Hearing Aids

Happy hearing makes for happy holidays Posted by Kelly Reynolds, Hearing Instrument Specialist on December 09, 2019 Holidays are a time for being with family and friends and having fun! A few tips will help keep your hearing aids working well to make sure you get the most out of this holiday season! 1. Watch out for the cold! Hearing aids are basically little computers, so don’t leave them in the car overnight. If you do, give them time to warm up before using them. 2.... Read More
Is there a way I can help a loved one who has hearing loss? Posted by Kelly Reynolds, Hearing Instrument Specialist on December 02, 2019 We know that, left untreated, hearing loss can negatively affect our quality of life. Studies link untreated hearing loss to stress, depression, social isolation, and even dementia. Untreated hearing loss also increases the risk of falling, putting personal safety at risk. But the person with hearing loss isn’t the only person affected by it. Hearing loss... Read More
How to know if you should get your hearing tested Posted by Kelly Reynolds, Hearing Instrument Specialist on November 15, 2019 Do you ever feel like people around you are mumbling or speaking too quickly? Are you having to ask others to repeat themselves frequently or struggling to follow a conversation when there is background noise? If so, these could be indicators that you have a hearing loss. Often, our friends and family members may notice we have hearing loss before we do. We may... Read More
11 reasons why you should test your hearing Posted by Kelly Reynolds, Hearing Instrument Specialist on November 05, 2019 Hearing loss happens. It’s the third most common health problem for older adults in the U.S., after arthritis and heart disease. Hearing loss is also very treatable — and more beneficial when treatment is started early. If you suspect you have hearing loss, here are 11 reasons why you should schedule a hearing test and find out for sure. A... Read More
What is mild hearing loss? Posted by Kelly Reynolds, Hearing Instrument Specialist on October 08, 2019 Mild hearing loss may sound, umm, mild, but it’s quite the misnomer. Professionals classify any hearing thresholds between 25-40 dB to be a mild hearing loss. But short of measuring your hearing loss precisely, how can you tell if you have mild hearing loss? People with a mild hearing loss tend to be able to hear speech when someone is speaking close... Read More
Is hearing loss avoidable? Posted by Kelly Reynolds, Hearing Instrument Specialist on October 02, 2019 Instead, I am going to write about what you can do to avoid the second-leading cause of hearing loss — noise-induced hearing loss. Did you know that one in four U.S. adults have noise-induced hearing loss? That’s a lot of people (at least 40 million)! The good news is that you can protect your hearing in most situations. And if you practice good... Read More
How wearing hearing aids can help enhance your safety Posted by Kelly Reynolds, Hearing Instrument Specialist on September 20, 2019 You already know that hearing aids can improve hearing and communication. But did you know they can also enhance safety? Several studies have confirmed what many hearing healthcare experts and their patients already knew — that using hearing aids improves quality of life, and can provide the wearer with an increased sense of safety and independence. Here... Read More
Why it's important to check your hearing regularly Posted by Kelly Reynolds, Hearing Instrument Specialist on September 04, 2019 We are all concerned about our health and well-being! Benjamin Franklin once said “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” Whether it is diabetes, cancer, heart disease or hearing loss, we have become increasingly more focused on stopping illness through preventative healthcare. It’s one reason why we’re living longer and why, if... Read More
Can I wear my mother's hearing aids? Posted by Kelly Reynolds, Hearing Instrument Specialist on August 07, 2019 Can I wear my mother’s hearing aids? I hear versions of this question often. A family member has passed and someone else wants to use their hearing aids. Or a friend is upgrading their hearing aids and has offered their current pair to you. Seems like a good idea, but it is not quite as simple as slipping on a pair of shoes. Let’s talk about some things... Read More
Five tips for maintaining hearing aids in hot weather Posted by Kelly Reynolds, Hearing Instrument Specialist on August 01, 2019 Five tips for maintaining hearing aids in hot weather With summer here, it’s a good time to remember that hearing aids, like most high-tech devices, are susceptible to excess heat and moisture. And while Starkey hearing aids are more durable than most — thanks to our proprietary Surface™ NanoShield moisture-repellent system — keeping these... Read More
Subtle hearing loss in young adults can alter brain function Posted by Kelly Reynolds, Hearing Instrument Specialist on July 08, 2019 Research found that young people with subtle hearing loss are altering their brain function in ways typically only seen in older adults. As a result, they could be paving the way for dementia. Researcher Yune Lee and his team monitored the brain activity of study participants 18 through 41 years of age as they listened to increasingly complex sentences. The team... Read More
Can hearing aids help with hearing loss in one ear? Posted by Kelly Reynolds, Hearing Instrument Specialist on July 01, 2019 Yes – hearing aids can help A LOT. Why? Because we are meant to hear with two ears. Binaural hearing (hearing with both ears) is essential for hearing in noise, maintaining our natural perception of loudness, and it is how we effectively localize or maintain spatial awareness and feel immersed in our surroundings. So even if you feel you can “get... Read More
