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Author: Hearing Doctors of NJ

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Local Services

Audiology Services Near Florham Park, NJ

At only four miles away from Florham Park, NJ, Hearing Doctors of New Jersey is available to all of the town’s residents who are looking for treatment for hearing impairment

Whether you need a hearing assessment, new hearing aids, an evaluation for CAPD, or are looking for a fully comprehensive treatment plan, our experienced team at our Livingston office is more than happy to help you achieve all your hearing goals.

Adult Hearing Assessments

An adult hearing assessment is a test that will help your Doctor of Audiology determine whether you have a hearing impairment and if so, to what degree it’s at. Once we have that information, we can choose the right treatment to fit your needs. With so many types of hearing impairment, it’s important to establish which kind you have and what the cause is so we can find the best treatment for your individual needs.

During your hearing test, you don’t need to do anything besides listen as best you can. Your Doctor of Audiology will guide you through the assessment and then explain the results and treatment plan to you.

But the adult hearing assessment is more than just the hearing test. It first starts with learning about your medical history. This includes what medication you’re on and what conditions you have or have had in the past. Next, we examine the ear for any obstructions or damage that may be causing hearing loss. The final step is the hearing test and analysis.

Hearing Aids

Hearing aids are one treatment option for hearing loss that can be very effective. They are worn in the ear or outside the ear to allow those with hearing loss to hear more clearly. They typically consist of a microphone, an amplifier, and a speaker and can work in both quiet environments and noisy ones. The type that is best for you depends on your degree of hearing loss.

There are a wide variety of different types of hearing aids and hearing aid manufacturers. On your own, it may be daunting to figure out which one is right for your needs, but your Doctor of Audiology will help you choose the right one for your level of hearing impairment.

The hearing aid manufacturers we offer at Hearing Doctors of New Jersey include:

  • Starkey
  • Oticon
  • Widex
  • Phonak
  • ReSound

Hearing Aid Repairs & Fittings

We also provide hearing aid repairs and fittings at Hearing Doctors of New Jersey. Whether your hearing aid isn’t working well enough, stops working entirely, or becomes broken, we can ensure you get it repaired and have it back as quickly as possible.

Generally, if a repair is quick and easy, we can perform it in-house and get you back to your day. But if the issue is more extreme, it may need to be sent to the manufacturer to be repaired. We’ll help you send it in and ensure you have the tools to manage your day-to-day without your hearing aid.

As for fittings, you likely won’t wear a hearing aid that doesn’t fit your ear. That’s why we fit the device to your ear to ensure it’s completely comfortable. You should barely even notice that it’s there.

Central Auditory Processing Evaluation

Central auditory processing disorder (CAPD) is a condition often found in children and presents itself very similarly to ADD and ADHD. That’s what makes it so difficult to diagnose. With CAPD, the brain and ears aren’t communicating correctly, which makes it difficult to identify spoken words, concentrate, and remember instructions.

To correctly diagnose CAPD, we offer this evaluation. Once we have the results, we can build a treatment plan that fits your exact needs. We do this with the input of occupational therapists, psychologists, speech-language pathologists, and school resources.

H.E.A.R. Method™ Treatment Program

The H.E.A.R. Method™ Treatment Program is our proprietary program that ensures you’re getting comprehensive treatment for your hearing impairment. While we want to help you with your hearing loss, we also want to look at the bigger picture as well. We want to look at how your brain and hearing work hand in hand and how one affects the other.

The H.E.A.R. Method™ is founded on our four principles, and these principles make up the letters of the name of the program. It includes:

  • Hearing goals: Building a treatment plan that addresses shared goals that give us a map of what we need to do to be successful
  • Engagement: We always want to have honest conversations with you and your family about your treatment plan
  • Analytics: We use hearing test results to analyze and decide on what your hearing issues are, what an effective plan may be, and what realistic expectations look like.
  • Real Results: Our biggest goal is to provide real results that are customized to your needs.

About Florham Park, NJ

Florham Park, NJ is located only about ten minutes from Livingston, where Hearing Doctors of New Jersey is located. It’s a borough of Morris County and has a population of just over 13,000. The town is most well-known for being the home of the world’s largest chemical company and for its number of volunteer positions. It has a volunteer fire department, volunteer town council,  and volunteer first-aid squad.

