Blogs | Active Audiology - Audiologists Melbourne

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…

By Vy Tran

Hearing Loss and Dementia: The Link Explained

What comes to mind when you think of healthy ageing? A tai chi class in the park? Volunteering your time and skills in the community? Finally learning French or taking up pottery? New experiences and travel? Physical activity, a healthy diet, making a meaningful contribution to the world and keeping your mind active are all important elements of healthy ageing. But there’s another crucial factor that’s often overlooked. That’s protecting your hearing. Why? Because research shows there’s a strong link between untreated hearing loss and dementia. What is dementia? Dementia is a group of symptoms that can cause progressive memory…

By Vy Tran

Hearing Aids: Your Questions Answered

Have you recently learned that you have hearing loss and may need a hearing aid? It can be a lot to take in. While you may only buy a hearing aid once or twice in life, we’ve helped many, many people to choose a device that improves their hearing and fits with their lifestyle. Here are the answers to the most common questions we’re asked. 1. How do I know if I need a hearing aid? You know you need a hearing aid if a hearing test performed by a qualified independent audiologist shows that you have a type or…

By Vy Tran

6 Reasons Why I Choose Audiology

1. Why Audiology was my choice Growing up I was always passionate about helping people improve their quality of life. From a young age I knew that I wanted to work as a health professional and help those in need with their daily difficulties. Many people don’t realize how important our hearing is until it’s damaged or even worse, lost. Unlike our vision where any difficulties are easily recognized, people with a hearing loss are often not aware they have one. Having a hearing loss is a hidden disease where symptoms are slow and gradual and can vary immensely from…

By Vy Tran

Five Common Traits of People With a Hearing Loss

1. Feeling like everyone mumbles You may find yourself thinking, ‘Why do people mumble so much these days? If only they spoke clearly, I’d be able to hear them’. This is how hearing loss creeps up on you. When hearing deteriorates, we don’t lose all sounds at the same time. It happens gradually over many years. Commonly, the first sounds that become lost are high pitched sounds like a bird chirping or a car indicator. The important high pitched sounds that give speech clarity are the first to disappear. You get the overall message but the speech becomes a little fuzzy…

By Vy Tran

Five Ways to Improve your Hearing

1. Read my lips! Use your vision Hearing loss takes away the clarity of speech making it harder to follow the conversation. It may sound strange but you can enhance what you hear by making the most of what you can see (Helfer, 1997). Did you know that we all naturally lip read? The cues we take from the speaker’s mouth movements are complementary to the words we hear. You can take advantage of this by watching a person’s face when they speak, ensuring the room has good lighting and sitting close to the speaker at meetings. It also helps…