ABOUT ADVANTAGE HEARING CENTERS

Our goal is to provide you the best possible hearing care, based upon your individual needs. We provide a comprehensive array of services related to evaluation, rehabilitation and prevention of hearing impairment. These services include comprehensive hearing evaluations, specialized diagnostic testing, and industrial hearing screenings.

Choosing a hearing professional is one of the most important decisions a hearing impaired person can make. Since a hearing aid cannot be prescribed like eye glasses, proper hearing aid recommendation and fitting is highly dependent on the judgment and skill of the professional selecting the instrument. We test your hearing, select and dispense the hearing instrument best to meet your needs, in additon to, providing support, counseling and service of the hearing system. We are concerned about the person and make hearing solution recommendations to fit your lifestlye and personal needs.

Protecting your hearing can make a big difference. We can help you protect your hearing from further deterioration through education about what affects your hearing, as well as the proper use and care of hearing protection devices.



WHAT WE OFFER

HEARING AIDS
Analog, programmable and digital hearing aids are available from a variety of manufacturers and in all sizes, from behind the ear to completely in-the-canal. We believe in providing the latest technology with personalized care.

HEARING ASSISTIVE TECHNOLOGY
Hearing Assistive Technology includes devices such as amplified telephones, cell phone accessories, television listening systems, alarm clocks, telephone and doorbell ring signalers, flashing smoke alarms, and personal listening systems to assist people to hear or be alerted to environmental signals, with or without hearing aids. We have a demonstration display of a number of these products so that our patients can learn for themselves which devices are most beneficial.

Swim Molds, Noise Protectors, and Earmolds for Phone Headsets We offer custom-made swim molds and earmolds for use with telephone headsets in a variety of styles and colors. We also offer custom-made and generic hearing protectors and musician's plugs that provide protection while maintaining the fidelity of the music.

TYPES OF HEARING AIDS
There are many styles of hearing aids. The degree of the hearing loss, power and options requirements, manual dexterity abilities, cost factors, and cosmetic concerns are some of the factors that will determine the style the patient will use.

What is Digital Technology?
The term DIGITAL is used so often today, it can be confusing. When the term “digital” is used while referring to hearing aids, it generally means the hearing aid is 100% digital. In other words, the hearing aid is indeed a “complete computer”.

Type and Degree of Hearing Loss
Results of the audiometric evaluation are plotted on a chart called an audiogram. Loudness is plotted from top to bottom. Frequency, from low to high, is plotted from left to right.

Three Levels of Hearing Aid Technology
There are essentially three levels of hearing aid technology. We refer to these as analog, digitally programmable, and digital.

How do I know if I have Hearing Loss?
Hearing loss occurs to most people as they age. Hearing loss can be due to the aging process, exposure to loud noise, certain medications, infections, head or ear trauma, congenital (birth or prenatal) or hereditary factors, diseases, as well as a number of other causes.

Hearing Aid Battery Information
All batteries are toxic and dangerous if swallowed. Keep all batteries (and hearing aids) away from children and pets. If anyone swallows a battery it is a medical emergency and the individual needs to see a physician immediately.

Assistive Listening Devices (ALDs)
You may have certain communication needs that cannot be solved by the use of hearing aids alone. These situations may involve the use of the telephone, radio, television, and the inability to hear the door chime, telephone bell, and alarm clock.

Types of ALDs
There are many assistive listening devices available today, from sophisticated systems used in theaters and auditoriums to small personal systems.

Candidates for ALDs
People with all degrees and types of hearing loss — even people with normal hearing can benefit from assistive listening devices.

What is Tinnitus?
Tinnitus is an abnormal perception of a sound which is reported by patients that is unrelated to an external source of stimulation. Tinnitus is a very common disorder.

What Causes Tinnitus?
Tinnitus may originate from various lesions and from different sites. The auditory system involves highly complicated inner ear structures, many afferent and efferent nerve pathways and a great amount of nuclei that form a complex meshwork.

What is Tinnitus (Ringing in the ears)
Tinnitus is an abnormal perception of a sound which is reported by patients that is unrelated to an external source of stimulation. Tinnitus is a very common disorder.

What is an Auditory Processing Disorder (APD)?
Auditory Processing (also called Central Auditory Processing) refers to the means by which we make sense of what we hear. “Auditory Processing Disorders” refers to the abnormal interaction of hearing, neural transmission and the brain’s ability to make sense of sound.

What is a 'Hearing Instrument Specialist'?
The hearing aid specialist has training in the assessment of patients who specifically seek rehabilitation for hearing loss.

Realistic Expectations for the Hearing Aid User
Hearing aids work very well when fit and adjusted appropriately. They are designed to make words and the conversations easier to understand in all situations, without making sounds appear to be too loud.

Hearing Aids in the Presence of Background Noise
Virtually all patients wearing hearing aids complain about background noise at one time or another. There is no way to completely eliminate background noise.

Advantage Hearing Centers - Providing Hearing Aid services to ALL of Northwest Indiana - Including, Dyer, Schererville, St. John, Munster, Highland, Griffith, Merrillville, Crown Point, Cedar Lake, Lowell, Hammond, Lansing, Hobart.