Directions from Florham Park, NJ

Schedule an Appointment

Reach out to Hearing Doctors of New Jersey today to schedule an appointment with one of our trusted audiologists in Livingston and Clifton. We also offer online booking!

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HDNJ News

Hearing Doctors of New Jersey Pairs Up With Right At Home of Essex County

Hearing Doctors of New Jersey is excited to announce a new partnership with Right At Home of Essex County!

Right At Home of Essex County has been a family-owned operation since 2003. Their mission is “To improve the quality of life for those we serve.” They provide in-home care to seniors, wherever their home may be – a big house, an apartment, assisted living community, or a nursing home.

Hearing Doctors of New Jersey shares the same mission as Right At Home of Essex County does, to improve the quality of life for their respective patients. Hearing Doctors of New Jersey achieves this through our proprietary H.E.A.R. Method™— to create a personalized treatment plan so you can reconnect with your family and friends through better hearing.

Read more from Dr. Rhee Nesson’s Q&A with Right at Home of Essex County here.

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Hearing Loss

The Link Between Hearing Loss and Dementia

Many patients may avoid having their hearing tested and seeking care, but this can have serious consequences. One impact of hearing loss that many patients are surprised by is cognitive decline and dementia. New research suggests that there are multiple connections between hearing loss and dementia, but for many patients, hearing aids can help.

What is Dementia?

Dementia refers to a loss of memory, language, and problem-solving abilities among other cognitive issues, including emotional or behavioral problems, that can disrupt a patient’s daily life. Alzheimer’s is the most common cause of dementia, but other factors, such as depression, excessive alcohol use, and side effects from medication, can also result in dementia. Dementia occurs when the brain cells are damaged and can no longer effectively communicate with one another.

Does Hearing Loss Cause Dementia?

New research suggests that hearing loss can cause dementia. Epidemiological studies have found that in about a tenth of all dementia cases, hearing loss may be to blame.

It is believed that hearing loss causes dementia in three ways. First, patients who have hearing loss must utilize more brain resources to compensate for their lowered ability to hear. The temporal lobe is the area of the brain which processes both auditory information and short-term memory storage. It is also the first area to be affected by Alzheimer’s disease, so difficulty listening can potentially lead to a degenerative problem in this area.

Next, a lack of sound input to the brain can result in the cells being under stimulated and the brain shrinking as it no longer has to work to understand sound.

Finally, experts believe that there are common causes for both Alzheimer’s and hearing loss. This means that for some patients, hearing loss may not directly cause dementia; rather, their hearing loss and dementia are caused by the same underlying issue.

Can Hearing Aids Help Prevent Dementia?

If difficulty hearing can cause dementia, then it is possible that addressing hearing loss early could help prevent patients from developing dementia. Hearing aids can help relieve stress on the brain when you can no longer hear as well, allowing the temporal lobe to more easily process auditory information. At Hearing Doctors of New Jersey, our team uses the proprietary H.E.A.R. Method to fit patients to the best, most effective hearing aids for them. After a hearing assessment, our team will help determine the best plan to help you hear clearly again and prevent cognitive decline and dementia.

Schedule an Appointment

To schedule an appointment at Hearing Doctors of New Jersey, call (973) 577-4100 or request your appointment online.

If you are ready to take the next step towards better hearing, download our Free Guide on “The 7 Insider Secrets and Lies on Buying the Right Hearing Aid” immediately.

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Hearing Aids

Is a Hearing Aid Going to Help Me?

Hearing aids can help your daily life in many different ways.

Hearing is an essential part of our daily lives. We hear our loved ones talking to us. We hear our favorite shows playing on the TV. We hear cars nearing us as we walk down the street. Often, we are not the first to realize that our hearing has changed but rather those family and friends who pick up on the fact that we are missing what they are saying.

