Hidden Hearing has been Ireland’s leading provider of hearing healthcare for over 25 years. With more than 75 local clinics across the 32 counties, Hidden Hearing offers world-class hearing healthcare services and lifelong support for patients.
Located in Limerick City and in Newcastle West, Hidden Hearing’s Limerick clinics provide top class customer service to those suffering from hearing impairments.
Maria Flannery County Reporter for The Limerick Leader sat down with Helen Shinners, Audiologist in Hidden Hearing Limerick, 18 Catherine Street to find out more about hearing loss & discuss the work that is carried out by Hidden Hearing in Limerick.
Why did you decide to become an audiologist?
I don’t suffer from hearing loss myself but I have family members that do suffer from hearing difficulties, my mom and dad, so I saw first-hand the problems it can cause.
How can I recognise if I have a hearing loss or hearing problems?
There are several ways that you might recognise hearing loss. If someone requires you to repeat yourself, or if they have difficulty following conversation with more than two people; in noisy situations, if they’re straining to catch clarity when there’s a lot of background noise; difficulty hearing women’s and children’s voices, because they are high frequency; they can answer something inappropriately, they might catch the general gist of something but they don’t catch it fully; buzzing in the ears, tinnitus – this comes hand in hand with hearing loss, and turning the TV and radio up higher than other family members.
We often see people who tend to lip read, because they learn how to pick things up when their hearing is bad. The other senses tend to compensate, and the person might not even know they’re doing it. Those are the social aspects, but there’s also an emotional aspect. People can feel frustration, they tend to blame other people because they think people are whispering.
What are the most common causes of hearing loss?
In some situations, you can see hereditary hearing loss. Autotoxic medicat
ions, such as blood pressure, diabetes or cholesterol medications can harm hearing. If people are exposed to noise, not just loud noises but also repetitive noise that doesn’t necessarily have to be loud. We do the damage when we’re younger a lot.
Head trauma can disarticulate the bones in the ear. I once saw a rugby player who experienced some hearing loss after having suffered a concussion previously. If hearing has deteriorated, or you experience vertigo or light-headedness, it’s worth getting checked out.
A virus or disease, such as a very bad dose of flu or Meniere’s disease, or inner ear diseases, hereditary or age, which we call presbycusis, but that just means age-related hearing loss.
What types of people would hearing loss effect?
Everyone. It’s becoming more prevalent in the under 50s because of younger people’s exposure to loud noises, music devices… I’ve aided quite a few younger people. Hearing instruments aren’t as obvious as they used to be, so a lot of young people could have a hearing aid and you would never know.
How many people would you screen on a daily basis?
I would test around 5 people per day, and the tests would take an hour each. The remainder of the day is spent fitting hearing aids and servicing existing clients. We do yearly check-ups with all of our patients.
Do Hidden Hearing do ear wax removals?
We have a free ear wax removal clinic for people over 55 and a charge of €50 to people under 55. Graham Sutton is our wax specialist. We use a new micro-irrigation technique which is not as severe as the traditional syringing technique. It’s safer, pain free and very popular with patients. Graham would briefly screen people after wax removal to see if further hearing investigation is needed.
Tell us about your life outside work.
I’m from Castletroy, but I was born and reared in Janesboro, my maiden name is Power. I love to spend time with my 3 children and walking my two little dogs, Jack Russell’s.
Contact Details:
If you would like to have a free hearing screening call today on 061 409 770 or call into the branch, Hidden Hearing Limerick, 18 Catherine Street, Limerick. Or maybe it’s just wax, call to book your ear wax removal appointment on 1800 882 884 or log onto www.hiddenhearing.ie.
About Hidden Hearing
Ireland’s leading private provider of hearing care solutions is Hidden Hearing, with a national network of over seventy-five branches and clinics. If you have any concerns about your hearing, book a free hearing test with us and find out how we can help you.
We have a fantastic range of the newest digital hearing aids for you to try, including invisible hearing aids that sit right inside the ear canal and offer a highly sensitive hearing experience. Contact Hidden Hearing online today, or pop into your local branch