Meet our Team: Jennifer Schumacher, Au.D.
Learn about Professional Hearing Center Audiologist Jessica Dwyer, M.A.
For our next series of blog posts, we will be highlighting our audiologists so you can get to know us a little better! This week we are highlighting our leader of Professional Hearing Center, Kelly Spiller, Au.D.
A majority of the population with hearing loss have the presence of hearing loss in both ears. Hearing loss is most commonly symmetrical. Therefore, a majority of patients treat both ears with the purchase of bilateral amplification.
In recent years, consumers have increasingly taken charge of their health and options for medical treatment, which includes bypassing traditional routes of care.
There are four main types of dizziness: vertigo, disequilibrium, presyncope, and lightheadedness.
Ototoxicity refers to the meaning that something is toxic to the ear. More specifically, something being toxic to the cochlea (the inner ear) and the auditory nerve.
For people who are living with hearing loss, captioned phones can be an excellent tool to aid in communication with friends, family members, and professional contacts
Did your mother ever tell you to never put anything smaller than your elbow in your ear? Well, turns out she was right.
We all know that a healthy diet is good for our overall health, but did you know that research also indicates that it’s also good for your hearing?
Cerumen, commonly known as earwax, is the protective yellow waxy substance secreted in the passage of the outer ear, i.e. ear canal.
Tips and tricks to keep your hearing aid clean.
Did you know that Audiologists can work with your surgeon to monitor your hearing during a surgery?
In a time where most communication has switched to an online or virtual setting, it is important to consider some strategies that can help you or others on the call hear better.
Analog vs. Digital Hearing Aids
Quick and Easy Tips to Protect your Child's Hearing
What is the difference between a hearing aid and an amplifier?
What happens when hearing loss goes untreated? For some there can be long term side effects.
Hearing aid batteries: While there are rechargeable batteries available on the market, the most common type is still the zinc-air button disposable battery...
Audiologists are healthcare professionals who are skilled in the assessment, diagnosis, and treatment of hearing and balance disorders. As audiologists, we take pride in combining our enthusiasm for serving others with evidence-based practice...
When you come to any of our offices, you may in fact encounter a few different types of professionals depending on the type of appointment or evaluation you are having that day.
Here's an idea of what you can expect at a hearing aid consultation.
Particularly during the summer, patients wonder about the water resistancy of their hearing aids. It is a great question! Today we will discuss how much moisture hearing aids can handle and some tips and tricks to protect your hearing aids from too much...
Restaurants are loud these days! Having a conversation in a noisy restaurant can be difficult, even for individuals with normal hearing.
People who have hearing loss usually exhibit one of the following strategies when communicating with others: Passive – Most people with hearing loss exhibit this communication style.
If you suffer from tinnitus, one of the best things you can do to help cope with the annoyance of the sound in your ears is to keep your ears and brain busy with a different sound. There are several sound apps available to help you.
People of all ages wear hearing aids. But, have you ever thought about your favorite furry friend having their hearing tested?
Noise cancelling headphones are often used to eliminate ambient noise while listening to any other audio. They are a safe and effective way to get high quality sound from headphones at adequate volume.
Newborn Hearing Screenings were developed to assist in quickly and effectively diagnosing hearing loss present at birth. Catching hearing loss at an early age and enrolling a child in early intervention maximizes communication, literacy, and...
In the world of Audiology, it is great to see our patients, family, and friends beginning to pay attention to hearing health and protecting their ears for the future. With technology getting more and more advanced, when it comes to measuring sound...
It is estimated that 40–50% of adults over the age of 65 have a measurable hearing impairment. This rises to approximately 83% of individuals over the age of 70.
Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) A guide on how to wear masks with hearing aids for adult and pediatric patients
Have you noticed an increased prevalence of hearing loss during this time of Covid-19? I sure have! This has caused me to stop and reflect on these changes. It is not necessarily that more hearing loss is being caused during this time.
Nutrition is fundamental to health. And nutrition is also connected to hearing health; however, this connection is often overlooked.
Middle Ear infections (Otitis Media) Infections can occur in the three different parts of the ear: external, middle, and inner.
Otosclerosis is a hearing disorder that is caused by an abnormal amount of bone growth in the middle ear ossicular chain. Our middle ear system is comprised of the tympanic membrane (more commonly known as the eardrum) and three little bones that make up
Ménière’s disease is an inner ear disorder that leads to aural fullness, tinnitus, fluctuating hearing loss, and dizziness. Ménière’s disease produces a recurring set of symptoms as a result of abnormally large amounts of a fluid called endolymph...
Resound: With the most recent firmware updates, iPhone and Android users can utilize both the Resound Smart App as well as directly stream music and phone calls from the hearing aids to their cell phones.
As you may know, precautions are being put into place nationwide to decrease the transmission and spread of the COVID-19 (Coronavirus). We are deeply concerned about your overall health and want you to know that during these times, we are still open...
Turn off hearing aid(s) by either: Opening the battery door(s) Placing on the charger
Turn off hearing aid(s) by either: Opening the battery door(s) Placing on the charger
Troubleshooting Tips 101 My hearing aid sounds weak: At home checks: -Clean the hearing aid (microphone covers)
We are all experiencing some type of isolation at this time. It is difficult not to socialize and to distance ourselves from others.
Summer is coming! And with summer comes hotter weather and sweating!
Over the past 20-25 years, the percentage of Americans with type 2 diabetes has nearly doubled to over 9% of the nation’s population. Diabetes is defined as high blood glucose levels as a result of underproduction - or no production - of insulin, which...