Benefits of hearing aids

Do you notice that you often say “what” when your spouse is speaking to you from another room? Do you feel like your favorite TV show isn’t as clear as it should be, so you have to raise the volume in order to hear it?  Is it frustrating to hear the conversation when you go out to dinner with friends because it is just too noisy? If this is you, hearing aids will improve your daily life.

Enhanced communication success

A properly fit hearing aid will give you back the sounds that your ears are missing. Do you often find yourself talking to someone and end up just laughing, hoping they said something funny because they have already repeated themself three times? Now imagine what it would be like to just laugh at that funny joke? Hearing aids will remove the stress from having a conversation, so you never miss the punchline again.

Safety

Hearing aids also keep you safe and alert. Have you ever realized your turn signal was on for the last mile because you did not hear the clicking sound it makes? Not being able to hear is a safety issue and one that must be addressed. 

The Secret to Success

Are you ready to finally stop saying “what”?

Studies show that if you are motivated and ready to hear clearly again, you will do much better with your new hearing aids. Hearing aids are an investment in your health and staying connected with family and friends. One of the most common things people say when they are fit is “I can’t believe that I waited this long to get hearing aids now that I know how much I was actually missing!” Think about it, you don’t know what you are missing because you are missing it!

If you are ready to take the next step towards better hearing, download our Free Guide on “The 7 Insider Secrets and Lies on Buying the Right Hearing Aid” immediately.

Categories
Local Services

Audiology Services in East Hanover, NJ

At only 15 minutes away from East Hanover, the residents of the township have access to all the services we offer at Hearing Doctors of New Jersey. Whether you’re looking for a comprehensive hearing assessment, hearing aids, or a diagnosis for a hearing disorder, our Doctors of Audiology can help walk you through the full treatment process.

Adult Hearing Assessment

An adult hearing assessment is used to determine if you have any hearing loss or hearing impairment and if you do, to what degree it is. Is it a small amount of hearing loss or is your hearing loss more substantial? The assessment also helps your Doctor of Audiology determine what the right treatment plan is for you. Do you need hearing aids or is another treatment a better idea?

The hearing assessment includes a few different parts. First, you’ll have a discussion with your Doctor of Audiology about your medical history, what medications you’re on, your lifestyle, and any injuries you’ve had in the past.

The next step is a physical examination where they will look at your ears to ensure there is no damage or obstruction in the ear. Finally, there is the hearing test to determine how your ears react to different frequencies and degrees of pressure.

Once your doctor analyzes the results, they will discuss them with you and develop a treatment plan that fits your needs.

Hearing Aids

If after your adult hearing assessment, it’s determined that a hearing aid is needed, we will then perform a QuickSIN™ test to help find the right hearing aid for you. There are so many options available and this test makes it much easier to find the one that fits your needs.

But what exactly is a hearing aid? It’s an electronic device that consists of a microphone, amplifier, and speaker and helps to amplify sounds so that you can hear in both quiet and noisy environments.

At Hearing Doctors of New Jersey, we offer a variety of hearing aid manufacturers as well as a number of types of hearing aids.

The manufacturers we offer include:

  • Oticon
  • Starkey
  • Widex
  • Phonak
  • ReSound

The types of hearing aid you get can depend on your preferences and which is best for your unique needs. The styles we offer include:

  • Invisible-in-Canal (IIC)
  • Completely-in-Canal (CIC)
  • In-the-Canal (ITC)
  • In-the-Ear (ITE)
  • Receiver-in-Canal (RIC)
  • Behind-the-Ear (BTE)

Hearing Aid Repairs & Fittings

Hearing aids may need repairs from time to time. But you don’t need to go somewhere else to get your hearing aid repaired. At Hearing Doctors of New Jersey, if the issue is a quick and easy one, we can repair your hearing aid

If the repair is more substantial, then your hearing aid may need to be sent to the manufacturer to be fixed. Luckily, many repairs are covered under warranty so you may not have to pay any up-front costs.

To ensure the process is as easy as possible, we’ll help you send your hearing aid to the manufacturer and ensure you have everything you need to be without your hearing aid while it’s in for repairs.

We also provide hearing aid fittings to ensure it fits your ear perfectly. You should barely even notice it’s there if it fits correctly.

