Washington, DC, June 06, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Better Hearing Institute (BHI) announced today the release of a new digital flipbook to provide consumers with pertinent information for initiating a conversation about hearing loss with their doctors. About three out of four adult physical exams don’t include a hearing screening, BHI research shows. And patients are more likely to initiate a conversation about hearing than their doctors are—despite the growing number of studies linking unaddressed hearing loss to other health issues. About a quarter of U.S. adults who report excellent to good hearing already have hearing damage, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
The flipbook, “How to Talk to Your Doctor About Hearing Loss,” underscores the importance of people advocating for their own hearing. It includes information on:
- Why it’s important to address hearing loss;
- Telltale signs of hearing loss;
- Other medical concerns and health issues linked to hearing loss, including depression, dementia, diabetes and cardiovascular disease, among others;
- Risk factors for hearing loss;
- Noise-induced hearing loss;
- Emotional side-effects of leaving hearing loss untreated; and
- Hearing loss-related statistics.
The flipbook is available for browsing and download at http://ow.ly/yy0M30cjdYx.
BHI urges people to speak with their doctors because research shows that when people address hearing loss, it often has a positive impact on their quality of life.
In fact, most people who currently wear hearing aids say it has helped their general ability to communicate, participate in group activities, and their overall quality of life, according to BHI research. It even helps job performance, respondents in the workforce say. The research also showed that people with hearing loss who use hearing aids are more likely to be optimistic and feel engaged in life.
While hearing care professionals—audiologists, hearing aid specialists, and ENT’s (Ear, Nose, and Throat doctors or doctors of otology and otolaryngology)—are specially trained to help people with hearing loss, primary care providers are often the gatekeepers to that initial hearing health conversation, especially during annual physical exams. This newly released flipbook is designed to help consumers begin the conversation.
With so much emerging research on the connection between hearing loss and other significant health issues, and the recent advancements in hearing technologies, it makes sense for people to talk with their doctors about hearing loss sooner rather than later.
Visit BetterHearing.org to find more information on hearing loss, take the BHI Hearing Check, and learn about the tremendous advances in hearing aid technology in recent years. Follow BHI on Twitter @better_hearing, like BHI on Facebook, and sign up for BHI’s newsletter.
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A photo accompanying this announcement is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/56c41ecc-5348-4e27-a1b7-911a5f5bd1b4