If hearing loss were officially considered a disability, it would rank as the largest disability class in the country, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Some 37 million people suffer from hearing loss, and that number will only grow as the population ages, said the CDC.

Getting a hearing test early on is more important than ever, said Santa Clarita audiologist Nola Aronson from Advanced Audiology. There are different ways to test hearing and determine if there is hearing loss through screenings, and through audiological evaluations.

“A screening is a pass/ fail test, we test different tones and you respond to those tones,” Aronson said. “If you don’t respond at a certain level, that means you do have a certain degree of hearing loss and you would fail the hearing screening. 

“An audiologist will do a full diagnostic evaluation which entails tones and determining at what level you understand speech at. It tests hearing at a normal conversational level and whether it has to be amplified for you to hear it.”

The next step is determining what type of a hearing loss it might be, Aronson said. 

“The most common kind of hearing loss is from nerve damage, and that is not medically treatable,” Aronson said. “Another kind of hearing loss is from damage to the middle ear.”

Damage to the middle ear can be from fluid or wax in the middle ear, or a broken bone, she said. There are three bones in your middle ear and when one is broken sound can’t fully get through.

“If the problem is one of those things, which are medically treatable, we can then refer you to an ear, nose and throat specialist,” Aronson said.

Aronson’s audiology business was nominated the Community Audiologist of 2014, and they offer year round free hearing screenings, she said.

“We recommend that people aged 50 and up start to get a baseline of their hearing,” Aronson said. “Come and get a hearing test early.”

To learn more about hearing tests, watch Nola Aronson’s interview below:

About Advanced Audiology

Advanced Audiology was established by Nola Aronson in September 2010. Before then, she successfully grew two other practices in Santa Clarita and has helped hearing impaired patients since 1987. 

Advanced Audiology is the largest diagnostic hearing center in SCV, and leader of advanced technology and invisible solutions. We also offer assistive listening devices to help you hear better on a phone, with TV, in meetings and in church.

Patients are treated as family and we pride ourselves on excellent listening skills. Our motto is “Give People More Than They Expect.” Our group of audiologists (with over 60 years of combined experience) provide each person with a unique solution to achieve the goal of improved quality of life through better hearing. In a recent survey of 100 doctors and patients, it was reported: The office is knowledgeable, friendly, trustworthy and honest. They educate first and give you solutions not a sales pitch.”

Our experience in fitting hearing aids is what sets us apart. The owner, Nola Aronson, has been fitting hearing aids for 31 years. She has had to adjust hearing aids using a screw driver, so she understands how they work.

Photo courtesy of CNN.