Why Summer is Perfect for Family Hearing Checkups

Summer in the Fox Valley has a rhythm all its own. The boats are back on Lake Winnebago, farmers’ markets are in full swing and EAA week fills the skies while small towns celebrate summer festivals.

It’s also one of the few times of year when families spend more time together. School is out, schedules are lighter and grandparents, parents and kids often share meals, cabin weekends and long afternoons outside.

That extra time together is often when people notice changes they hadn’t seen before. Dad asks everyone to repeat themselves more often, or Grandma keeps turning the television up a little louder.

Those moments tend to come up naturally when everyone is together. Summer also makes it easier to fit a hearing checkup into the family schedule before fall activities begin.

Why Good Hearing Matters for Family Conversations

Family conversations bring together people with different voices and speaking styles. A young child may still be learning to pronounce words, while a teenager may speak quickly. Grandparents may tell longer stories or speak more softly.

Background noise adds another layer, whether it comes from the television, dishes in the kitchen or several people talking nearby. Your ears have to sort through all of that while you listen.

These conversations serve different purposes throughout the family. Children hear new words and learn family stories, expressions and traditions.

Adults use conversations to share news, make plans and handle the details of daily life. Grandparents can pass along memories and experiences that younger relatives haven’t heard before.

Good hearing gives each generation access to those exchanges and the information being shared.

How Summer Breaks Make Scheduling Checkups Simple

Summer usually gives families more room to work with when scheduling appointments. School is out, after-school activities may slow down and there are fewer calendars to coordinate.

That extra flexibility can make hearing checkups easier to schedule for children, parents and grandparents. Families may even be able to book several appointments on the same day.

Taking care of these visits during summer also leaves time before fall schedules fill up again. For children, a hearing check can address concerns before they return to the classroom.

They’ll spend their days listening to instructions, working in groups and talking with classmates. Adults can use the same stretch of time to take care of their own hearing needs.

If a checkup finds something that needs more attention, there’s still time before school and fall activities return. Families can talk with an audiologist and schedule follow-up visits without having to work around a packed school calendar.

Noticing Signs of Hearing Loss in Kids and Adults

Kids and adults often give different clues when they aren’t hearing everything around them. The differences may show up in how they respond to people, sounds or certain situations.

At home or during family time, you may notice things like:

• • Children may miss directions or respond inconsistently when called. This may happen more often when they’re in another room or focused on an activity.
  • Speech or language may develop differently than expected. Younger children may have trouble picking up words or pronouncing sounds they don’t hear clearly.
  • Adults may turn up the television or phone volume. Someone else in the house may notice the volume getting louder over time.
  • Group conversations may become harder to follow. Several voices and background noise can make it difficult to separate one speaker from another.
  • Kids and adults may ask people to repeat themselves. You may hear this more with certain voices, at a distance or when the room is noisy.

What Happens During a Family Hearing Checkup Visit

Parents can share observations about their children, while adults can bring up concerns they’ve noticed themselves. Each person’s age, hearing history and daily experiences give your audiologist useful context for the visit.

The appointment also leaves room to discuss what happens after the checkup. Your audiologist can explain the findings in plain language and answer questions about what they mean for each family member.

Some people may not need anything further, while others may have a reason to return for another visit. Everyone leaves knowing where their hearing stands and whether anything needs attention.

How Audiologists Test Hearing in Children, Teens and Adults

Hearing testing changes with age because a preschooler, teenager and adult won’t respond to the same tasks in the same way. For young children, an audiologist may turn listening into a simple activity.

A child might drop a block into a bucket each time they hear a sound. Babies can be tested by watching how they respond to sounds or by measuring activity in the inner ear and hearing nerve.

These methods don’t require a baby or young child to give a spoken answer. Older children and teens can usually respond to tones and spoken words during testing.

Adults often complete similar tests, including ones that measure how clearly they understand speech at different volumes. An audiologist may also check the eardrum, middle ear or inner ear when more information is needed.

The tests used depend on the person’s age and what your audiologist needs to learn about their hearing.

Helping Children Feel Ready for Their First Checkup

A first hearing checkup can feel more familiar when your child has an idea of what the visit will be like. You can tell them they’ll meet an audiologist and spend some time listening to different sounds.

Keep the explanation simple and use words they already understand. Try not to describe the appointment as something they need to pass or get right.

Older children may want to know how long a hearing care appointment takes and whether a parent can stay with them. The timing of the appointment can make a difference too.

A morning visit may work better for a child who gets tired later in the day. A favorite toy, book or comfort item can give younger children something familiar to have nearby.

Older kids and teens can write down anything they want to ask the audiologist before the visit. Remind your child that they can speak up when an instruction doesn’t make sense.

Smart Questions to Ask Your Audiologist During Visits

A family appointment is a time to ask about situations that are specific to each person’s age and daily routine. You can bring up questions that might not come to mind until you’re sitting with your audiologist:

• Are there concerns that tend to show up differently at home than they do at school or work?
• Could frequent ear infections or past ear problems affect what you’re seeing today?
• Are there activities, hobbies or jobs that put someone in our family around unsafe noise levels?
• What should we know about headphones, earbuds and safe listening levels for different ages?
• Does our family history tell you anything useful about our hearing?
• Should teachers, caregivers or other family members know anything about what you’ve found?

Easy Ways to Protect Your Family’s Ears in Wisconsin During Summer Fun

Summer in Wisconsin can get loud fast, especially around fireworks, festivals, lake weekends and outdoor events. Ear protection is useful when the noise around you makes normal conversation difficult.

Kids and adults can wear well-fitting earplugs or earmuffs during louder activities. You can also move farther away from speakers, fireworks or power equipment to reduce the sound reaching your ears.

Summer days around the water bring different concerns. After swimming, avoid putting cotton swabs or other objects into the ear canal to remove trapped water.

Instead, let the ears dry naturally. An audiologist can check your ears if water stays trapped or you notice discomfort.

These precautions let the whole family enjoy summer activities while giving their ears some protection along the way.

Making Summer Hearing Checkups a Family Tradition

By late summer, the calendar starts filling again before we know it. School begins, fall sports return and weekends that once felt open suddenly have somewhere to be.

Getting your hearing checked before that happens gives your family useful information to carry into the fall.

For children, the results may explain something a parent or teacher has noticed before the new school year begins. Adults and grandparents can get answers about their own hearing during the same stretch of summer.

We can see different generations of your family, whether you’re bringing in a child, parent or grandparent. You don’t need to have a specific concern before scheduling a hearing checkup.

Audiology and Hearing Aid Center has locations in Oshkosh, Neenah, Chilton and Appleton, WI. Call us at (920) 486-6922 to schedule your family’s hearing checkups before school and fall activities fill the calendar again.