect that hearing loss has on both brain activity and structure.
Their study found that people with poorer hearing had less gray matter in the auditory cortex, a region of the brain that is necessary to support speech comprehension. Wingfield believes that the participants’ hearing loss had a causal role. He and his co-investigators hypothesize that when the sensory stimulation is reduced due to hearing loss, corresponding areas of the brain reorganize their activity as a result.
“The sharpness of an individual’s hearing has cascading consequences for various aspects of cognitive function,” said Wingfield. “We are only just beginning to understand how far-reaching these consequences are.”
“Even if you have just a mild hearing loss that is not being treated, you have to put in so much effort just to perceive and understand what is being said that you divert resources away from what you would ordinarily use to store what you have heard in your memory,” Wingfield continued. “Cognitive load increases significantly.”
As people move through middle age and their later years, Wingfield suggested, it is reasonable for them to get their hearing tested annually. If there is a hearing loss, it is best to take it seriously and treat it.
For more information on Alzheimer’s disease and National Alzheimer’s Disease Awareness Month, visit the Alzheimer’s Association at www.alz.org.
Hearing aids can benefit people with Alzheimer’s disease and hearing loss–and their caregivers
BHI reminds people with Alzheimer’s disease and their caregivers that hearing health is an important factor in their quality of life. The ability to communicate with the help of hearing aids can help enhance quality of life for individuals with Alzheimer’s and their caregivers.
BHI advocates that hearing checks, hearing healthcare, and hearing aids when appropriate be included in the regimen of care for people with Alzheimer’s disease. Identification and remediation of hearing loss prior to the evaluation of dementia also can help ensure a more accurate medical evaluation. BHI advocates that a comprehensive hearing examination and hearing healthcare be part of the diagnostic process.
For information about the 10 Early Signs and Symptoms of Alzheimer’s, visit www.alz.org/10signs.
We live in a digital age. With a click of a button, you can download your favorite movies. You can order the latest clothing trends. You can even have your groceries delivered right to your door. So what about having your hearing aids delivered to you? Sure, the convenience and relative ease might be convincing. But how do you know you’re really getting the hearing help you need?
The hearing industry has grown tremendously in the last 25 years. We no longer see the “big beige bananas” that plagued those with hearing problems in the past. Now, hearing aids are small, discrete and more technologically advanced than ever. But, it’s not just the hearing aids that help the user. It’s the trained Doctor of Audiology fitting the hearing aids. This is true in not just the hearing industry but many health-related fields. Consider a doctor performing a knee surgery: sure, the prostheses helps the patient, but it will only work well if the doctor performs the surgery appropriately. The same is true for your hearing! Unless your hearing aid is programmed directly for your needs—your physical ear, your lifestyle, your audiometric hearing loss—you won’t be getting the hearing help you need.
In addition to the knowledge the Doctor of Audiology can provide in a professional appointment, there are so many other aspects of hearing health that need to be addressed when you get hearing aids:
Diagnosis: Before ever discussing hearing aids with you, Doctors of Audiology perform extensive testing to determine the root cause of your hearing problems. In some instances, hearing problems can be easily fixed, such as removing a build-up of earwax from the ear. Without a doctor’s diagnosis, you could be scammed into paying for a hearing aid online that you do not need.
Programming: Hearing aids are not just volume controls. Hearing aids have to be specifically programmed to help you hear the sounds you are missing. Without a comprehensive test, even the best hearing aids can’t help you because they won’t be programmed to your needs.
Fit: The fit of the hearing aids has to be customized to you. If you buy online, there is no guarantee that the hearing aids will fit your ears.
Repairs: Hearing aids can, and do break, just like any piece of technology. When this happens, it’s important to have a professional nearby to help you with issues.
So are you really getting a bargain online? Is it really convenient if you aren’t hearing your best? I’ll let you be the judge. The Doctors of Audiology at the Hearing Health Center are here for you— we look forward to evaluating your hearing and balance problems.
Anyone that has a behind-the-ear hearing aid will use either a dome or a custom mold- this is the piece of rubber or plastic that goes directly into the ear. These pieces of your hearing aid live in a wet, humid environment- so it’s important to know when to change them out! Additionally, sometimes the dome or ear mold just doesn’t fit right, which will not only affect the quality of your hearing, but it will also affect your experience with the hearing aids themselves.
DOMES
The dome is the rubber tip that sits inside the individual’s ear canal. Domes are usually clear or black, and can range in a wide variety of sizes- one for every possible ear canal! As the dome is the first point of contact with your ear canal, it can very easily become blocked with wax or debris, and prevent sound from coming out of the hearing aid. We see a lot of patients whose hearing aids have “stopped working”- when upon closer inspection, they just need a clean dome! When the dome becomes plugged, you can use a cleaning tool with a brush on the end to brush off any debris or wax. So, when should you change your dome with a new one? You should change your dome if it is ripped or yellow. If you see that your dome is ripped or has turned a yellow color, it is time to visit your audiologist and change your dome- or, change it at home!
CUSTOM EAR MOLDS
Many patients with behind-the-ear hearing aids have custom molds that fit into their ear.
You may need to get a new ear mold if:
Your ear mold is not fitting right or coming out of your ear.
Your ear mold is ripping or very discolored.
You are getting feedback or whistling from your hearing aid. If your ear mold is not fitting in your ear correctly, sound may be leaking out of your ear and getting picked up by the microphones of your hearing aid.
