Sometimes hearing loss is subtle and hard to detect, but there are signs you can look for to decide if you should seek help.

The most common indicators of hearing loss are if you start to notice people mumbling, if there’s a ringing noise in your ears and if you find yourself asking someone to repeat themselves over and over, said Vicki Harvey, Beltone Hearing Aid Center hearing practitioner.

Others get a lot of complaints from family members and friends, saying they’re playing the television too loud, they ask “what?” a lot, especially if there’s background noise and they’re told they speak too loudly.

Beltone in Belleville can put your mind at ease with a hearing test.

“Here at Beltone we give hearing evaluations at no cost, and it doesn’t require a referral from a primary insurance company,” Harvey said.

Her clients range in age from a high school football player to someone who is nearly 100.

Patients are getting younger and younger, too, due to environmental causes like the common use of ear buds played at high volumes.

“Wearing a hearing aid isn’t a big stigma anymore,” she said. “Some people are more health conscious and concerned about getting help with their hearing sooner.”

She has found that often clients aren’t replacing their hearing aids because they’re malfunctioning but because they want to upgrade to better technology.

During an exam a hearing practitioner looks into the ear canal to make sure wax isn’t the culprit, and then they explain the audiogram and testing process. Harvey also illustrates how hearing aids work using your hearing prescription.

“These aren’t our grandparents’ hearing aids,” she said. “The sound is clearer and crisper. With the advancements in technology, we can fine tune instruments that we couldn’t do 10 years ago. It’s easier to adjust for people who have a difficult time understanding what people are saying when there’s background noise in the room.”

Most people will get their blood pressure and eyes checked annually but many won’t get their hearing tested on a regular basis, she said.

“Every year when you get notices to get your annual physical, include an annual hearing evaluation,” she said.

Hearing loss can affect a multitude of illnesses and health factors, like Alzheimer’s, balance, depression and many other life issues, said Harvey, who wears hearing aids.

“You can’t see them and they’re very comfortable,” she said.

The office visit at Beltone is about 30 minutes, and if there is hearing loss it will be about one hour. Hearing aids begin at $799 per hearing aid, and Beltone accepts most insurance.

Beltone had been in Belleville 20-some years on Sumpter Road before moving to 35 Main Street three years ago.

Call (734) 697-5363 for an appointment. Office hours are Monday, Thursday and Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Tuesday, 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.; Wednesday, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. And the first Saturday of the month, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.