Central Auditory Processing Evaluation

Central auditory processing disorder (CAPD) is a condition where the ears and the brain don’t properly communicate. It can lead to symptoms like difficulty concentrating, inability to remember instructions, and problems distinguishing one sound from another.

Unfortunately, the diagnosis of CAPD can be difficult because it often looks like ADHD and ADD. That’s where our central auditory processing evaluation comes in. Your Doctor of Audiology will run a number of tests and collaborate with speech-language pathologists, psychologists, and school resources to help make a diagnosis. Since the disorder often shows up in children, school resources are vital.

H.E.A.R. Method™ Treatment Program

Hearing Doctors of New Jersey has a proprietary treatment program we call the H.E.A.R. Method™ Treatment Program. The program offers a comprehensive brain-hearing evaluation to ensure we are getting to the root of your hearing loss and so we guarantee your cognitive ability isn’t being affected by your hearing loss.

But the program consists of a lot more than just hearing tests. It also ensures you have lifetime hearing loss coverage at a fixed cost, an upgrade to a new advanced hearing system every four years, a hearing treatment that targets hearing loss, tinnitus, and your cognitive needs, and a lifetime warranty. With the H.E.A.R. Method Treatment Program, you also ensure you see your Doctor of Audiology for every office visit.

About East Hanover, NJ

East Hanover, NJ, is a suburban township in Morris County with a population of just over 11,000. The town is most well-known for its shopping centers and its number of attractions, including The Funplex, Hanover Lanes, and multiple theaters. It is also home to a few major corporations, including Nabisco and Novartis.

Directions from East Hanover, NJ

Schedule an Appointment Today

Reach out to Hearing Doctors of New Jersey today to schedule an appointment with one of our trusted audiologists in Livingston and Clifton. We also offer online booking!

Categories
Hearing Challenges

Your Hearing Loss Hospital Kit

Hearing loss can impact every aspect of your life. The problem can be especially difficult when entering a situation where you need to stay in the hospital. This environment can leave you feeling isolated without the support of friends and family to help you communicate, and the use of masks doesn’t make that any better. In order to make the situation easier for yourself, it’s helpful to prepare by building your own hospital kit.

Keep Your Hearing Aids Safe

In order to give yourself the best ability to hear and communicate, it’s important that you keep your hearing aids safe and functional. This can mean that you bring a container that is specifically designed to hold your hearing aids. You may also find a plastic container or box works for you. It will be very helpful to label this with your name on it so that doctors know who it belongs to.

It will also be beneficial to bring along extra batteries for your hearing aids. These can be stored inside the same container you plan to keep your hearing aids in, which will ensure they don’t get lost. Additionally, if you are having trouble with getting your hearing aids to work, bringing along a battery tester for them will allow staff to troubleshoot the device. It could be that they simply need a new battery in order to start working again.

Visual Reminders

It’s always a good idea to indicate that you are suffering from hearing loss to a medical professional. This will help them to accommodate your needs and understand how to best help you. Signs or buttons that indicate your situation can help to communicate nonverbally before starting a conversation. These can state lines such as, “I am hard of hearing!” or “please speak louder, clearly and face me” so that the doctor knows how to proceed with the interaction. These signs can be downloaded here or ordered online.

Communication Tip Sheets

Another helpful visual aid can be a communication tip sheet. You can create your own, or use an already existing template to print out and bring copies for your hospital kit. The CHHA’s “How to Help Our Communication” tip sheet is a great example. The sheet includes a list of the following:

  • Get my attention before talking
  • Face me — I need to see your face to lipread
  • Speak clearly — don’t over emphasize or shout
  • If possible, turn off background noise
  • Don’t cover your mouth
  • Rephrase if misunderstood
  • Write down important information
  • Ask me to repeat vital facts to be sure I understand correctly

You may also want to include a pen and notebook or a portable whiteboard in your kit as a backup. There are also speech-to-text apps that can be added to your phone to help translate for you.

Personalize Your Kit

As mentioned before, labeling your hearing aid container with your name will help prevent you from misplacing or losing it. This also applies to everything else in your kit. Adding your personal information, such as name and phone number, will help anyone who finds these items return them back to you.

Schedule a Consultation

If you would like to find more tips and suggestions for creating your own hearing loss hospital kit, schedule an appointment with Hearing Doctors of New Jersey. Call our Livingston office at (973) 577-4100 or request your appointment online.

Click here now to receive your FREE insider’s guide to learn how to make an informed and intelligent decision when purchasing a hearing aid!

Categories
Hearing Aids

Why Real Ear Measurements are so Important

When treating hearing loss, it is crucial that your hearing aids properly fit and are tailored to meet your needs. One of the most important parts of this process is performing real ear measurements, which allows your audiologist to program your new hearing aids to best suit your needs. While this should be a commonplace practice, only 30% of hearing aid practices perform real ear measurements. To get the best possible results, it is important to visit an experienced audiologist who will take this step to improve your hearing.

What are Real Ear Measurements?

Real ear measurements ensure that your hearing aids are properly programmed according to your prescription for your hearing loss. By taking real ear measurements, your audiologist adjusts the programming of your hearing aids from the manufacturer so that it matches your hearing needs.

Why are Real Ear Measurements Necessary?

Hearing aids are programmed by the manufacturer to meet hearing needs as closely as possible, but the unique shape and size of each patients’ ears affects hearing as well. Real ear measurements allow your audiologist to adjust the frequency and intensity of the hearing aids according to your unique size and shape of your ear, creating a more custom fit for your hearing loss.

You can think of this process like a vision test. Rather than offering several glasses and asking you to pick the best one, your optometrist carefully adjusts your prescription and asks for your feedback before arriving at a solution specified for your needs. By taking real ear measurements, your audiologist similarly creates a customized, accurate fit for your hearing aids.

How are Real Ear Measurements Taken?

During real-ear measurements, a thin probe microphone is inserted into the ear canal alongside the hearing aid. The audiologist obtains readings of the exact sound levels the user is receiving from the hearing aid while listening to various recorded speech samples.  Using specialized software, the audiologist is able to adjust the hearing aid settings to ensure a customized, accurate fit and guarantee that all speech sounds are now audible.

Schedule an Appointment

If you are frustrated that you have to say “what” often or feel that your current hearing aids are not working properly, you should schedule an appointment with Hearing Doctors of New Jersey. Call our Livingston office at (973) 577-4100 or request your appointment online.

Click here now to receive your FREE insider’s guide to learn how to make an informed and intelligent decision when purchasing a hearing aid!

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Hearing Aids Hearing Challenges

How Hearing Aids Can Reduce Your Risk of Dementia

There are a number of reasons that hearing aids can help— they can improve your quality of life, help you maintain your relationships, and even improve your mental health. But did you know that hearing aids can also help prevent some health concerns later in life? Most people who experience hearing loss wait as many as ten years before opting for treatment with hearing aids. By this time, you can experience irreversible problems with your physical and mental health, so it’s important to act early. Here are some ways hearing aids can help your health and your cognitive function as you discuss your best options with your Doctor of Audiology.

The link between hearing loss and dementia

One recent study, which followed almost 3,800 people for 25 years, found that elderly people who experienced hearing loss but did not use hearing aids were at a higher risk for dementia. It also found that using hearing aids eliminated this heightened risk. This can be attributed to the fact that hearing loss prevents you from participating in activities that can help slow cognitive decline. This is exciting news that confirms the link between your brain’s health and your hearing— and means you can take tangible steps in preventing the development of dementia early on.

What causes dementia?

We have a lot to learn about what exactly causes dementia— what we do know is that it’s a catch-all term for abnormal changes to the brain’s cells. This affects your ability to think, function, and have healthy behaviors, feelings, and relationships. There are many different types of dementia and they are most often progressive, meaning it worsens over time. We also know that there are many different factors that can contribute to the progression of dementia and that there are some ways to help prevent it.

How can hearing aids help?