At the gym, turn up the beat, not the dB! Posted by Kelly Reynolds, Hearing Instrument Specialist on June 13, 2019 Have you set a goal to get healthier this year? Are you going to the gym or perhaps a workout class a few times a week? Congratulations on setting your goal and taking steps to reach it! With the rising popularity of fitness classes and niche workout gyms, loud music goes in parallel with the workout, sweat, and pounding heart rates. However, instructors and... Read More
“I can hear but I can’t understand” Posted by Kelly Reynolds, Hearing Instrument Specialist on June 03, 2019 One of the first things people with hearing loss observe is “I hear people fine, but I don’t understand what they are saying.” This is a consistent complaint of individuals who are experiencing the effects of a “sloping high frequency hearing loss.“ What’s happening and why do so many have this complaint? Hearing loss... Read More
All Ears: If I have tinnitus, does it mean I also have hearing loss? Posted by Kelly Reynolds, Hearing Instrument Specialist on May 10, 2019 Tinnitus is defined as “the hearing of sound when no external sound is present.” It is one of the most common complaints reported to hearing healthcare professionals. Certainly, tinnitus is associated with hearing loss. That doesn’t mean, though, that if one has tinnitus, hearing loss is also present. Why tinnitus and hearing loss typically... Read More
Learning to hear again takes practice Posted by Kelly Reynolds, Hearing Instrument Specialist on May 01, 2019 Purchasing hearing aids for the first time starts an individual on a path of rehabilitation similar to other conditions that require the person to learn a set of skills in a new way. Very commonly, a person with hearing loss has forgotten specific sounds both wanted (a loved one’s voice) and unwanted (noise) that an individual with normal hearing... Read More
The secret to staying happy and healthy Posted by Kelly Reynolds, Hearing Instrument Specialist on April 05, 2019 Open any magazine and you’re bound to find an article on how to turn back the hands of time. Posts on health and wellness are among the most popular on social media. Many of us hope to age gracefully and happily by looking and feeling our best. But is worrying about looking older delaying our decision to get hearing aids? If so, The Harvard Study of Adult... Read More
Separating hearing aid fact from fiction Posted by Kelly Reynolds, Hearing Instrument Specialist on April 01, 2019 Hearing and sight are arguably our two most important senses. Yet, if and when either starts to fail us (and both usually do as we age), we react to each quite differently. Look around at all the people with glasses, contacts, Lasik surgery or just cheaters, and it’s obvious that we have no problem or hesitation with treating vision issues. But when it... Read More
Can treating hearing loss help prevent dementia? Posted by Kelly Reynolds, Hearing Instrument Specialist on March 20, 2019 A study published in The Lancet, one of the world’s leading medical journals, called dementia “the greatest global challenge for health and social care in the 21st century.” The study, conducted by The Lancet Commission on Dementia Prevention and Care, noted that 50 million people have dementia worldwide — and that the number is expected to... Read More
5 reasons to treat hearing loss Posted by Kelly Reynolds, Hearing Instrument Specialist on March 04, 2019 So you’ve got a little hearing loss. What’s the big deal, right? It happens to almost all of us as we age. FACT: 37.5 million Americans 18 and older have hearing loss, including one out of every three, 60 and older. You can cope, you’ve decided. You’ll just turn the TV up a little louder. Ask people to speak up or repeat what they said.... Read More
Is ‘getting hearing aids’ on your honey-do list? Posted by Kelly Reynolds, Hearing Instrument Specialist on February 11, 2019 Treating hearing loss has been proven to provide many benefits, like better hearing, improved communication and confidence, and reduced risk of cognitive decline, to name a few. But friends and family get to enjoy the benefits of their loved one wearing hearing aids, too. Some benefits, like closer relationships, less worry, and increased participation are huge.... Read More
Repeat after me: hearing loss is treatable Posted by Kelly Reynolds, Hearing Instrument Specialist on February 04, 2019 Have you heard the saying, “it’s funny because it’s true”? This cartoon definitely falls under that category (though, admittedly, funny is a subjective concept). If you’re close to someone with hearing loss, it should at least resonate. We’ve all been there — acting as the translator…the repeater. If you have... Read More
Do’s and don’ts of hearing aid battery care Posted by Kelly Reynolds, Hearing Instrument Specialist on January 16, 2019 Hearing aids batteries keep our ears going! Here are some quick do’s and don’ts to get the most out of your hearing aid batteries. Do’s 1. Do let your batteries rest for one min after you pull the tab off and before you put into your hearing aid. 2. Do throw your battery away if your hearing aid gets wet. 3. Do carry extra batteries with you... Read More
Noise may damage more than your hearing Posted by Kelly Reynolds, Hearing Instrument Specialist on January 03, 2019 A female scream. Squealing brakes. A baby crying. An electric drill. Nails on a blackboard. They all make the list. The top 10 list. The top 10 list of the most unpleasant sounds according to a study published in the Journal of Neuroscience. Instead of torturing you with the entire list, I limited it by choosing my personal top five. You’re welcome! Just... Read More

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Sterling Hearing Aid Center

603-D Freeport Rd

Sterling, Illinois 61081

(815) 626-3220

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