In any of these cases, call your audiologist to see if it’s time for a new ear impression!
The Jam’s Danielle Robay sits down with Dr. Ronna Fisher from the Hearing Health Center to get details on a particular hearing loss, and to make people aware of these happenings at an early age.
Hearing well not only effects your everyday life, it can effect your long-term brain health! Many studies have shown a significant link between hearing loss and dementia, which leads into Alzheimer’s. These long term studies suggest four ways this link is seen to affect patients.
1. Processing auditory information from the inner ear, like speech, uses a significant portion of the brain. Sound travels through your ear to nerves that send signals to the primary auditory cortex of the brain, which is in the temporal lobe. The sounds are then put together and processed in an area called the Wernicke’s area, which is in the parietal lobe.(8) The Wernicke’s area is in charge of putting the auditory information you received from your ears into speech understanding.(7) But, if the brain cannot hear that information due to hearing loss, then brain activity lessens. This causes a reduction in gray matter of the brain over time, in other words, your brain shrinks! The areas of the brain that are primary for speech understanding, such as the Wernicke’s area, are very close to where Alzheimer’s disease is first seen on brain scans. Patients with dementia and Alzheimer’s can receive appropriate hearing testing and treatment of hearing loss, in turn, reducing their cognitive decline. Therefore, it is imperative that those being diagnosed with dementia have hearing testing to determine if hearing loss is a contributing factor to the patient’s dementia.(7)
2. The symptoms of dementia and Alzheimers can mimick hearing loss. (9) Answering questions wrong, not remembering what was said, depression, and anxiety can all be attributed to dementia as well as hearing loss! Misunderstanding of words or lack of participation in conversations can be a sign of hearing loss or dementia. A simple hearing test can determine which it is!
3. Social isolation is a well known risk factor for dementia and Alzheimer’s, as well as depression.(7,8,9) When someone is hard of hearing, they are less likely to engage in social activities and conversations because it takes a lot of effort in these situations to overcome the hearing loss and participate normally. Simply conversing with one person exercises the brain and reduces negative feelings such as depression. The National Council of Aging published a study surveying 2,300 hearing impaired adults and their family and friends. It found that untreated hearing loss was linked to depression, anxiety and social isolation. Those who corrected their hearing in this study found significant improvements in every dimension of their lives!
4. There is a strong correlation between the degree of hearing loss and severity of cognitive decline.8 The University of Washington found that when testing patients with Alzheimer’s, the more hearing loss they had correlated to the severity of cognitive decline.
Therefore, it is critical for patients exhibiting any signs or symptoms of dementia or Alzheimer’s to get an audiological examination to rule out hearing loss. Call us to schedule your complimentary hearing screening today!
QUICK FACTS
94% correlation between hearing loss and dementia. (1)
83% of patients diagnosed with dementia also have hearing loss. The symptoms are the same:
Depression – Withdrawal
Negativity – Impaired memory
Frustration – Anger
Irritability – Decreased alertness
A mild hearing loss doubles the risk of dementia.
A moderate hearing loss increases the risk of dementia five-fold. (2)
Damage to the nerve cells that mediate hearing also affects the nerve cells involved in memory and higher cognition. (3)
Mild hearing loss is linked to brain atrophy. Those with hearing loss have less gray matter and decreased brain activity in their auditory cortex. (4)
Stimulation of the neural pathways of the brain is essential for memory.
Under-stimulation of the cognitive system leads to irreversible changes in cognitive functioning.
Early treatment is essential in restoring cognitive function for speech perception. (5)
WHEN TREATED WITH HEARING AIDS
33% of patients diagnosed with Alzheimer’s were reclassified to a less severe category
Improvement in memory of patients with dementia (6)
Hearing aids can boost cognitive function 50% within a year
100% of caregivers said behavior improved, more social, less depressed, better attitude and, in all cases, their relationship improved.
[1] University of Florida study
[2] Frank Lin, MD, PhD; Jeffrey Metter, MD, Richard O’Brien, MD. Arch Neurol. 2011; (68); 214-220. Doi; 10.1001
[3] Dr. Richard Lipton, Neurology Albert Einstein College of Medicine, NY
[4] Jonathan Peele, PhD, Perelman School of Medicine. University of Pennsylvania
[5] Young Choi, MD, Hyun Shim, MD. Clinical and Experimental Otorhinolaryngeolgy Vol 4, No. 2 72-76, June 2011
[6] Clinical and Experimental Otorhinolaryngology Vol. 4, No. 2: 72-76, June 2011
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Naperville Mayor Steve Chirico helped christen the new offices for Hearing Health Center in the Fox Run Square shopping center on October 24, but not before receiving a clean bill of hearing.
The dome is the rubber tip that sits inside the individual’s ear canal. Domes are usually clear or black, and can range in a wide variety of sizes- one for every possible ear canal! As the dome is the first point of contact with your ear canal, it can very easily become blocked with wax or debris, and prevent sound from coming out of the hearing aid. We see a lot of patients whose hearing aids have “stopped working”- when upon closer inspection, they just need a clean dome! When the dome becomes plugged, you can use a cleaning tool with a brush on the end to brush off any debris or wax. So, when should you change your dome with a new one? You should change your dome if it is ripped or yellow. If you see that your dome is ripped or has turned a yellow color, it is time to visit your audiologist and change your dome- or, 
You may need to get a new ear mold if: