Advanced Audiology Concepts The Hearing Center is offering free hearing protection for you and your family

N1106 P61006 H
Advanced Audiology Concepts The Hearing Center in Mentor is offering free disposable hearing protection for summer’s loud activities.

By Patricia Nugent

Ahh, summertime. Days return to a leisurely pace of family picnics, ballgames, fireworks, air shows and walks along the lake. But what would they be without the sound of crickets chirping, the crack of the bat and roar of the crowd, careening planes or the lazy lapping of Lake Erie’s shoreline?

Dr. Jane Kukula, founder of Advanced Audiology Concepts The Hearing Center in Mentor, wants you to enjoy every moment.

“For those with hearing aids, thanks to digital technology, we are able to finely tune them better than ever for a keener sense of hearing,” says Dr. Jane.

“To maximize the best level of hearing, Dr. Ashley Spisak and I recommend people come in to have aids cleaned and checked every three months. Hearing loss is not stagnant; it’s constantly changing. And especially in the humid summer months, the mechanism needs to be maintained.”

For those who do not have hearing aids but think they might be missing out on perfect hearing, she advises they have a baseline audiogram by age 40.

“Age-related hearing loss actually begins in the mid- to late 40s, so having a baseline is a big help to eventual treatment,” she says.

Protecting your hearing is also important. Dr. Jane says that, unfortunately, noise-induced hearing loss is permanent. So, prevention is the best course of action.

“We encourage anyone to stop in for free soft earplugs to wear when attending loud activities this summer,” she says. “And for those who work in a loud environment, we recommend custom earplugs.”

Wax build-up in the ears is another impediment to perfect hearing.

“We strongly caution against trying to clean wax from your ears with a cotton tip applicator or any other instrument, which only serves to push ear wax further down the ear canal and may cause serious damage,” says Dr. Jane.

“The ear is an extremely delicate part of the body. If you feel you have wax accumulating and that it’s causing you hearing loss or other symptoms such as aches or ringing in the ears, you should be looked at by a doctor who can safely remove excess wax if necessary.”

Advanced Audiology Concepts is located at 8897 Mentor Avenue in Mentor. Call the office to set up an audiogram to see how healthy your hearing is, 440-205-8848, or visit AAChear.org for more information.