‘There are 23 million people in the United States who are hearing impaired,” Mrs. Coleman said. But technical advances offer help that wasn‚t available a generation ago.

“There are now neonatal screenings for hearing loss in babies, because it is possible to be born with the problem,” she said. “And early detection is very important.”

She said noise in the workplace, use of a chain saw or a lawn mower can cause a person to damage their hearing. “They may notice their ears ringing when the equipment is turned off,” she noted. “This is a sign of temporary threshold shift, but it can become permanent.”

She recommended wearing headphones to muffle the sound when working with such equipment.

“Kids with ipods and boomboxes in their cars are my future clients,” she said. “If others can hear the music from a passing car or from the headphones on a friend, it’s too loud. Damage is being done.”

Other causes of hearing loss can be from viral infections, from chemotherapy or just from a sudden “pop” in the ear. “If that happens, get to a doctor immediately. It can be treated,” she said.

Too many people are not aware of the loss of subtle sounds, like the click-click of their car’s turn signal. “By the time they realize they should have their hearing tested, some have started to withdraw, to avoid crowds because they have trouble hearing conversations. If they finally get fitted with a hearing aid, they find it is harder to adjust to hearing all the noises they had been missing,” she said.

Coleman maintains offices in De Queen and Texarkana.

By Vaughn Monigold
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