CONTRIBUTED CONTENT — At some point in your life, chances are that you have received a letter in the mail or seen an ad in the local newspaper from a company providing a free hearing screening, but is it really a good idea to accept the offer?
“Please don’t,” says Dr. Keith N. Darrow, who is the current director of audiology research at Intermountain Audiology, Chief Medical Officer for the Excellence in Audiology Network and the founder of the Hearing and Brain Centers. “When it comes to the medical treatment of hearing loss, it’s really important that you undergo a thorough evaluation.”
Learn more about the diagnostic process for hearing loss in the “Ask a Local Expert” video in the media player above.
Darrow said at Intermountain Audiology’s hearing clinics in St. George, Hurricane, Cedar City and Richfield, they have a two-part process for a hearing evaluation.
First, they want to establish a person’s degree of hearing loss to better understand where the patient is at the present moment with their struggles. Second – and more important, Darrow said – they do a thorough cognitive evaluation, because they want to understand how a person’s hearing loss may be impacting their brain.
“Remember, we hear with our brain not with our ears,” he said. “When it comes to treating hearing loss, we must be focused on the brain and helping to improve cognitive stimulation, drive down the tinnitus and perhaps even reduce that risk of developing cognitive decline.”
For more information about hearing loss and cognitive function, click here.
To schedule a thorough and free hearing evaluation today, call 435-228-5568 or visit the Intermountain Audiology website.
For more local expert opinions on topics from bankruptcy and family law, to sleep and oral wellness, click here.
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