A strong team of experts in Germany ensures optimal hearing care of the highest standard. The care process is a well-established practice and guarantees the best possible care using state-of-the-art hearing technology. A variety of experts—from ENT specialists to hearing aid specialists—support their patients every step of the way. They prioritize hearing health and, above all, preventive care. This is because hearing tests conducted by an ENT specialist, audiologist, or hearing aid specialist play a crucial role in detecting hearing loss. Hearing should ideally be tested regularly starting at birth or in early childhood, and at the latest by middle age. This is because people who seek professional treatment for hearing loss early on remain mentally sharper, maintain their quality of life, and save on costs. Untreated hearing loss, on the other hand, can lead to secondary health conditions and severely impair the quality of life of those affected.
How can you tell if you have hearing loss?
Hearing loss is a gradual process. Here are some possible signs that those affected or their loved ones may notice:
- I often have trouble understanding children and women or hearing sounds of nature:
High frequencies are often the first to be lost in cases of hearing loss. If high-pitched voices—such as those of children or women—are difficult to understand, hearing loss may be a possibility. The same applies to high-frequency sounds of nature, such as birds or crickets. - I often have to ask people to repeat what they said:
Whispered speech or noisy environments, such as on buses or in restaurants, are particularly challenging for people with hearing loss. - Ambient noises often seem uncomfortably loud:
If high-pitched sounds are hard to understand, while street or construction noise seems all the louder, this may indicate hearing loss. - Others tell me that I have my TV turned up too loud:
Simply turning up the volume on the TV, radio, or music is a common way of compensating for—or ignoring—the onset of hearing loss.
A network of experts for optimal hearing care
Numerous experts in Germany work together to ensure the best possible care using state-of-the-art hearing technology. They work hand in hand to help those affected.
Audiologists
Audiology is a multidisciplinary field that addresses all aspects of auditory perception—that is, the study of hearing as well as the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of hearing disorders. One subfield is pediatric audiology, which focuses on hearing impairments in children.
Audiologists receive comprehensive training in the identification, assessment, and measurement of hearing loss and other related disorders, including balance disorders and tinnitus.
Audiologist
Hearing aid specialists are professionals who customize and maintain hearing aids and hearing protection devices. They advise their clients on selecting the right hearing systems and create custom ear molds. As experts and professionals dedicated to providing optimal hearing care, hearing aid specialists provide their clients with expert guidance and ensure they receive the best possible hearing care. Like audiologists, they are able to identify the right hearing solution based on a hearing test and the client’s personal circumstances.
ENT doctor
As specialists, otolaryngologists are trained in the medical and surgical treatment of the ears, nose, throat, and related structures of the head and neck. They can also perform surgical procedures, such as cochlear implant surgery, and treat ear conditions ranging from hearing loss and tinnitus to ear infections.
Otologists
Like an ENT specialist, an otologist is also a medical specialist, but one who focuses even more specifically on the ears and related conditions such as hearing loss or balance disorders.
Neuro-otologist
Closely related to an otologist is the neurootologist, who specializes in neurological disorders of the inner ear.
Joint Education and Outreach Efforts for Optimal Hearing Care
The German Society for Otolaryngology and Head and Neck Surgery aims to promote the scientific and practical aspects of otolaryngology and head and neck surgery, as well as to foster general knowledge of their historical development.
Similarly, the Working Group of German-Speaking Audiologists, Neurootologists, and Otologists (ADANO) aims to promote basic research, further develop clinical diagnostic and therapeutic procedures, support clinical and scientific networking, implement quality assurance, and support the next generation of professionals in German-speaking Europe.
Together with the Federal Association of Hearing Aid Manufacturers, these organizations facilitate the scientific exchange of experiences and provide education and information on hearing health. They all contribute to optimal hearing care and to the prevention and resolution of hearing problems.
The explanatory videos by renowned experts in medicine and audiology are particularly well-suited for providing detailed information to people living with hearing loss and their families. In addition, the various groups involved in hearing care—including service providers such as hearing care professionals, physicians, and therapists, as well as payers such as health insurance companies—can share these videos within their networks and use them to inform their patients and members.
Help is available here
Do you feel like your family members or friends are having trouble hearing and constantly have to ask you to repeat yourself? Be sure to have them take a free hearing test at a hearing care professional’s office to have their hearing thoroughly checked. Or make an appointment with an ENT specialist.
