Primetime Living 2.22.26 - Flipbook - Page 12
12 A Special Advertising Section of Baltimore Sun Media Group | Sunday, February 22, 2026
HEALTH
Hear ye! Hear ye!
Hearing loss can affect
all aspects of life
By Margit B. Weisgal, Contributing Writer
Dr. Melissa J. Segev, AuD
A
ccording to the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication
Disorders (NIDCD), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), did you
know…
“Hearing is listening
to what is said.
Listening is hearing
what isn’t said.”
— Simon Sinek,
author and inspirational
speaker on business
leadership
• Approximately 15% of American
adults (37.5 million) ages 18 and
over report some trouble hearing.
• Age is the strongest predictor of
hearing loss among adults ages
20-69, with the greatest amount
of hearing loss in the 60-69 age
group.
• Men are almost twice as likely as
women to have hearing loss among
adults ages 20-69.
• Among adults above the age of 52
with moderate to severe hearing
loss, about 28 percent experience
difficulty with daily activities. In
comparison, among people in the
same age range without hearing
loss, 7.3 percent experience difficulty with daily activities.
• Among adults ages 70 and older
with hearing loss who could benefit
from hearing aids, fewer than 1 in
3 (30 percent) has ever used them.
Even fewer adults ages 20-69
(approximately 16 percent) who
could benefit from wearing hearing
aids have ever used them.
What does all this mean? Taking care
of your hearing is really important to
your overall health. It affects aspects
of our lives that we never took into
account – like problems with our activities of daily living (ADLs). And if we have
hearing loss, we should get (and wear)
hearing aids. Untreated hearing loss
can be serious, especially with aging.
One more statistic: Feelings of isolation and depression may be side effects
of untreated hearing loss.
Dr. Melissa J. Segev, AuD, co-owner
of Audiology Associates, Inc. (www.
aaiaudiology.com), is a Doctor of
Audiology (AuD). She graduated with
her clinical doctorate in audiology from
the University of Pittsburgh in 2008
and has over 18 years of diverse experience. Dr. Segev and her partner, Dr.
Briana Holtan, prioritize patient care.
Talking with Segev, her warmth and
caring come through. Her goal is always
to help people in whatever way she can.
“Hearing aid use increased in the early
2000s when they became smaller with
digital technology,” Segev explains. “No
matter how old a someone is – or how
young – hearing loss is not age specific,
and there’s almost always an emotional
adjustment. Some people are ashamed
to admit they struggle to hear, but they
don’t have to be. Today’s newest hearing aids are almost invisible.”
Segev’s
company,
Audiology
Associates, Inc., has 10 locations
throughout Maryland plus two locations
in Washington, D.C. It accepts a variety
of health insurance plans, which cover
diagnostic testing and some offer a
hearing aid benefit. Patient care coordinators check hearing aid benefits for
all patients who pursue hearing aids at
the offices.
“All hearing aids at our offices are
programmed using real ear measures
and verification testing. That is a fancy
way of saying we program hearing aids
using their hearing prescription and
not a computer-generated response.
This is done simply by placing a small
microphone into the ear canal along
with the hearing aid, so there is no
more guessing how much or how little
