Robin Graham knows how critical hearing is to one’s everyday life, and that is why she recently began her own practice – to help area residents with hearing loss.

Graham opened Elevated Hearing Center roughly a year ago to provide hearing tests and help patients find the best hearing aids, if need be.

Graham said that anyone is experiencing hearing difficulty should contact an office with an audiologist and have a baseline hearing evaluation completed.

“It's important to diagnose and treat hearing loss as soon as possible in order to ensure better outcomes,” she told the Mount Vernon News. “An audiologist is trained to determine what type of hearing loss you have and if you need hearing aids or if there is something medical going on that needs to be addressed by an ear, nose, throat (ENT) physician."

Sometimes, an audiologist will refer a patient to an ENT for medical treatment.

“Regardless of what is causing the hearing loss, you want to address it sooner [rather] than later,” Graham said.

She said an assortment of factors can lead to hearing loss.

“Some things to be aware of are excessive noise exposure, medications that you take and a family history of hearing loss at a younger age,” she said. “If a person notices changes in their hearing or symptoms such as tinnitus (ringing in the ears), dizziness, pain, pressure or fullness in the ears or hearing loss that fluctuates or changes over time, they should see an audiologist who can help them determine their next steps.”

The objective of hearing aids is to mitigate the listening effort for the patient and make it easier for them to communicate with their friends, family and coworkers in both quiet, one-on-one situations, along with more demanding situations, Graham said.

“This transition is easier and smoother the earlier you treat the hearing loss,” she said. “Untreated hearing loss can lead to an increased risk of social isolation, depression, cognitive decline, Alzheimer's and dementia."

Graham said her goal is to keep patients active and engaged.

“Hearing aids today can track your steps, detect falls and send alerts to family members, translate languages and stream phone calls or music directly from your smartphone,” she said.

Elevated Hearing is at 112 Harcourt Road, Suite 4 in Mount Vernon. To schedule an appointment, call or text 740-200-8915. Hours are Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.