As I considered what to write during this month of Blue Ribbon Hearing & Tinnitus Center’s 8th anniversary, I recalled having written in the past about the law of the harvest and reaping what we sow. Now as the summer is coming to an end and we are entering the fall or autumn season, we will be harvesting what we planted earlier in the year. Back in the spring, a patient gave me some heirloom tomato plants for my garden. I had dutifully planned and prepared to plant the tomatoes along with other plants during the recommended time for our area, which is some time between Mother’s Day and Memorial Day. However, for a number of reasons, including cooler wet weather and hail storms that hit our neighborhood, I was unable to complete planting my garden until the beginning of July.
Then last week, the same patient who gave me the plants called and asked if I had any tomatoes ready. I had to tell her that, though I had some on the plants, it would be some time yet before I would have any to pick. She then offered to bring me some, which she did. At that time I sheepishly explained the reason I did not have any ready as I planted late. She said she had actually planted in early May and already had a bumper crop. If things continue as they are, by the time the season has ended, she will have had a much more successful harvest than I will because she started sooner. After our discussion on gardening, I reflected on how much of a difference her planting earlier in the year impacted the success of her garden.

During that same week I had also had several different patients get new hearing aids, and I was able to compare the successes and struggles they were having based on how long they waited to first start wearing hearing aids. Universally, those who first start wearing hearing aids sooner after they start having hearing problems end up with a much better long term experience. Those who wait longer allow their brain and auditory system to degrade more and at a faster pace. That degradation slows the moment a person begins wearing hearing aids. Wearing hearing aids can decrease the rate of cognitive decline and brain shrinkage. In a recent study published by the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), a study of nearly 3000 people showed 32% of the individuals with dementia could have their cause of dementia attributed to hearing loss.

One of the patients who got the new aids is 82 years old. I have been helping him with his hearing aids since he was 66 years old. He started wearing hearing aids in his mid 50’s after losing his hearing from loud noises associated with his work as well shooting firearms. Most people I test with a hearing loss as severe as his have a significantly diminished ability to understand speech. However, when I tested his hearing I found that he had perfect word recognition because he had worn his hearing aids constantly since he first found out he needed them nearly 30 years ago. Having treated his hearing loss from the beginning, he prevented additional damage and shows no signs of dementia.

Here at Blue Ribbon Hearing & Tinnitus Center, we are committed to educating the community on the need to prevent and treat hearing loss. We provide everything from custom hearing protection to the latest state-of-the art premium hearing aids. Thank you for you continued support over the past 8 years.