Blogs | Active Audiology - Audiologists Melbourne

Risk Factors for Tinnitus

Do you hear sounds that you know don’t come from an external source? This is a symptom of tinnitus – a condition in which you hear noises – including ringing, buzzing, hissing or humming – that are generated by your brain and not your environment. Tinnitus is not a disease, but rather a symptom that something is not working properly in your auditory (hearing) system. This could be something within your ear, the nerve connecting your ear to your brain, or the part of your brain that processes sound. Tinnitus is common, affecting about two in three people in Australia…

By Vy Tran

Caring For and Cleaning Your Hearing Aids

Hearing aids can be great for home life, the outdoors, going out to shopping centres or parties and enable you to move freely between these different environments. They keep you socially engaged by helping you effortlessly understand conversations around you. They also help keep your brain constantly active with sound, giving it its daily dose of exercise. This has been shown to have positive effects on the brain and can slow the rate of cognitive decline. Contemporary hearing aids may be small in size, but they’re big on cutting edge technology and need to be looked after. These hearing aid…

By Vy Tran

Are Invisible Hearing Aids Suitable for Everyone?

Many people are reluctant to wear a hearing aid that everyone can see. That’s understandable. Your health is private and you don’t necessarily want the world to know that you have hearing loss. That’s why invisible hearing aids are so popular. They sit inside your ear canal where no-one can see them meaning you can improve your hearing and maintain your privacy. So, how do they work? And who are they made for? How do IIC hearing aids work? Invisible-in-the-canal (IIC) hearing aids sit deep inside your ear canal. That deep placement gives you excellent sound quality and wonderful discretion.…

By Vy Tran

5 Signs Your Hearing Aid May Need Repairing

Today’s hearing aids are impressive micro-devices packed with high-tech microphones and amplifiers to boost hearing. These hearing aids are a wonderful tool that enables you to hear the beautiful sounds of life – when it’s working properly! Mostly, they work well but, from time to time, there are tell-tale signs that a hearing aid may need repair. But how do you know if there’s a problem? When does your hearing aid need repair? What should you look out for? Here are 5 key signs that it’s time to get your hearing aid repaired. 1. Troubleshooting hasn’t worked As with any…

By Vy Tran

Communicating With Someone Who Has Hearing Loss: 6 Tips

TV comedies often get a lot of cheap laughs when a character is trying to get a message across to someone who can’t hear properly so keeps misunderstanding crucial information. But it’s not funny in real life. When that situation keeps repeating itself in many daily interactions with a loved one, even the most loving and patient person is bound to get frustrated. In 2017, researchers at the University of Nottingham reviewed 70 previous studies on the impact of hearing loss on individuals and those closest to them. They found that an individual’s hearing loss has a significant impact on…

By Vy Tran

Hearing Loss and the Benefits of Early Intervention

Your health is possibly heading somewhere you don’t want it to go. Early intervention enables you to grab hold of the steering wheel and steer it in a better direction. What is early intervention? Early intervention means stepping in at the first signs of a problem in the hope of changing the outcome. Early intervention is used in many different areas of health and social policy including: Early childhood intervention services for children with disability or developmental delays because the first 3 years of life have a profound impact on a child’s later development Cancer screening because early detection often…

By Vy Tran

6 Tips On Helping Loved Ones With Hearing Loss

Hearing loss affects more than the person whose hearing is declining. It affects relationships and makes communication difficult. It can be hard living with someone whose hearing is deteriorating. It’s frustrating to have to repeat yourself or to have the TV turned up far too loud because the other person can’t hear it otherwise. It’s especially difficult when your loved one doesn’t acknowledge their hearing loss or won’t take the seemingly simple step of getting their hearing checked. If that’s your situation, here are a few things you can do to support someone with hearing loss. 1. Understand what they're…

By Vy Tran

How To Enjoy A Meal Out When You Have Hearing Loss

What do you hear when you’re dining out in a restaurant? Years back, you probably heard the conversation clearly and could tell what the waiter was saying as they described the specials or explained different menu options. These days? Well, it’s harder to enjoy a meal out. Maybe you now have to see the specials board because you can’t quite grasp what the waiter is saying. Perhaps the conversation at your table seems to blend into the incessant hum of background noise from other diners. That means you keep missing key parts of your friends’ anecdotes and find that you’re…

By Vy Tran

Your Hearing Test at Active Audiology: How to Prepare

It’s natural to feel a little nervous about something new. If you’ve never had a hearing test before, you may be wondering what’s involved and what the test results might show. We do our best to put you at ease when you come to Active Audiology. Our friendly audiologists are with you each step of the way as you take the hearing test and decide what to do next. How can I prepare for my hearing test? Preparation helps you get the most out of your hearing test. Before you attend your appointment at Active Audiology, we recommend that you:…

By Vy Tran

Hearing Loss and Tinnitus: What You Need to Know

What is tinnitus? Tinnitus is the sensation of hearing a sound when there is no external source for that sound. It is associated with damage to your auditory system. If you have tinnitus, you’ll hear noises, hisses or hums that are generated by your brain rather than by an external source. Pulsatile tinnitus can be caused by blood flow problems in your face or neck, muscle movements near your ear, or changes in your ear canal. You may hear your pulse or hear your muscles contracting. Nonpulsatile tinnitus involves your hearing nerves. People often describe the associated noises as coming…