What is aural rehabilitation and how can it help to restore hearing?

Hearing is a fundamental pillar of our well-being as it is, to a large extent, the gateway that connects us to others, vital for socialisation.

It is therefore not surprising that hearing loss is associated with socio-emotional consequences including social isolation, listlessness, loneliness or even depression.

An estimated 15% of adults suffer from hearing loss, a problem that isn’t given the importance it deserves in the early stages. Where mild hearing loss is concerned, just 10% of people seek a solution. Although a mild hearing loss may not have major consequences a priori, it does have an impact on cognitive function, as it makes it necessary to use more cognitive resources for socialisation.

Hearing loss occurs when there is a reduced ability to perceive sounds and difficulty understanding words. There are a number of resources that can help patients in this situation, such as aural rehabilitation and retraining.

Aural rehabilitation aims to develop the hearing skills that were not acquired or that were acquired and subsequently lost by the person suffering from this problem. Rehabilitation work is mainly carried out through training in the detection, discrimination, recognition and comprehension of sound stimuli, with the assistance of devices that amplify sound.

As Alfonso Sánchez, audiologist and director of the SONTEC specialised audiology centres, explains, for aural rehabilitation to be effective, the hearing aid must be properly fitted or the cochlear implant must be rigorously assigned. "Both resources, when properly adapted, are capable of providing efficient auditory perception, especially with regard to communication, which is key to rehabilitation," the expert stresses.

Zoom

The most important thing is to see a specialist as soon as hearing loss is detected. He or she will assess the most appropriate remedy for each individual case and begin rehabilitation treatment, the success of which depends to a large extent on the patient's dedication and cooperation.

One of SONTEC's strengths is that they understand the difficulties and inconveniences caused by hearing loss. "We know how stressful life can be for people with hearing loss, and how it can affect all their family and friends. That's why we take a personalised approach to each case, offering the latest hearing technology and treatment, helping them to hear more clearly and accurately, even in noisy environments," says Sánchez.

As part of their working methodology, the centre offers a free in-depth hearing assessment, based on which they will recommend the best solution to the problem according to your personal needs. For this purpose, they have highly qualified audiologists and audiology professionals, registered in Spain and the United Kingdom, who are responsible for attending to and caring for all their clients' hearing health needs.

They also work together with the Junta de Andalucía and the Andalusian Health Service, as well as with several organisations in the UK.

For more information

SONTEC

Calle Hermanos Pinzón 4, Edificio Florida II, Local 9ºA, Fuengirola.

Telephone 952 667 402.

https://www.sontec.es