Frequently Asked Questions
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 to enjoy beautiful sounds again.
The choice of hearing aids depends on the degree of hearing loss and the daily life of the hearing impaired person.
The lifespan of a hearing aid depends on its use and especially on its proper maintenance. Typically, the life cycle of a hearing aid is four to six years. It is very important that you follow the maintenance and cleaning instructions given to you by your audiologist to ensure that they work properly.
A person wearing a hearing aid for the first time takes 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 clarification and understanding, pleasant and relaxing hearing, easy perception of sound direction, better and balanced hearing, relief from buzzing and the auditory nerve remains active. The specialists at DR GEORGE Hearing Centres can answer this question and offer you the most suitable solution for you after the examination, because every case is different.
Certainly, there is a solution. In-the-ear hearing aidsare fitted 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. In our Centres you have the opportunity to buy hearing aids with Repayment Facilities at no extra charge.
The "best" hearing aid is the one that best fits and fits you personally and satisfies your individual needs and personal wishes!
Usually the image we have of a hard of hearing person is that of a grandmother or grandfather, who, no matter how much their family calls them, cannot hear or can hardly hear. The statistics present a completely different picture.
Scientific estimates suggest that around 10% of the world's population has some degree of hearing loss. Specifically, of the world's population, 1 in 5 people over 60, 1 in 3 over 70 and 1 in 2 over 80 have hearing loss, which shows that as we get older we are more likely to experience hearing loss.
However, it is not only the elderly who may have a loss since according to research, 35% of people with hearing loss are under 65 years old. Further, 2-3 babies in 1000 are born with hearing loss and many more develop hearing loss in the first few years of life.
The latest research by the World Health Organization has shown that 1.1 billion adolescents and young adults are at risk of permanent hearing damage due to frequent exposure to harmful levels of noise (in entertainment venues) or due to poor, unsafe use of various audio and music players.
Notice if:
- He finds it difficult to understand his interlocutors.
- He repeatedly asks his interlocutors to repeat what they have said or to speak louder.
- It is difficult to watch TV or listen to the radio at a normal volume.
- He denies he has hearing loss and blames others for not speaking clearly.
- It isolates and withdraws from social activities and conversations.
- He/she tries to control the conversations by talking more.
- He often feels tension, fatigue and headache because of the difficulty in hearing.
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-related problems
The hearing test is painless and discreet. It is a simple but very important procedure to detect any hearing loss as soon as possible, as prevention is the best cure.
First of all, we should mention that an audiogram is a painless, non-invasive procedure during which our hearing is checked and takes only a few minutes. By emitting sounds at specific frequencies and different levels of intensity, we check to what extent the person is responding and enables us to assess hearing and determine, firstly, whether or not there is hearing loss and, if so, at what level it is. An audiogram is a graph that shows the level of our hearing and based on the results we can distinguish the degree and type of hearing loss a person has.
The first step to 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 restoration is done with hearing aids. With the use of hearing aids, hearing quality is maintained, and therefore confidence and self-confidence. Hearing aids can offer a better quality of life. Around 9 out of 10 hearing aid users report improved sound quality and therefore improved quality of life.
Hearing aids help the wearer to:
- Improve his or her hearing ability
- understand the other party more easily
- hear the warning sounds that can even save his/her life, e.g. car sounds, horns, engine sounds, baby crying, telephone etc.
- hears high-frequency sounds
- return / redevelop social activities
- prevent social isolation and withdrawal, anxiety, depression.
- Restore self-confidence and self-esteem
- Improve his and his family's quality of life.
Research from the US National Council on Aging has shown that people who follow a therapeutic treatment (through hearing aids and/or medical therapy) report improved mental and physical health, better family relationships, higher self-esteem and increased social activity.
- Hearing aids have not been accepted first by society and then by the hearing impaired person
- Most people - wrongly - think of hearing loss as a disability
- They don't know enough about this issue or there is misinformation or even misinformation.
- Most people think that the headphones are too big (appearance and aesthetics)
- They think they're ringing in the ear. Hearing aids today have sophisticated whistle management systems and DO NOT WHISTLE in the ear.
YES. There is government sponsorship which subsidizes:
For pensioners (over 65 years old), the plan sets out
- A grant of up to €350 for the purchase of hearing aids every five years.
For congenital hearing loss, the plan determines:
- A grant of up to €1,000 per hearing aid every four years until the age of 18 for children who are congenitally deaf or who develop deafness by the age of 10
- A grant of up to €750 per hearing aid every five years for adults who are congenitally deaf or whose deafness developed by the age of 10
- A 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 hearing aid that helps with partial perception of environmental sounds rather than speech-communication perception. These headsets function mainly as warning aids for safety reasons
Also, there are grants from some other funds such as CYTA, AHK
All we need to do for our ears is to use a tissue or soft cloth to clean the wax that has been transferred outwards, towards the entrance of the ear. The wax (alveolus) is part of the human body's defence. 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 of transporting the wax from the inside to the outside, the entrance of the ear, carrying away any dust or dirt.
You should not use cotton swabs, matches or other objects to clean the inside of the ear because it is possible to cause a build-up of wax inside the ear and other accidents, such as a perforated eardrum, cotton-wool blockage or injury to the ear canal. We don't put anything smaller than our finger in our ears! If more needs to be done, then a specialist can do it.
If a person's body produces excessive amounts of alveolar wax, then a visit to an otolaryngologist for ear washing/cleaning is recommended. The large amount of alveoli inside the ear can cause blockage of the ear canal, pain, buzzing 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 coming back into their lives again. Your hearing aids will allow you to hear sounds that you haven't heard for a long time - this is amazing but at first they may seem annoying or you may not even recognise them when you've heard them hundreds of times before. There is no need to worry as your brain will learn quickly and after a short time some sounds will stop paying attention to them. So, the longer you wear your headphones, the more sounds you will notice and enjoy over time. Allow yourself a few days of "adjustment" and your hearing will be more relaxed and enjoyable.
