Community News
Life Stages and Hearing Loss
Hearing loss can affect people of all ages for various reasons such as genetics, exposure to loud noises, presbycusis, autoimmune issues and sometimes ototoxic medications. More dangerously, untreated hearing loss can cause issues, often psychological, which also tend to be the indicators.

If you’re concerned that you or a loved one may have hearing loss, here’s a list of signs in each stage of life that may indicate a hearing loss.

 
Children
 
Signs of hearing loss in children often go unnoticed, hence it’s important to look for signs as early as infancy for quick treatment. If a hearing loss isn’t indicated now, it’s still a possibility as they age.
Here are some of the signs to watch for:
  • Lack of attention to sound and sound localization
  • Delayed speech development
  • Unable to monitor their own voice or follow verbal instructions
  • Behavioural changes and hyperactivity
  • Poor school performance
Teenagers
 
Diagnosing teens is easier because they’ve developed communication skills. Personalities influence any diagnosis because they affect our verbal interactions and reactions to different situations.
The following are some indicators:
  • Struggles with verbal cues and instructions
  • Often ask people to repeat themselves
  • Lack of participation in school activities, poor school performance
  • Isolated from social situations
  • Behavioural changes – may act out or do nothing at all
Adults and Seniors
 
In adults, signs of hearing loss present differently with age due to developed coping mechanisms. Seniors often lose their hearing as they age, but they can take action to treat it for a better quality of life.
Here are signs to look for:
  • Regularly ask people to repeat themselves
  • Talk very loud or quiet
  • Difficulties understanding verbal communication
  • Isolate themselves in noisy environments and don’t participate
  • May present with depression or anxiety
  • Complaints of dizziness, ringing in ears and exhaustion

If you’re concerned about hearing loss affecting you or a loved one, NexGen Hearing provides free hearing tests and hearing aid consultations, sales and fittings. NexGen Hearing’s team is dedicated to helping you find solutions and discussing your hearing needs, goals and options to find the best outcome and support you every step of the way.

 
Author: By NexGen Hearing, NexGenHearing.com

Holiday Cheer for Seniors

The winter months can be difficult for seniors as they tend to become more isolated. Whether they’re in their own home or a care home, here are ways to enhance their holiday experience! *Decorate their home or room. *Take them for a drive to look at the lights. *Reminisce over old photos and allow them time to share stories from past holidays. *Take them shopping. *If they don’t live near you or cannot be included for health reasons, facilitate a few video calls to brighten their days. These are small ways to include your senior loved ones in the holiday experience and combat those winter blues.

Sparkling Teeth

The holidays are here! Time to sit back, relax and enjoy a glass of vino. There are some things you can do to keep your teeth as glistening as snow. Brush AFTER you indulge. The acidity of wine can make your teeth sensitive to abrasion. Wait an hour or so. Enjoy some sparkling water between glasses. Not only will it help the next day but the bubbles help loosen and scrub away the stains. Add cheese with your wine. The high in calcium pairing rids your teeth from debris and protect from acids. So, enjoy, in moderation, and Happy Holidays.

Community Profile: Moose Mobility

If you are looking for home accessibility products, mobility aids or daily living aids – Moose Mobility has you covered. They carry a wide selection of products including lift chairs, stair lifts, scooters, wheelchairs and much more. Trained technicians are available to install stair lifts and platform. Moose Mobility services and repairs all makes and models of mobility scooters, electric wheelchairs and more! Planned maintenance and tune-ups are available to ensure your scooter is in tip-top shape. Visit their showroom where many of their products are on display; you can try before you buy. You can also shop online from their website. MooseMobilityMedical.com

What is the Best Hearing Aid on the Market 2021?

Purchasing hearing aids is an important and expensive investment to make, especially when you pay for what you get. The various brands, styles and features give people an opportunity to select a hearing aid that suits their lifestyle, hearing loss and preferences to personalize their hearing experience. Hearing aids are vast in their capabilities and features. For example, there are rechargeable hearing aids, automatic noise adjusting aids, Bluetooth pairing, tinnitus masking and much more. Every person is unique so naturally, hearing aids need to be unique for each individual.

