H.E.A.R. Method™ Treatment Program
When you have untreated hearing loss you are 200x more likely¹ to develop dementia because your brain has to work much harder to hear. Our Doctors of Audiology follow our proprietary H.E.A.R. Method™ Treatment Program, which assesses your hearing and cognitive health to ensure you never miss another word – guaranteed.
H – Hearing goals – a creative treatment plan with shared goals builds enthusiasm and motivation to take the steps required to be successful in this process.
E – Engagement with you and your family in your treatment plan leads to better insights into different communication situations from both perspectives. Incorporating family input creates a strong supportive network for you where you need it most.
Each hearing loss journey is unique. A one-size-fits-all approach does not work. We focus on high priority items to boost your satisfaction and compliance with a personalized treatment plan.
A – Analytics are imperative to understanding absolute thresholds for measurable results. These results allow us to address your critical hearing issues through focused planning and setting realistic expectations.
R – Real results that are tailored and measurable ensure that you never say “what” again.
Personalized Hearing Assessment
We’ll begin your hearing health by discussing many different factors of your health history and lifestyle so that we can determine the right course of action for you. This includes your family history, symptoms, hearing protection, and how often you’re exposed to loud environments. With this information, we can determine the right assessments and treatment plans for you to preserve your hearing health and ensure you can use the right technology for your hearing needs. Our Doctors of Audiology take the time to address each patient’s unique concerns so that you feel comfortable and heard— as well as able to make an informed choice about the best course forward for you.
Comprehensive Brain-Hearing Evaluation
The next step in optimizing your brain-hearing health is by performing the right evaluations to get a complete picture of your brain-hearing ability. At our Livingston office, we can perform an array of tests to give us the best idea of your brain-hearing health.
Immittance Testing
Audiologic immittance testing is a set of diagnostic procedures used to evaluate the function of the middle ear, auditory pathways, and associated structures. It provides objective information about how sound is transmitted through your ear and can help identify various hearing-related conditions. This type of testing is typically performed using a device called a tympanometer. This test helps identify whether your hearing loss is due to nerve damage (sensorineural hearing loss) or if it is caused by fluid in the middle ear, eardrum perforations, eustachian tube dysfunction (conductive hearing loss).
Otoacoustic Emissions Testing
Comprehensive Audiogram
QuickSIN™ Test
One common aspect of hearing loss is the inability to hear in environments with lots of background noise, like a loud restaurant. The QuickSIN™ test allows our Doctors of Audiology to get a much more complete picture of your hearing ability versus some of the more traditional hearing assessments.
During this test, the Doctor of Audiology will program different hearing aids for you. Next, you’ll listen for certain keywords in a sentence in the midst of some background noise to measure how well you can hear in a noisy environment. From there, your Doctor of Audiology can accurately determine what hearing aid is the right one for you and will go over your next steps in your hearing loss treatment.
Cognivue™ Thrive Test
Did you know that untreated hearing loss can have a significant impact on several key brain functions, including the memory, hearing, and speech and language portions of cognition? In fact, hearing loss was determined to be the #1 modifiable risk factor for cognitive decline when identified and addressed in mid-life.
Cognivue™ Thrive is an interactive screening tool that measures 5 key performance areas of brain function including, memory, visual-spatial ability, executive function, reaction time, and processing speed. It is intended to determine if hearing loss is potentially contributing to any cognitive decline. The results of this screening will help make better-informed decisions regarding the need for additional testing and recommending the best treatment option for your hearing loss.
Being able to identify cognitive decline and then do something about it, is a critical piece of our person-centered approach to treating your hearing. Our Doctors of Audiology can help you detect cognitive decline early and potentially slow its progression with the Cognivue™ Thrive test.
Real Ear Test (Fitting Verification)
It can require some expert steps to make sure that your hearing aids fit comfortably while still providing you the right amount of hearing correction. A real ear test can measure the sound pressure level in your ear canal when wearing hearing aids, helping us make the correct adjustments for your unique hearing aid options. This allows us to test multiple fits to find the best one for you so that you can enjoy your best listening ability with your chosen hearing aids.
Schedule a Consultation
The best way to learn more about our approach to hearing is by meeting with our expert team. To get started, we invite you to contact our Livingston office by calling or filling out our online form.
Sources:
- The Lancet Commission. (2020, August 08). Dementia prevention, intervention, and care: 2020 report of the Lancet Commission. https://www.thelancet.com/article/S0140-6736(20)30367-6/fulltext
