Dr. Maura Marks Touts the Merits of Modern Hearing Aids
Boston, MA (PRWEB) April 28, 2017 -- People are starting to accept that hearing aids can be helpful and are not just for older people. “Wearing a hearing aid doesn’t have the stigma it had when great-grandpa wore his hearing aids years ago,” said Dr. Maura Marks, founder of Speech-Language & Hearing Associates of Greater Boston, in a NALA North American Speaker Series (NASS) segment. “He probably wore an iPod-size hearing aid on his body with wires running down from his ears. We have really come a long way since those days. The devices worn were large to accommodate the large batteries and transistors inside.”
In fact, thanks to computer technology, hearing aids today are much smaller and more stylish, and most are not even visible. However, there are still other misconceptions about hearing aids. For example, people tend to focus on price and assume the best place to go is one of the big box stores.
“Many people don’t realize that hearing aids may require reprogramming and other adjustments, as well as repairs,” noted Dr. Marks. “Consumers should look to develop a relationship with a hearing healthcare professional because you will probably have that hearing aid for around 3-5 years. Think about your desk or laptop computer and how many times you’ve required support or service over the same period of time. Another important consideration is that hearing loss needs to be monitored over time, which may require that adjustments be made to the hearing aid fitting.”
Research supports the “use or lose it” concept for hearing and mental activity. People with hearing loss who haven’t worn hearing aids may develop inaccuracies in their speech. “This is because we monitor our speech through our hearing,” added Dr. Marks. “Hearing loss is also associated with social isolation and the tendency to tune out. In fact, hearing aids are being considered as an early treatment for cognitive decline and Alzheimer’s disease.”
At Speech-Language & Hearing Associates of Greater Boston, a speech language and hearing center, Dr. Marks and her staff treat patients with a variety of disorders, some very complex. They monitor children who have chronic middle ear problems for speech and language delays. They also treat post-stroke patients who are having difficulty hearing and Parkinson’s patients receiving speech therapy for improving voice volume, a characteristic of Parkinson’s disease, who may also need a hearing aid.
“We have also noticed a concern by millennials about their hearing. We recently fit hearing aids on a younger gentleman who noticed he was having difficulty understanding speech in competing noise and he loves them,” concluded Dr. Marks. “Improvements in hearing aid technology provide greater clarity for listening in background noise and can offer custom programming for a variety of daily listening situations.”
To listen to Dr. Marks’ NASS segment in its entirety, please visit http://thenala.com/north-american-speaker-series/dr.-maura-marks-phd-aud. The NALA’s NASS gives small and medium-sized business owners a unique platform to present their stories and industry expertise to a diverse, hyper-local audience through short, poignant audio segments.
About Speech-Language & Hearing Associates of Greater Boston
Speech-Language & Hearing Associates of Greater Boston was founded by Dr. Maura Marks, Ph.D., Au.D. It has been providing diagnostic and therapeutic services to the Boston and Metro West communities for more than 16 years. Dr. Marks is among a small group of professionals with two doctoral degrees and dually certified in both Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology. For more information, please call (508) 359-4532, or visit http://www.speechlanguageandhearingassociates.com.
About the NALA™
The NALA offers small and medium-sized businesses effective ways to reach customers through new media. As a single-agency source, the NALA helps businesses flourish in their local community. The NALA’s mission is to promote a business’ relevant and newsworthy events and achievements, both online and through traditional media. For media inquiries, please call 805.650.6121, ext. 361.
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