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Welcome the Sounds of Life
By Dr. Deborah Dempesy
Happy New Year! The Doctors of Audiology and our Audiology Assistant, at All Ears Hearing Center, wish each and every one of you a wondrous, joyous and Happy New Year! We are excited to have the opportunity to be a part of your New Year by opening your world to the sounds of life!
Do You Know?
Hearing loss affects 1 out of 4 people in the United States.
• Half of people over 50 years of age have some hearing loss.
• Three-quarters of people over 80 years of age have significant hearing loss.
Do You Know?
There are 3 common causes of hearing loss: a) noise exposure, b) genetics and c) aging.
• Baby Boomers started to lose their hearing with the advent of loud music and concerts in the 1950s and 1960s and Generation X with IPods and MP3 players.
• Loud equipment, leaf blowers, kitchen appliances, and music at aerobic classes, etc. can cause significant hearing problems.
• History of hearing loss in your family puts you at higher risk of having a hearing loss yourself.
• We all start to lose our inner ear hair cells (critical to hearing!) in our 30s.
Do You Know?
Only 1 in 5 people with hearing loss uses hearing devices or amplification. People STILL believe:
• That hearing devices are large and unsightly.
• That hearing devices make one look old or handicapped.
• That the cost of hearing devices is not “worth” the benefit.
Do You Know?
New technology is small, discrete, “designer” and user friendly.
• A hearing loss is more obvious than a hearing device.
• Hearing aids last on average 5 years and high-end devices can cost about as much as a cup of coffee a day.
• It’s almost always important to wear a hearing device on both ears for maximum hearing benefit.
Do You Know?
TINNITUS or “ringing or noises” in the ears is a sign of hearing loss and inner ear cell damage.
• Tinnitus causes some people severe agony and distraction.
• Tinnitus is the precursor to hearing loss.
• Tinnitus afflicts 30 million people many of whom have been exposed to loud sounds such as music or construction noise.
• Tinnitus sufferers are often told that they “have to live with it.”
• Tinnitus can be relieved by several methods, one of which is hearing devices.
• Tinnitus needs to be treated by a Doctor of Audiology as well as your primary care physician.
Do You Know?
That use of hearing devices on a regular basis can actually keep your hearing stable and robust.
• Not using hearing devices can lead to isolation, severe depression, and withdrawal from family and friends.
• Use of hearing devices can increase your overall mental and physical health.
• Use of hearing devices can significantly help or alleviate tinnitus.
Do You Know?
New hearing technology is digital, small, discrete and attractive to wear.
• New digital technology allows the hearing device to be programmed very specifically to your hearing loss and individual listening environments.
• New technology has “artificial intelligence” – a fancy way of saying that speech is detected very specifically in the presence of background noise and carefully amplified so you can hear speech in noisy situations.
• Hearing devices actually help the hearing system stay “robust” and healthy by sound stimulation – much like a muscle needs exercise to stay strong.
What You Should Know:
• Doctors of Audiology should always be consulted for hearing devices. Hearing Instrument Specialists also dispense or fit hearing devices. However, Doctors of Audiology have a 4 year academic degree in Hearing and Speech Science, a Master’s Degree in Audiology and a 4 year degree - PhD or AuD in Audiology.
• Doctors of Audiology perform full diagnostic hearing evaluations for speech, tones, speech in noise testing, Otoacoustic testing (a test of the inner hair cells), tympanometry (a test of the middle ear system) and verify electro-acoustically all their hearing device fittings.
• Verification is critical whether performed by subjective questionnaire and /or electro acoustic testing by comparing your hearing with and without hearing devices.
The Doctors of Audiology at All Ears Hearing Center provide full diagnostic, amplification services, tinnitus management and verification. We also provide cheerful and caring counseling and take special care to fit hearing instruments appropriately to our patients.
YOUR HEARING LOSS IS MORE
CONSPICUOUS THAN ANY HEARING DEVICE!
Dr. Deborah Dempesy
Dr. Dempesy obtained her Masters in Audiology at Northwestern University in Evanston IL in 1982. She received her Doctorate in Audiology at the Salus University (previously known as The Pennsylvania College of Optometry and Audiology) in Pennsylvania in 2007. Dr. Dempesy worked with developmentally delayed hearing-impaired children in the Chicago area for two years from 1980-1982, moved back to her home state of Massachusetts and was Clinical Director of Audiology at Boston’s Beth Israel Hospital for 14 years. She consulted, performing research with manufacturers of hearing devices and volunteered on the Massachusetts Infant Hearing Screening Task Force until a law was passed that required all infants to have their hearing screened before discharge from the hospital or birthing clinic.
Dr. Dempesy has been a board member of the Massachusetts Academy of Audiology, volunteering her time to continue quality education of audiologists in the Massachusetts area.
Recently Dr. Dempesy worked for a major hearing device manufacturer, providing training and education on new technology to audiologists in the New England area. The combination of these experiences gives her an exceptionally well-rounded perspective that she passes on to her patients.
In addition, Dr. Dempesy is a member of the American Academy of Audiology, The American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, the American Tinnitus Association, Educational Audiology Association and the Aural Rehabilitation Association. She is licensed to practice as an audiologist in the state of Massachusetts.
Personally, Dr. Dempesy’s immediate family consists of her partner and 23 year old daughter. In her free time, Dr. Dempesy loves to ocean kayak, run, rock climb, hike, read, watch movies and spend time with her sisters, brother and parents in western Massachusetts.
All Ears Hearing Center, Inc.
59 Industrial Park
Plymouth, MA 02360
www.allearshearing.net
(508) 747-4055 (800) 649-4054 (617) 510-5254
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