Broadwater Hearing Care

09/15/2025

🦩 It’s Balance Awareness Week, and we’re taking a moment to talk about something many people experience, but few fully understand: dizziness.

🌀Not all dizziness is the same, and not all of it comes from your inner ear.

👂 Inner ear-related dizziness often feels like the room is spinning (we call this vertigo). It may come with nausea, imbalance, or unsteadiness, especially when you move your head or change positions!

But some symptoms aren’t typically ear-related and may signal something more serious:
🚨 Passing out
🚨 Feeling like you might faint
🚨 Slurred speech
🚨 Numbness or weakness on one side of the body
🚨 Double vision

⚠️ If you’re experiencing any of these symptoms (even if they come with spinning or imbalance), it’s important to seek medical attention right away.

We’re here to help with ear-related balance issues, but your safety comes first. Balance problems can be complex. Please don’t ignore them, and don’t guess!

09/14/2025

❣️Happy Grandparents Day!

So many of my patients say the same thing when they come in:
“I just want to hear my grandkids better.”

🧒 And I get it, those little voices are full of joy… and often hard to understand! 😮‍💨

👂 One reason? As we age, it's common to lose hearing in the high-frequency range, and that’s exactly where young children's voices fall. Add in fast speech, soft consonants like “s,” “f,” and “th,” and background noise at family gatherings, and suddenly you're nodding and smiling through a lot of conversation.

If you’re finding it harder to follow what your grandkids are saying (or you feel like you're missing out on their stories, jokes, and laughter), it might be time for a hearing check.

Let’s make sure you’re catching every “Grandma, look at this!” and “Guess what I did today!” 💬✨ We’d love to help you stay connected to the little voices that matter most.

09/12/2025

Battery blues?

How’s your battery life lately?

🔋As a general rule of thumb, rechargeable hearing aids typically last 18–30 hours per charge, assuming they are fully charged every night. If you find yourself charging more often, or swapping batteries too frequently, it might be time for a quick check.

It could be your usage, your settings, streaming frequency, or your hearing aids might just need a refresh. Let’s figure it out together. Come in for a quick hearing aid check appointment, and we’ll get to the bottom of it!

09/11/2025

💪👂 Did you know staying active might help protect your hearing?

📑 A recent study published in JAMA Network Open found that people who exercise regularly tend to have better hearing than those who don’t. Why? Exercise helps improve blood flow and overall cardiovascular health, and both are critical for keeping those tiny sensory cells in your inner ear healthy and working well.

👎 On the flip side, a sedentary lifestyle may increase the risk of hearing loss over time.

So next time you’re thinking about skipping that workout, remember: your ears benefit from it too!

Want to protect your hearing while boosting your health? Get moving, and if you have questions about your hearing, send us a message or call to schedule a hearing check-up.

👇 What is your favorite way to stay active?!




[Source: Kuo P, Di J, Ferrucci L, Lin FR. Analysis of Hearing Loss and Physical Activity Among US Adults Aged 60-69 Years. JAMA Netw Open. 2021;4(4):e215484. doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2021.5484]

09/11/2025

🕊️Today, we pause to remember.

For those who lost their lives…
For those who gave their lives…
We honor your bravery, your sacrifice, and your legacy.
We Remember. We will never forget.

👂As we reflect, we’re also reminded of the importance of listening. To each other, to our loved ones, and to history.

09/10/2025

During their first visit, I always ask my patients about the medications they’re taking, because some of them can quietly impact your hearing. I recently read an article that shared a nice summary of the common medication to be mindful of when it comes to your hearing health.

💊 Painkillers, heart medications, certain antibiotics, and certain chemo drugs… are all considered ototoxic, meaning they can damage the delicate structures of your inner ear.

👂 Sometimes the effects are temporary, like a bit of ringing or muffled sound. But other times, the damage can be permanent, especially if the meds are taken long-term.

🩺 If you’ve noticed changes in your hearing after starting a new medication, please don’t brush it off. Let your doctor know, and let’s talk about doing a baseline hearing test so we can monitor things over time.

👂 You keep track of your heart, your eyes, your blood pressure…don’t forget your ears.

Please reach out to us if you have questions or want to schedule a hearing check. I'm here to help.

