Audiology PROVIDING EXCEPTIONAL HEARING HEALTH CARE The ability to communicate is our most human characteristic. Human communication is essential to learning, working, and social interaction. Impaired communication can affect every aspect of a person's life. Communication disorders do not have age barriers. They can happen to anyone at any time. Nashoba Valley Medical Center's Department of Audiology is able to evaluate patients of all ages. AUDIOLOGY (978) 784-9355 Audiologists specialize in evaluating and treating hearing loss in people of all ages. An evaluation will help determine the exact nature of the individual's hearing problem or confirm normal hearing. Our certified professionals will work with you as a team to help you achieve optimum communication skills. HEARING DISORDERS People with hearing disorders often do not hear sounds clearly. Such disorders may range from hearing sounds faintly, or in a distorted way, to profound deafness. Hearing impairment is one of the most frequently reported disorders in the United States today. SIGNS OF HEARING LOSS Hearing loss might be suspected when a person does not always hear sounds like a telephone or doorbell ringing, frequently asks the speaker to repeat, turns the TV or radio up louder than others prefer, or shows obvious signs of confusion or misunderstanding of speech. CAUSES OF HEARING LOSS Some of the causes of hearing loss are chronic ear infections, heredity, birth defects, certain drugs, head injury, viral and bacterial infection, exposure to loud noise and the aging process. WHAT IS AN AUDIOLOGIST? An Audiologist is a professional educated in the study of normal and impaired hearing. The Audiologist determines if a person has a hearing impairment, what type of impairment it is, and how the individual can make the best use of remaining hearing. If a person will benefit from using a hearing aid or other listening device, the Audiologist can assist with the selection, fitting and purchase of the most appropriate aid, and with training the individual to use the aid effectively. Our Audiologists are certified by the American Speech-Language Hearing Association, licensed by the State of Massachusetts, and meet the highest qualifications of the profession for continuing education. NASHOBA VALLEY MEDICAL CENTER'S AUDIOLOGY SERVICES Nashoba Valley Medical Center's Audiology Department is able to evaluate patients of all ages. For children, early identification and management of hearing loss are critical to the development of speech and later learning skills. There is no upper age limit for diagnostic testing. Our services include: . diagnostic hearing evaluation . hearing aid selection and fitting . industrial hearing conservation programs . swim molds . aural rehabilitation classes STATE-OF-THE-ART EQUIPMENT Nashoba Valley Medical Center's Audiology Department is equipped with state-of-the-art equipment which meets or exceeds standards set forth by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI).