Hearing Screenings at the Senior Center of Eatontown

On Thursday July 13th, Dr. Srour offered comprehensive hearing screenings after a short presentation to the Senior Center of Eatontown. During the presentation, Dr. Srour discussed that hearing screenings are especially recommended for those 65+ as part of their preventative health. Hearing screenings may help identify individuals who are at risk for hearing loss and who may benefit from further assessment and/or appropriate intervention. Age-related hearing loss is significantly associated with cognitive decline. In fact, a person with hearing loss is at increased risk for cognitive difficulties as well as dementia. Unfortunately, research concludes that the average adult statistically waits 8.9 years before taking action to address their hearing loss!

As part of Dr. Srour’s outreach efforts to reach a person with hearing loss sooner to help them get the treatment they need, Dr. Srour offers comprehensive hearing screenings to the public. Comprehensive hearing screenings by Dr. Srour included a brief conversation with each person asking if they suspect any hearing loss in either ear, or, if they ever have difficulty understanding speech. Then, the person was given a video otoscopy with a medical-grade video otoscope to visually inspect their unique ear canal and tympanic membrane A.K.A. ear drum. Participants really enjoyed seeing what is inside of their ears! The reason for the inspection was to make sure there was not too much cerumen A.K.A. ear wax. Lastly, a state-of-the-art automated touch-screen hearing screening using calibrated pure tones and noise-reducing headphones was given to each participant. The best part of this state-of-the-art hearing screening is that each participant screens themselves! The screening takes less than one minute. The results of the hearing screening are either PASS or REFER. The PASS finding means that the participant was able to hear all of the pure tones at 25 decibels. The cutoff for normal hearing in adults is 25 decibels. If the participant did not hear all the pure tones, the result was a REFER, and they were counselled that a follow up would be needed to further assess their hearing. Completing each step of a comprehensive hearing screening ensures that each participant gets the most appropriate referral and recommendation while also delivering excellent patient-centered counseling.

Implementing routine hearing screenings via outreach opportunities like this are so important as they have shown to increase identification, diagnosis, and treatment of hearing loss! Dr. Srour may also perform hearing screenings at health fairs, memory care clinics, occupational conservation programs, etc. Interested in having this service at your facility? Reach out to Dr. Srour directly to schedule a date!

References:

Bennett, R. J., Conway, N., Fletcher, S., & Barr, C. (2020). The role of the general practitioner in managing age-related hearing loss: A scoping review. American Journal of Audiology, 29(2), 265–289. https://doi.org/10.1044/2020_AJA-19-00090

Lin, F. R., Metter, J., O’Brien, R. J., Resnick, S. M., Zonderman, A. B., & Ferrucci, L. (2011). Hearing loss and incident dementia. Archives of Neurology, 68(2), 214–220. https://doi.org/10.1001/archneurol.2010.362

Liu, C. M., & Lee, C. T. (2019). Association of hearing loss with dementia. JAMA Network Open, 2(7), e198112. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2019.8112

Loughrey, D. G., Kelly, M. E., Kelley, G. A., Brennan, S., & Lawlor, B. A. (2018). Association of age-related hearing loss with cognitive function, cognitive impairment, and dementia: A systematic review and meta-analysis. JAMA Otolaryngology—Head & Neck Surgery, 144(2), 115–126. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamaoto.2017.2513

Simpson, A. N., Matthews, L. J., Cassarly, C., & Dubno, J. R. (2019). Time from hearing-aid candidacy to hearing-aid adoption: A longitudinal cohort study. Ear and Hearing, 40(3), 468–476. https://doi.org/10.1097/AUD.0000000000000641

Yueh, B., Shapiro, N., MacLean, C. H., & Shekelle, P. G. (2003). Screening and management of adult hearing loss in primary care: Scientific review. JAMA, 289(15), 1976–1985. https://doi.org/10.1001/jama.289.15.1976