Assistive Listening Devices and Hearing Aid Solutions

“When someone in the family has a hearing loss, the entire family has a hearing problem."

~Mark Ross, Ph.D.

The staff of the Sacred Heart Head & Neck Center understands the challenges hearing loss can place on our patients and their families. We strive to offer the best assistive listening and hearing aid technology at costs that are affordable for any budget.  We have a personal understanding of the daily struggles individuals with hearing loss encounter because some of our own providers have hearing loss themselves.   We understand that hearing aids are only the first step on the road to successful rehabilitation for people who are hard of hearing. We look forward to working with our patients to find customized solutions for all of their needs.  The following is a list of some of the services we provide. 

Advanced Hearing aid technology

• We fit our hearing aids using real-ear verification measures, which is a scientific approach to ensure appropriate fit so all of our patient’s communication needs are met
• Many of our hearing instruments are compatible with connectivity options that provide solutions  for phone conversations, television listening, and for better communication in noisy environments
• FM systems are also available for better listening at school for children with hearing loss, or for adults who require more help when listening in noisy environments
• Customized modifications for stethoscopes are available for hearing aid users

Cochlear BAHA  Technology

Sometimes conventional hearing aids are not enough. BAHA devices are available for patients who are looking for a bone conduction hearing solution.  These devices can be beneficial for patients with conduction hearing losses or single-sided deafness. 

Assistive Listening Solutions

In addition to hearing aid technology, we provide many assistive listening solutions for hard of hearing patients  including:

• Devices specific to TV listening
• Personal listening devices for better speech understanding without hearing aids
• Amplified telephones
• Amplified stethoscopes
• Emergency or alerting devices for the home

Comprehensive Hearing Evaluations

The staff of the Sacred Heart Head & Neck Center is committed to the hearing health of our patients. We provide a full range of services to help prevent, treat, and manage hearing loss from childhood to adulthood. Some of the unique services we offer are outlined below.

Comprehensive Hearing Evaluation (Hearing Test)

• This test is performed in a sound treated room using the latest diagnostic technologies.  An audiogram is performed which allows the audiologist to determine hearing sensitivity at different frequencies.  This test often allows us to determine the type and severity of hearing loss.
• Other diagnostic tests are sometimes performed to rule out middle-ear problems
• Sometimes unexplained differences exist in hearing from one ear to the other.  Evoked Potentials testing can be performed to rule out auditory nerve involvement.

Pediatric Hearing Evaluations

• It is never too early to check for hearing loss in children.  We have many different tests that allow us to monitor hearing sensitivity in children from birth to adolescence. 
• Infants require special testing called Auditory Brainstem Response (ABR) testing in order to rule out hearing loss. This is a gentle non-invasive test, conducted through insert earphones, which allows the audiologist to monitor the response of the auditory nerve to sound. Distortion Product Otoacoustic Emissions testing can also be performed to rule out milder hearing losses.  These tests are very common throughout Wisconsin in the assessment of children during newborn hearing screenings. 
• Testing may be performed similar to adults in a sound treated room using Visual Response Audiometry or Conditioned Play techniques.

Distortion Product Otoacoustic Emissions Testing

The Distortion Product Otoacousti Emissions (DPOAE) testing is another helpful tool in monitoring the overall health of the auditory system. 

• DPOAEs can help with differential diagnosis of the adult and pediatric patient. They are often performed in conjunction with a comprehensive hearing evaluation.
• DPOAEs can be used for ototoxic monitoring.  Some medications are known to have hearing loss as a risk factor.  Monitoring DPOAEs can help detect small changes in patient’s hearing function and can allow for the prevention of significant hearing loss.

Vestibular Evaluations

The staff of the Sacred Heart Head & Neck Center understands that experiencing dizziness or vertigo can greatly impact quality of life. Dizziness can lead to falls or injuries, loss of time at work, and even limit the patient’s level of independence. Our team is dedicated to providing a comprehensive approach to manage and treat our patients who present with dizziness and imbalance. Patients will receive compassionate, patient-centered care whether seeing one of our Ear Nose and Throat Physicians for medical managment, or our audiologist for diagnostic testing. If physical therapy is recommended, we will work closely with your physical therapy team to explain results of our testing or to monitor progress.  The following are some of the services our center provides to patients suffering from dizziness or vertigo.

Videonystagmography (VNG)

• This test is performed to help rule out the inner ear as a contributing factor for dizziness.  VNG testing requires the use of special goggles to record eye movements as patients track an object, and as their vestibular systems respond to different test conditions. If the vestibular system (inner ear) is contributing to our patient’s dizzy symptoms, VNG testing can help determine if one ear or both ears are affected. 

Computerized Dynamic Posturography (CDP)

• Our bodies have three systems that are important for maintaining balance.  We use our visual system (eyes), vestibular system (inner ear), and somatosensory system (sense of touch). Problems with any of these systems can affect a patient’s sense of balance and lead to falls or injuries.  The sensory integration test allows the audiologist to independently evaluate each system to help determine the source of imbalance for our patients.

Evoked Potentials Testing           

• The following tests are offered in our clinic and can aid in the differential diagnosis of certain vestibular disorders.
  • Vestibular Evoked Myogenic Potentials (VEMP)
  • Electrocochleography (ECochG)