The biggest benefit that comes with hearing aids is staying cognitively and mentally fit. Because hearing loss can negatively affect so many different aspects of your life, hearing aids can help improve many different aspects of your life. Hearing loss can affect your ability to participate in social interactions, your favorite activities, and relationships that are important to you. When these things suffer, it can negatively affect your mental health and cognitive function over the long term. It can also affect your physical health when it is difficult to lead an active lifestyle, leading to certain types of dementia. When your brain stays active, it can better maintain its function, which is integral to preventing cognitive decline.

How can Hearing Doctors of New Jersey help?

At Hearing Doctors of New Jersey, we focus on custom, crafted hearing solutions. Our Doctors of Audiology follow our proprietary H.E.A.R. Method™ in hearing aid selection, verification, and fitting so that you never miss another word – guaranteed.

Schedule an Appointment

If you are frustrated that you have to say “what” often or feel that your current hearing aids are not working properly, you should schedule an appointment with Hearing Doctors of New Jersey. To get started, we invite you to contact our Livingston office by calling or filling out our online form.

Click here now to receive your FREE insider’s guide to learn how to make an informed and intelligent decision when purchasing a hearing aid!

Categories
Hearing Challenges

“What did you say?” Face masks, hearing loss, and reading lips.

It goes without saying that over the past few months, everyone’s lives have changed dramatically.  Our social interactions have become much more limited. But hearing and being heard is still incredibly critical to our well-being.  People want to see other people and are finding innovative ways to do so. FaceTime and Zoom calls with family and friends have become commonplace. But I cannot help but think about those family and friends who struggle to hear. Communication is challenging when you miss part of what is being said.

Resuming to a “New Normal”

Now that the world is slowly beginning to “open up” and life is resuming to a “new normal”, I cannot help but think about those who have difficulty hearing. To be around others, we now have to remain 6 feet apart and wear face masks. Those who have hearing difficulty have unique challenges today.  When you cover your mouth, it is harder to hear and understand what is being said.  I’ve seen wonderful posts online of people wearing pins that explain they have hearing loss and face masks that have a plastic panel to help people read lips (we just ordered some for our office!!).  These simple measures can help others so much to hear and be heard.

If you know someone who is struggling to hear during these times, please consider encouraging them to get the help they need now.  One of the most common things patients say when they finally get hearing aids is, “I can’t believe that I waited this long to get the help I need. It really wasn’t a big deal and now I can finally hear!” Communication struggles are real, especially now.

Customized Hearing Solutions for You

At Hearing Doctors of New Jersey we strive to find customized solutions for you, your family and friends so they can hear to their fullest potential. Call us today to schedule your appointment.  Do not put off what you can do today to live your fullest life and remain connected to others around you. Hear and be heard.

Click here now to receive your FREE insider’s guide to learn how to make an informed and intelligent decision when purchasing a hearing aid!

Categories
Hearing Loss

Don’t Ignore Hearing Loss.

Don’t let hearing loss hurt your relationships

It’s frustrating when you can’t hear everything being said to you — and not just for you.

Not hearing well may make it hard to keep up with friends and family. After a while, you might start feeling excluded from conversations because you have trouble hearing what’s being said.

That may make you feel alone. But you’re not alone. About 1 in 3 people between the ages of 65 and 74 has hearing loss, according to the National Institute on Aging. That number climbs with older age.

If people don’t know you’re having a hard time hearing, they may assume you’re uninterested, confused, or irritable. That may create problems in your relationships and leave you and others feeling angry or frustrated.

That’s why it’s a good idea to talk to your doctor about hearing loss. In many cases, a hearing aid may help. Or there may be other reasons for your hearing loss — reasons that could be treated.

Hiding hearing loss from the ones who love you is never a good idea. Instead, try these tips for staying in the conversation:

  • Let people know you have a hearing problem.
  • Ask them to face you and speak clearly and slowly.
  • Let them know if you didn’t catch what they said.
  • Look for quieter places to talk.
  • Pay attention. It’s easier to understand missed words when you know the context of the conversation.

Instead of withdrawing, turn to your loved ones for help if you’re experiencing hearing loss. Chances are, they want to support you through this.

Click here now to receive your FREE insider’s guide to learn how to make an informed and intelligent decision when purchasing a hearing aid!

Sources: American Geriatrics Society; Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; National Institute on Aging

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