There are a lot of myths about hearing loss - here's a few things to keep in mind:
Myth #1: Hearing aids will make me look “older” or “handicapped...”
Looking
older is clearly more affected by almost all other factors besides
hearing aids. If you have to make people repeat their sentences, you're
are already bringing attention to your inability to hear well. It is not
the hearing aids that make one look older; If hearing aids help you function like a normal hearing person, your life will change dramatically and people will treat you more favorably!
Hearing
aid manufacturers are well aware that cosmetics are an issue and that’s
why some NEW hearing aids fit totally in the ear canal and other models
are nearly undetectable.
But more importantly untreated hearing loss
is more obvious than wearing a hearing aid. Smiling and nodding your
head when you don’t understand what’s being said makes your condition
more apparent than the largest hearing aid available!
Myth #2: Your hearing loss cannot be helped.
In the past, many people with hearing loss in one ear, with a high frequency loss, or with nerve damage have all been told they cannot be helped.
This might have been true many years ago, but with modern advances in technology, nearly 95% of people with a common hearing loss can be helped with hearing aids. The consequences of hiding hearing loss can be dangerous.
Untreated hearing loss is far more noticeable than wearing hearing aids. If you don’t hear a car backing up toward you, miss a punch line to a joke, or respond inappropriately in conversation, people may have concerns about your mental acuity, your attention span or your ability to communicate effectively.
The personal consequences of denying hearing aids can be life altering. At a simplistic level, untreated hearing loss means giving up some of the pleasant sounds you used to enjoy. At a deeper level, you could be at risk of Dementia, accidents and people shying away from you.
Myth #3: I’ll just have some minor surgery like my friend did, and then my hearing will be okay. Many people know someone whose hearing improved after medical or surgical treatment. But only some types of hearing loss can be successfully treated. With adults only 5-10% of surgeries help Hearing Loss.
Myth #4: Hearing aids will make everything sound too loud.
This was actually true in older hearing aid technology. It used to be necessary to turn up the power in order to hear soft speech (or other soft sounds). Then, normal conversation indeed would have been too loud. With today’s modern digital hearing aids the circuit works automatically, only providing the amount of amplification needed based on the input level. In fact, many hearing aids today don’t have a volume control because they’re unnecessary on certain models.
Rest assured the Better Hearing Institute researched thousands of people like you and found that hearing healthcare professionals receive customer satisfaction ratings of 92%. And 9 out of 10 people indicate that the quality of their life has improved with hearing aids.
Now that Hearing aid manufacturers have learned more about personal preferences, they've made hearing aids easier to wear, less noticeable and they've added automatic features with state-of-the-art digital sound…
Now that Hearing aid manufacturers have learned more about personal preferences, they've made hearing aids easier to wear, less noticeable and they've added automatic features with state-of-the-art digital sound…
You'll LOVE the way you HEAR!
Some of this text was taken from articles of the Better Hearing Institute.