09/09/2025

“I hope they don’t ask me a question - I won’t know how to respond.”
🤐 “Nod and smile… just nod and smile.”
😩 “Why is everyone mumbling lately?”
“Did they just say what I think they said… or did I mishear that again?”

👂 Does this sound familiar? Hearing loss often sneaks up gradually… so slowly… and many people are genuinely shocked when a mild loss is finally diagnosed.

But those “little” misunderstandings? They add up. Causing anxiety, stress, mild paranoia, even social withdrawal.

You have a dentist. A primary care provider. Maybe even a chiropractor and optometrist.

🦻 But do you have an audiologist?

If you’ve been struggling to keep up with conversations or second-guessing what you heard, it’s time to check in on your hearing health.

✨ Contact us today to schedule your hearing exam. We’re here to help you hear your best.

09/08/2025

Connectivity chaos? We’ve got you.

Streaming cutting out mid-show? Hearing aids suddenly not connecting to your phone? 📵

With all the software and firmware updates out there, it's not uncommon to hear patients share their tech feels a little...off.

✔️ The good news? We’ve seen it all AND we usually know how to fix it.

If your hearing aids and devices aren't syncing up, please reach out to us. Let’s get you reconnected and hearing clearly again!

09/07/2025

This is what happens to your inner ear when you shoot a gun if you don’t wear hearing protection.

This is the damage that gunshot noise does inside the cochlea. The one row of inner hair cells is visible at the top, and the three rows of outer hair cells (in V-shapes) are below. The photos are from the early 1950s, taken by Hans Engström, a pioneer in the field of inner ear electron microscopy.

09/05/2025

💬 “Growth is painful. Change is painful. But nothing is as painful as staying stuck somewhere you don’t belong.” — Mandy Hale

I think about this quote often when working with patients who are facing untreated hearing loss.

👂 Hearing loss is more than just “missing a few words.” It affects how we connect, how we communicate, and how we feel about ourselves. And making the choice to address it? That can be scary.

Change is hard.

Wearing hearing aids might feel like admitting something you’ve been avoiding.

The process might feel overwhelming.

You might worry about how others will see you.

But staying stuck in the frustration, the isolation, the constant guessing game. THAT is far harder in the long run.

💡 Choosing to hear better is choosing growth. It’s choosing relationships, confidence, safety, and joy.

And I promise, you don’t have to do it alone. We’re here to guide you, step by step!

09/04/2025

“I live alone, so I don’t really need to hear much.”

I hear this a lot, and it’s one of the biggest myths about living with hearing loss.

Sure, when you’re enjoying quiet time at home, maybe reading the newspaper or watching TV, it might feel easier to tune out the world. But think about this:
🔊 What if your water heater starts making strange noises?
🔊 What if someone’s trying to open your garage door?
🔊 What if you miss important sounds that keep you safe and aware?

Hearing isn’t just about conversations, it’s about safety and staying connected to your environment. Plus, untreated hearing loss can quietly pull you inward, making social interaction feel harder and less appealing over time.

If you live alone, even basic hearing technology can make a huge difference in your quality of life. You deserve to feel safe, aware, and connected (no matter who’s in the room).

If this sounds like you, I’m here to help. Let’s talk about options that fit your needs!

09/03/2025

Have you ever been told, “You don’t need glasses, just readers”?

It’s a similar story with hearing. After a thorough evaluation, some of our patients aren’t candidates for full hearing aids, but could still benefit from a bit of hearing support.

Let’s talk about Apple’s hearing features because they’re actually amazing! I get this question a lot from patients: “Can my iPhone or AirPods help with my hearing?”

Short answer? Yes, sometimes. While they’re not a replacement for hearing aids, they can be a great tool for those who need just a bit of assistance in certain situations.

Here are a few of my favorite Apple accessibility features for hearing:

🔊 Live Listen: This one turns your iPhone into a little microphone that streams sound directly to your AirPods or Made for iPhone hearing aids. It’s super helpful in noisy restaurants or meetings.

💬 Live Captions: Get real-time captions on phone calls, FaceTime, or even videos. Honestly, it’s a game-changer if you miss a word here or there.

🎶 Headphone Accommodations: You can adjust how your AirPods amplify sound, making things clearer and more balanced for your hearing needs.

If you have an iPhone or AirPods and want help setting these up, I’m happy to walk you through it. These tools are meant to make your life easier and your hearing better!

📩 Contact us if you want to try any of these out at your next visit!