When people are dizzy, they are often sent to a vestibular audiologist for a vestibular evaluation. The vestibular system is the balance part of the inner ear.
Health literacy is a growing concept in the healthcare and public health field. According to the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010, health literacy is “the degree to which an individual has the capacity to obtain, communicate, process...
What is mild hearing loss? Hearing loss is determined by the softest sound a person can hear in decibels. In adults, mild hearing loss occurs when the softest sounds a person can hear on average fall between 26 and 40 decibels.
So what is new with custom hearing aids? Custom hearing aids are amplification devices that are made using an earmold impression of the patient’s ear.
A cochlear implant is an electronic device that electrically stimulates the cochlear nerve which is the nerve for hearing. A cochlear implant is comprised of surgically placed internal components as well as external components that sit behind the ear...
Hearing loss is the third most common health problem in the United States. For many people with hearing loss, hearing aids are an essential part of their journey toward better hearing.
Genes contain instructions that tell cells how to grow and work. Many genes are involved with hearing.
There are several tests that may be completed during your child’s appointment with an audiologist based on their age and the reason for their visit. At their appointment, the audiologist will perform tests that assess the health of your child’s outer...
Dizziness or vertigo is grouped into 2 main categories: peripheral vestibular disorders and central vestibular disorders. This week I will discuss central vestibular disorders. See previous post for details about peripheral vestibular disorders.
Dizziness or vertigo is grouped into 2 main categories: peripheral vestibular disorders and central vestibular disorders. This week I will explain peripheral vestibular disorders.
Work Noise, or unwanted sound, is one of the most prevalent occupational health problems. Noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL) is permanent damage to the tiny hair cells in your ears, which are responsible for sending sounds to the brain.
Vestibular migraine (VM) or migraine associated vertigo (MAV) is defined as a migraine variant presenting with additional vestibular symptoms in addition to typical migraine symptoms. It is estimated that around 40% of migraineurs have a vestibular...
Benign paroxysmal positional vertigo, otherwise known as BPPV, is the most common cause of vertigo. Vertigo is the sudden sensation that you are spinning or that the room is spinning.
Hearing aids are immensely helpful devices for individuals who have hearing loss. They provide many benefits for speech clarity and listening in the presence of background noise.
It is imperative that hearing aid users clean their hearing aids daily in order to keep them in good working order. Parts of the hearing aid can often get clogged with earwax, dry skin, hair spray, or other cosmetics.
The holidays are an exciting time to spend with friends and family. If you have hearing loss, it can be very difficult to follow conversations with those around you.
A very common question we often get when working with hearing aids is “Will wearing the hearing aids cause further hearing loss?” The quick answer to this is generally no.
Modern classrooms are loud! This blog will define components of classroom acoustics and give tips to reduce background noise and reverberation in order to benefit learning environments.
The connection of hearing loss to other health conditions has been a hot topic lately. In the past few years, there has been an increase in society’s focus on wellness and hearing health.
One exciting new advancement in hearing aid technology that is improving patient satisfaction for ease of use is the availability of rechargeable hearing aids. These rechargeable hearing aids eliminate the need for patients to change disposable...
When a child receives any diagnosis, it can be accompanied by feelings of fear, frustration, and confusion for a parent. When a child is diagnosed with hearing loss, parents are often stepping into uncharted territory in parenting that many of their...
At Professional Hearing Center we find it very important to share our knowledge about ear-related topics with our community. Today I would like to discuss tinnitus.
Bone conduction headphones are another way, besides traditional earbuds or headphones to listen to a device (music, videos, phone calls, etc.) without others hearing. If you have ever had your hearing tested by an audiologist, they typically test...
Hearing Loss and Cognitive Decline A recent study investigating the association between hearing loss, hearing aid use, and cognitive decline was published in the Journal of American Geriatric Society.
Tinnitus is most commonly referred to as the conscious perception of a noise or sound in a person’s ear. Some individuals state that their tinnitus sounds like a ringing, buzzing, humming, hissing, roaring, or even a pulsating sound that resembles...
It all starts with the million-dollar question: How do I get my family member to consider hearing aids? For me, the journey began with my mom complaining that my dad was deliberately ignoring her.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Hearing Screening and Follow-up Survey, about 2 out of every 1,000 infants screened at birth show some degree of hearing loss.
What is Misophonia? (more commonly known as “please stop chewing/breathing/grinding your teeth/etc so loud it’s driving me CRAZY”).
If you have difficulty tolerating everyday sounds, you may suffer from hyperacusis. Hyperacusis is a hearing disorder that causes sounds which would otherwise seem normal to most people to sound unbearably loud.
Hearing aids are becoming more and more advanced each year. Manufacturers spend countless hours and dollars conducting research about what people with hearing loss need assistance with the most, and which situations tend to create the most difficult...
Where did you grow up? I grew up in Memphis, TN but moved around a lot as a kid since my dad was a Master Chief in the Navy. Where did you go to school? I went to high school in Memphis, then to the University of Tennessee for my Bachelor of Science...
Pressure equalization (PE) tubes are commonly used in infants and children to treat recurrent middle ear infections. PE tubes are small, hollow cylinders made of plastic or metal that are surgically inserted into the eardrum.
Where did you grow up? I have lived in Kansas City all my life and love it here! Where did you go to school? I went to Olathe South High School, Kansas State University for undergrad (Go Cats!), and the University of Kansas Medical Center for grad school.
Cerumen is the medical term for earwax. Earwax comes in many different forms.
