FAQ
We answer your questions
A hearing aid is a small electronic device that is placed behind or inside the ear, where it amplifies sound, improves hearing, and helps people with hearing loss enjoy beautiful sounds again.
The choice of hearing aids depends on the degree of hearing loss and the daily life of the person with hearing problems.
The lifespan of a hearing aid depends on its use and, above all, on its proper maintenance. Typically, the lifespan of a hearing aid is four to six years. It is very important to closely follow the maintenance and cleaning instructions that your audiologist will give you to ensure their proper functioning.
A person wearing a hearing aid for the first time needs about 2-4 weeks to get used to it.
According to research, the use of two hearing aids in people with hearing loss in both ears (bilateral hearing loss) brings much better results, such as: superior sound quality, better speech clarity and understanding, pleasant and relaxing hearing, easy perception of the direction of sound, better and balanced hearing, relief from tinnitus and the auditory nerve remains active. The specialists at DR GEORGE Hearing Centers can answer this question and offer you the most appropriate solution for you after the examination is first performed, because each case is different.
Of course there is a solution. intraocular aHearing aids are applied inside the ear canal and are almost invisible. However, the degree of hearing loss and the anatomy of the ear affect whether this solution is feasible.
The cost of a hearing aid varies depending on the type of hearing aid, its features and functions, as well as the type and degree of hearing loss. At our Centers you have the opportunity to purchase a hearing aid with Easy Payment Options at no additional charge.
The "best" hearing aid is the one that best suits and fits you personally and satisfies your individual needs and personal desires!
Usually the image we have of a hearing-impaired person is that of a grandmother or grandfather who, no matter how much their family calls out to them, cannot hear or hears with difficulty. The statistics present a completely different picture.
Scientific estimates indicate that approximately 10% of the total world population has some degree of hearing loss. Specifically, of the total world population, 1 in 5 people over 60, 1 in 3 people over 70 and 1 in 2 people over 80 have hearing loss, which shows that as we age, the likelihood of experiencing hearing loss increases.
However, it is not only the elderly who may experience hearing loss, as according to research, 35% of people with hearing loss are under the age of 65. Furthermore, 2-3 babies out of 1000 are born with hearing loss and another 2-3 develop hearing loss in the first few years of their lives.
The latest research by the World Health Organization showed that 1,1 billion adolescents and young adults are at risk of permanently damaging their hearing, due to frequent exposure to harmful noise levels (in entertainment venues) or due to poor, unsafe use of various audio and music playback devices.
Notice if:
- He has difficulty understanding his interlocutors.
- He repeatedly asks his interlocutors to repeat what they said or to speak louder.
- He has difficulty watching television or listening to the radio at normal volume.
- He denies having hearing loss and accuses others of not speaking clearly.
- Isolates and withdraws from social activities and conversations.
- Tries to control conversations by talking more himself/herself.
- He often feels tense, tired and has headaches due to hearing difficulty.
YES. Hearing loss can cause:
- Difficulty communicating with family members and friends
- Anxiety, nervousness and depression
- Headache and increased blood pressure
- Isolation, alienation and withdrawal
- Work problems
Hearing screening is painless and discreet. It is a simple, yet very important procedure to detect any hearing loss as soon as possible, as prevention is the best treatment.
First of all, let us mention that the audiogram is a painless, non-invasive procedure during which our hearing is checked and takes very few minutes. By emitting sounds at specific frequencies and different levels of intensity, we check to what extent the person responds and it allows us to evaluate hearing and determine, initially, whether or not there is hearing loss and if there is, at what level it is. The audiogram is a graphic representation that depicts the level of our hearing and based on the results we can distinguish the degree and type of hearing loss that a person has.
The first step in properly treating hearing loss is a valid and timely diagnosis. If there is no medical problem that can be treated with medication or surgery, then hearing is restored by the application of hearing aids. By using hearing aids, the quality of hearing is maintained, and by extension, confidence and self-esteem. Hearing aids can offer a better quality of life. Approximately 9 out of 10 hearing aid users report improved sound quality and therefore an improved quality of life.
Hearing aids help the user to:
- Improve his listening skills
- understand the other person more easily
- hear warning sounds that can even save his life, e.g. car sounds, honking horns, engine sounds, baby crying, telephone, etc.
- hears high-frequency sounds
- return / develop social activities again
- prevent social isolation and withdrawal, anxiety, depression.
- Restore his self-confidence and self-esteem
- Improve the quality of life for him and his family.
Research from the US National Council on Aging showed that people who follow some form of treatment (through hearing aids and/or medical therapy) report improved mental and physical health, better family relationships, higher self-esteem, and intense social activity.
- Headphones have not been accepted first by society as a whole and then by the hearing-impaired person.
- Most people – wrongly – consider hearing loss as a disability.
- They don't know enough about this issue or there is bad information or even misinformation.
- Most people think that headphones are too big (appearance and aesthetics)
- They believe they are buzzing in the ear. Headphones today have sophisticated systems for managing whistling and DO NOT WHISTLE in the ear.
YES. There is. government sponsorship which subsidizes:
For retirees (over 65 years old), the plan specifies
- Grant of up to €350 for the purchase of headphones every five years
For congenital, the plan specifies:
- Grant of up to €1,000 for each hearing aid, every four years until the age of 18, to children who are born deaf or who develop deafness by the age of 10.
- Grant of up to €750 for each hearing aid every five years for adults who were born deaf or whose deafness manifested itself by the age of 10.
- Grant of up to €340 per hearing aid for adults with practical deafness, for whom there is no benefit for speech development and who can use a super power behind-the-ear hearing aid, which helps in the partial perception of environmental sounds and not in the perception of speech-communication. These hearing aids function mainly as warning aids, for safety reasons.
There are also grants from some other funds such as: CYTA, AHK
All we need to do for our ears is to clean with a tissue or soft cloth the wax that has been transferred outwards, towards the entrance of the ear. Wax (alveolus) is part of the human body's defense. It is produced by the skin glands in the ear canal and protects it from dust, dirt and germs, while its absence can lead to dry skin and itching. The ear is a self-cleaning organ and has a way to transfer the wax from the inside to the outside, the entrance of the ear, dragging any dust or dirt.
We should not use cotton swabs, matches or other objects to clean the inside of the ear because it is possible to cause wax to build up inside the ear and other accidents, such as eardrum perforation, cotton plugging or ear canal injury. We do not put anything smaller than our finger in our ears! If something more needs to be done, then a specialist can do it.
If a person's body produces excessive amounts of wax, then it is recommended to visit an otolaryngologist for ear washing/cleaning. A large amount of wax inside the ear can cause blockage of the ear canal, pain, ringing in the ears, and even temporary loss or reduction of hearing.
When a person uses hearing aids for the first time, it will take about 2-4 weeks to get used to the new sounds that are returning to their lives. Your hearing aids will allow you to hear sounds that you have not heard for quite some time – this is amazing, but at first they may seem annoying or you may not be able to recognize them even though you have heard them hundreds of times in the past. There is no need to worry as your brain will quickly learn and in a short time some sounds will stop paying attention to them. So, the more you wear your hearing aids, the more sounds you will perceive and enjoy over time. Allow yourself a few days of “adjustment” and your hearing will be more relaxed and enjoyable.
