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Hearing Loss and Cognitive Assessment

An estimated 30 million to 48 million Americans have hearing loss that significantly diminishes the quality of their lives – professionally, medically, and socially.  And the more severe the hearing loss, the greater their cognitive loss over time. But according to the National Institute on Aging, using hearing aids can help preserve brain function in people with hearing loss as we age.

That’s where we come in. Because brain health and hearing health are so closely connected, Hearing Unlimited offers an extensive array of both subjective and objective diagnostic cognitive function tests to ensure that your cognitive function and hearing function are working properly in tandem. In addition to our cognitive assessment testing services, we provide fitting and adjusting hearing aids with one of our providers serving Southwestern Pennsylvania. 

If you’re ready to have peace of mind for yourself or your family member when it comes to hearing loss and cognitive function, don’t wait another day for an evaluation by the finest audiologists in the Pittsburgh area. Schedule an appointment today by calling 412-347-5550 or book an appointment online!

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Hearing Loss and Cognitive Assessment

At Hearing Unlimited, we perform several gold-standard audiological cognitive evaluation tests to determine how you or your loved one’s hearing loss may be affecting the brain. These tests can help us understand which treatments will be most effective in compensating for that hearing loss and improving cognitive function.

Some of the tests our team performs include:

  • Speech Reception Threshold Testing: These tests help determine your threshold for hearing two-syllable words, like “hot dog” or “baseball”. Your threshold is the faintest noise level at which you can correctly repeat the words 50 percent of the time or more.
  • Speech Discrimination: This test assesses how well you can understand individual words at different sound levels. During the test, words are presented to you in a sentence and you repeat them, allowing us to assess your hearing.
  • Speech-In-Noise Testing: This kind of audiology exam helps determine how well you can hear and understand speech in a noisy environment. We will ask you to repeat words both with and without background noise, and evaluate your performance with and without background noise to determine what kind of hearing loss you may be living with.
  • Real Ear Measurement: This is the measurement of the sound pressure level in your ear canal when a hearing aid is worn out. After you’re fitted with a hearing aid, we make sure it fits correctly and you’re hearing the way you should with this test.

Hearing Loss and Cognitive Assessment

At Hearing Unlimited, we perform several gold-standard audiological cognitive evaluation tests to determine how you or your loved one’s hearing loss may be affecting the brain. These tests can help us understand which treatments will be most effective in compensating for that hearing loss and improving cognitive function.

Some of the tests our team performs include:

  • Speech Reception Threshold Testing: These tests help determine your threshold for hearing two-syllable words, like “hot dog” or “baseball”. Your threshold is the faintest noise level at which you can correctly repeat the words 50 percent of the time or more.
  • Speech Discrimination: This test assesses how well you can understand individual words at different sound levels. During the test, words are presented to you in a sentence and you repeat them, allowing us to assess your hearing.
  • Speech-In-Noise Testing: This kind of audiology exam helps determine how well you can hear and understand speech in a noisy environment. We will ask you to repeat words both with and without background noise, and evaluate your performance with and without background noise to determine what kind of hearing loss you may be living with.
  • Real Ear Measurement: This is the measurement of the sound pressure level in your ear canal when a hearing aid is worn out. After you’re fitted with a hearing aid, we make sure it fits correctly and you’re hearing the way you should with this test.

Frequently Asked Questions

How will you help me following my cognitive tests?

We make sure that your consultation will be worth the time as we do personalized hearing consultations. We will help you choose the hearing technology that’s right for you. Schedule an appointment online or call 412-347-5550 today with one of our providers at a location near you.

Why is it important for seniors to receive auditory cognitive testing?

Scheduling a cognitive test for elderly or older patients may be more of an urgent priority, as cognitive decline and hearing loss are both more prevalent and dangerous with age. The onset of dementia or a decrease in motor function can make seniors more vulnerable to harmful or even fatal situations, such as accidents and falls. 

Can a hearing aid really help my cognition?

If hearing loss threatens to impact your ability to function cognitively, a hearing aid can help. By improving your hearing, a hearing aid relieves your brain of the need to overcompensate in one sensory area, allowing it to remain strong in others such as vision, memory, and more.

 How can I get started with the best cognitive testing for adults near me? 

If you’re ready to find peace of mind with cognitive testing, the team of audiologists at Hearing Unlimited is here to help. We make scheduling your first appointment easy -- just use our online tool to select a day and time that works for you. We’re also proud to offer these tests through our teleaudiology services.