Wearing hearing aids helps you stay socially active. This allows you to continue to have fun playing golf, skiing, walking, dining out or visiting your family. Social isolation is repelled by the fact that you can understand conversations well during activities.
A hearing loss brings its share of worries for you, but also for your loved ones who have to repeat. Following conversations is easier and misunderstandings decrease.
The simple fact of making people around you repeat less removes a major irritant from everyday life. Many families are relieved and find a greater harmony following the hearing correction of their loved one.
Hearing and understanding better also restores social ease. Self-confidence is improved by your ability to follow conversations and reduce the need for repetition. We feel younger and people are surprised by our involvement in the discussions.
HEARING AIDS REDUCE THE RISK OF SUFFERING FROM DEMENTIA
A 25-year study shows that untreated hearing loss increases the risk of suffering from dementia and disability, and in men, depression. The study published in 2018 covered 3777 subjects. It demonstrates the importance of considering hearing loss in a comprehensive approach to health care.
The results of the study can be partly explained by the social isolation caused by the insidious hearing loss. The decrease in auditory stimulation over time is another. Here is a strong argument that could be useful to help you convince a loved one to do a hearing test.
Just like a vision test or magnetic resonance, hearing tests must be part of health assessments. Knowing that hearing loss can accompany diabetes disease, chemotherapy treatments and heart problems, it is imperative to talk more openly with health professionals. Even if you think your hearing loss is benign.
A hearing aid is a medical device that amplifies sounds to improve or attempt to restore a person’s hearing. The success of hearing aids depends on you and your hearing care professional. Making the right choice of hearing aid is important and making the right choice of your hearing care professional is just as important. A good choice is made according to your needs, it is not necessarily the most expensive. Teamwork on your part, your family and your hearing care professional is the best success story in hearing aids.
I have in mind a dinner with my father where he explained to me his purchasing process for his glasses by comparing them with hearing aids. He would say to me, “How do I know if a device is better if I haven’t done the basic device test? I’d start with the basic one to see if it’s right for me. I would probably have the same thoughts as him (being my father’s daughter) if I hadn’t studied in the field. I told him that my experience was that people who automatically take basic hearing aids and sometimes only one (when they have hearing loss in both ears), often have a bad experience. The fact that the chosen device cannot properly meet their expectations will mean that they will wear very few of their hearing aids and will certainly not want to try others. The first experience often tints the following ones….
So take the time to choose your hearing instruments, but also your hearing care professional. This will make it easier for you to adapt and use your equipment. Above all, do not wait almost 9 years before taking a hearing test if you are in doubt. Take charge of your overall health today, your loved ones and you will come out a winner.
Ring tones, traffic noise, birds chirping: a good hearing aid brings the world’s sounds back to life. If you have become accustomed to your hearing loss, you may initially be slightly overwhelmed by these many sensory impressions. Don’t let yourself be discouraged and take the time you need to get used to your new hearing aid. This involves getting used to both the physical sensation of the prosthesis in the ear and the listening itself. One thing is certain: after some time of adaptation, you will no longer be able to part with your prosthesis!
Depending on the severity of your hearing loss, you may not be able to hear certain noises at all at the moment. The use of a hearing aid suddenly changes this perception. Your daily routine can seem frighteningly noisy, especially during the familiarization period. Your own voice may sound different in your ear. The sound of the usual noises can also change. Don’t let yourself be discouraged!
Wearing your new prosthesis takes time to get used to, especially at the beginning. This adaptation phase includes both the physical sensation and the new “hearing”. Your ears must first become familiar with this feeling caused by the prosthesis used. The brain must also suddenly perceive new stimuli and treat them. This may be a long time ago when you could still hear the full sound spectrum. Many of the ambient noises that people with normal hearing have learned to ignore will seem new to you, so it will be much harder to reject them at first.