There’s more to better hearing

By Patricia Nugent

Hearing Science is celebrating three years in business by expanding services, updating diagnostic equipment and welcoming new audiologists Dr. Anna Kennerknecht and Dr. Caitlyn Iammarino.

“We’ve invested in high-frequency audiometry, which is very unusual to find outside of academic or research settings,” says Hearing Science founder Joe Baker. “This equipment allows us to measure higher frequencies for a more fine-tuned diagnosis. The more data we can collect, the better the treatment plan fits.”

With a 30-plus-year career spanning every facet of the audiology field—from preventive hearing healthcare in the military to practicing audiology to teaching others to be occupational hearing conservationists eliminating hazardous noise in the workplace—Joe founded the practice to offer a premier level of high-tech audiology to the west side.

Another piece of equipment the audiologists use is the video otoscope. A tiny camera goes in the canal and produces a pictures of the ear canal and eardrum, which are displayed on a monitor.

Joe is also one of a handful of audiologists in the area to work with REM, or real ear measurement, to calibrate hearing aids.

During REM, a miniaturized microphone enters the ear canal and precisely measures sounds. It picks up the sounds that are produced and compares them to each patient’s prescription based on their specific loss.

“This protocol is really one of the best tools I have in my arsenal to ensure my patients get the best value for what they pay for,” he says.

Devices Have Come a Long Way
“The effectiveness of the hearing devices we work with has greatly increased over the last handful of years,” says Joe. “We rarely need to fit patients with the larger hearing aids with tubes and large earmolds anymore. Virtually all brands are Bluetooth-connected. They are rechargeable, which means people don’t have to worry about changing the batteries. And one manufacturer just came out with a waterproof model, which is pretty cool.”

The best-in-class manufacturers he likes to work with are Phonak, Signia and Oticon. Each offers an ample breadth of cost options and features.

Professionally Fit Devices
Last October, the government passed a law enabling people access to FDA-approved, over-the-counter hearing aids. Joe says there are concerns when it comes to getting the right device.

“The language states individuals with ‘perceived mild to moderate hearing loss,’ can buy the OTC aids,” he explains. “So, they are self-diagnosing their loss, which is a little scary. A problem with this is people could have other issues going on, such as buildup of ear wax or or a tumor on the auditory nerve that could require medical intervention. Your hearing shouldn’t be a one-size-fits-all situation.”

“Education is an important component, too,” he adds. “Do people buying these devices know how to properly clean and maintain them?”

“Another issue is that personal sound amplifiers look a lot like hearing aids and are often sold next to them,” he says. “People can easily get confused and buy those instead of hearing aids. The amplifiers would be used more for hunters who need to hear long-distance sounds.”

Devices For Any Budget
When it comes to cost, Hearing Science offers several interest-free financing options.

“I’m passionate about my patients attaining their optimal degree of hearing without worrying about cost,” he says.

Although manufacturers of hearing aids have raised their costs to Joe over the past year, he is keeping his prices the same as they were three years ago when he opened.

Whether you are experiencing loss or not, Joe recommends everyone follow the recommendation from the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association to get a baseline audiogram by age 50.

Hearing Science is located within the Crocker Office Park at 815 Crocker Road, Suite 8, in Westlake, just steps from the railroad tracks and Bay Village. Appointments can be scheduled conveniently online. Call 440-438-3401 or visit HearSci.com for more information.

Cognitive Decline and Hearing Loss
“As reported in JAMA last December, multiple studies have shown hearing loss is the most significant modifiable risk for dementia,” says audiologist Joe Baker. “It’s responsible for 8% of dementia cases.”

“When hearing loss is left untreated, that reduces the amount of information that goes to the auditory cortex, which causes neurons to not function or fire. This leads to atrophy of the brain and its ability to function and decipher sounds,” he explains.

“When our patients come in for maintenance, we can tell how long they’ve been wearing their aids,” Joe says. “If we notice they aren’t wearing them as much as they should, we educate them about how important their hearing is to their cognitive well-being. Wearing aids facilitates neural activity and requires increased blood flow to the brain, which makes the brain healthier and reduces the rate of cognitive decline.”