As the New Year is upon us many of us see
this as an opportunity to start afresh on various fronts. A common theme is
taking better care of ourselves from the perspective of our health. Often we
vow to loose weight, eat better, exercise more and simply be on top of our health. When it comes to our hearing health it
is often forgotten amongst the many things we consider important. We remember
to visit our Dentist or Optometrist annually and consider that our vision and
dental health is an important part of our well being yet we may not
categorically put our hearing health on the same level. We are happy to have
our eyes checked even when we are certain that they are good and we understand
the importance of monitoring our dental health but when it comes to our hearing
we often wait until we have a significant problem before we visit the
audiologist. In many cases we wait far past the optimum time for excellent and
positive intervention. I have seen people ignore their hearing health for years
all the while having reversible pathology that would have best been dealt with
early, simply because they were afraid they would need a hearing aid. Baseline
hearing testing, much like regular check ups and screenings for many of our other senses and
health indicators are simply a good idea. As a whole we are far more likely to
be informed and in control of our own destiny when it comes to our health than
ever before.
There is no need to hide from knowledge regarding your hearing health, knowing what is going on is simply just that,
knowledge. What one does with the knowledge they have is really up to them.
This is the message that I often share with that family member that comes
in complaining that another will not get their hearing checked primarily because
they fear that that they have a problem.
This year I am making it my goal to
communicate the need for baseline hearing testing. The concept that each person
should know how well they hear is one that I intend to propagate with a
question and a directive. The question,” How’s
your hearing?” The directive, “Just check it.” Just a part of that
new years theme of making sure we are taking the best care of ourselves that we
can.
