Hearing Center
Do you frequently need to ask others to speak up or repeat themselves? Does background noise make it difficult to understand what is being said? Hearing loss can make communication with others difficult and affect many areas of your life. Whether you
need help with your own hearing or that of a loved one, you can find help from the hearing specialists at the Carondelet Neurological Institute’s Hearing Center at St. Joseph’s Hospital.
Finding Just the Right Aid
At the Hearing Center, we’re dedicated to getting you the right hearing aid or assistive device as soon as possible. That’s why your first appointment will consist of a comprehensive hearing test and middle ear evaluation. Further tests include
a thorough assessment of the ear’s outer, middle and inner structure and nerve function. Additional evaluations for children and young adults include general screening of developmental progress in speech, language and hearing.
Our hearing specialists will select a custom hearing system that meets your hearing demands and fits your lifestyle. Our hearing aids include modern technology, such as digital hearing aids, which are fitted using computer software and analysis of your
ear’s unique structures. We also provide ongoing monitoring of hearing loss and assistive devices.
Evaluations and Tests
We offer comprehensive testing to evaluate hearing loss in infants, children and adults, including the following tests:
- Pure-tone air and bone conduction test: Determines the faintest tones a person can hear at selected pitches, typically by asking them to raise their hand when they hear a tone being played. This can indicate the degree, configuration and type
of hearing loss. In children, it can rule out hearing loss as a factor of speech or language delay.
- Speech tests: Often, these tests are used together with the pure-tone test to assess a person’s understanding of speech and his or her ability to hear a conversation (with or without background noise) clearly.
- Immittance evaluation: Using a small probe in the ear canal, slight pressure is applied on the eardrum to determine how well it vibrates and how much air is behind it. This test can determine the specific area in the ear affecting the hearing
loss. It also can identify medically treatable problems of the ear, such as an ear infection.
- Auditory Brainstem Response (ABR): Electrodes are placed on the head and ear and record brain waves in response to sound. The ABR is helpful for people with signs, symptoms or complaints of a type of hearing loss stemming from the brain or
a brain pathway. It also is used to determine the degree and type of hearing loss in infants and children without behavioral responses.
- Otoacoustic emissions: The emissions in this case are sounds produced by hair cells in the inner ear. The emission can be measured by a small device placed in the ear canal and used to evaluate hearing in infants or other difficult-to-test
populations.
- Real ear analysis: Measurement of the unique physical properties of an individual’s ear for successful hearing aid fitting.
Schedule an Appointment
If you or a loved one is having difficult hearing, we want to help. Call the Carondelet Hearing Center at (520) 873-3761 today to schedule an appointment with one of our hearing specialists.