When looking for hearing aids, consult a hearing professional for a test to determine your hearing abilities, get recommendations and insight into your options. With their experience and knowledge, they can help navigate the tricky world of hearing aids. They will program your hearing aid to optimize and enhance your hearing experience. Next, think about what features are most important to you. Do you want non-visible hearing aids? Do you want to minimize background noise as much as possible? Do you want sounds from a phone or cinema, for example, to stream directly to your hearing aids? These are all questions to ask while looking for your perfect hearing aids.

Once you have an option in mind, it’s a good idea to ask about a trial period to ensure your hearing aid of choice is a good fit in day-to-day life. Wear them every day in different environments, test out the features multiple times to get a feel for how the hearing aids function and push through the awkward adjustment period. It’s normal for new hearing aids to sound weird, overly loud and startling, but as they’re used more, certain features may turn out to not be what you thought. The style may be uncomfortable or unrealistic and you might realize there is a different type of hearing aid that will better suit you. Following up with your hearing professional will help to find out if the hearing aid needs a programming adjustment to filter certain sounds in and out or if a different hearing aid is needed.

https://www.nexgenhearing.com/best-hearing-aids-2021/

The Wellness Hub Vancouver Island

Looking for more local health and wellness information? Check out the Wellness Hub Vancouver Island. It features hundreds of local business and practitioners offering services and products, health tips on a variety of topics, podcasts, reviews and more. It is easy to search, access and share information. While you are on the Wellness Hub, don’t forget to enter the November Contest for a Wellness Basket sponsored by Comfort Keepers In Home Care. The draw date is November 30, 2021.

ReGroup Family Support

ReGroup Family Support is now being offered online for families negatively impacted by problematic gaming behaviours. We recognize that some families are experiencing the impacts of unhealthy gaming. It can overtake other activities, commitments, and self-care. Concerns over consistent co-parenting, whether living together or in separate households, transition adjustments, rage quitting, meltdowns, concurrent physical and/or mental health problems all add to the complications of gaming disorder. Reach out anytime to inquire about the ReGroup Family Support group. Our other services include in-class presentations, workshops for educators, parents and caregivers, health and social service professionals, interested in learning about gaming and/or gambling.

3 Ways to Improve Mental Health

Seniors are at risk for developing anxiety and depression due to chronic disease, isolation, and loneliness. If you’re a senior, here are 3 proven ways to help improve your mental health: 1. Move your body and stay active. Exercise has been scientifically proven to boost your mood and relieve stress. Aim for 30 minutes of activity each day. 2. Make time for friendships. Research shows that seniors who have a close group of friends tend to live longer and happier than those who don’t. 3. Flex Your Mind. Routine brain exercises help you maintain healthy cognitive function, so grab a new book or challenge yourself to a puzzle.

Consent for Deeper Connection

For many of us, consent has been about saying no, an ignored no, or it has not been discussed at all. It might have felt fuzzy or not quite right in our body. Or maybe a ‘heck yes’ in our toes. For most of us it is an incomplete conversation. Consent is an embodied experience that can empower our relationship with self and with others; awaken our intimate life; allow us to take with full abandon, and to surrender completely. When we access our yes, no, maybe, slow down, and pause, practising over and over again, in a safe enough space. This is the work we do together.

3D Healing for Trauma

When a traumatic event happens, emotional information is created and then stored in two places – as a memory in our brain and as an emotion/feeling in the body! Stored and unprocessed emotional trauma is the root cause of many health issues as proven in numerous scientific clinical research studies around the world. The energetic stored negative emotion can be easily removed without pain through the use of a new 3D-Healing application based on Quantum Hypnotherapy. If you experienced a traumatic event, seek help. PTSD can be resolved so that life can continue to be in a happy place.

Chiropractic Care for All Your Joints

Chiropractic works with the spine and nervous system to restore a normal balance between the brain and the body. It can also help with the normal alignment and function of all the joints in your body, not just your spine. Research has demonstrated that chiropractic care combined with corrective exercises produced the best outcomes for care. Increasing, the body’s capacity to adapt and function normally is the ultimate goal of chiropractic. Strength, stability and mobility exercises help support this goal and to support the chiropractic adjustments so you can continue to live life on your terms.