Roughly 40 million Americans have hearing loss. Children, adults, and seniors all face hearing loss, and their hearing loss can be mild, moderate, or severe. Sadly, many people choose to ignore their hearing loss, think it won’t get worse, or decide that living with untreated hearing loss is better than acknowledging the reality of hearing loss. However, ignoring your hearing loss is the worst thing you can do for your mental, physical, and emotional health.
Why Don’t People Talk About Hearing Loss?
Since so many Americans are struggling to hear, why don’t we talk about it more? There’s a stigma associated with hearing loss, and if you’re straining to hear, you might be worried about what people will think of you if they find out you have hearing loss. You might think that admitting you’re not hearing well is the same as admitting that you’re getting old. No one wants to think of themselves as old, or have your friends talk about you behind your back, so you might have chosen to ignore your hearing loss rather than acknowledge the reality of hearing loss.
Talking About Hearing Loss
The first step to facing your hearing loss is to just acknowledge the reality that you can’t hear as well as you used to. If you’re struggling to hear, admit it. That’s the first step to dealing with your hearing loss. It might not be easy at first, but once you’ve opened up to your loved ones, you can take the right steps to treating your hearing loss. Until you acknowledge the reality of hearing loss, you won’t be able to get your life back, and will struggle more and more to enjoy time with friends, have a deep conversation with your loved ones, and look forward to a weekend full of social events. You’ll also face rapid cognitive decline, and worse hearing.
Treating Hearing Loss
Once you’ve talked about your hearing loss, the next step is to seek treatment. First, you’ll need a comprehensive hearing test so you can discover your unique hearing profile, learn which sounds you can and can’t hear, and find out what sounds you’ve been missing.
Hearing devices are designed to help you hear, no matter your level of hearing loss. If you have mild hearing loss, and struggle to hear in places with background noise, you can get a hearing aid that will reduce distracting sounds, focus on important speech sounds, and help you catch every word without having to ask someone to repeat themselves. If you have moderate hearing loss and have a hard time at work, you can get a hearing device that will enhance the sounds you listen to the most, help you hear during meetings, and catch up with colleagues during breaks. Some of today’s hearing aids come with full connectivity features, so you’ll be able to stream audio right to your ear, whether music, computer audio, phone calls, driving directions, or an important conference call.
If you have severe hearing loss, ignoring your hearing loss is having major repercussions in your life. You can’t enjoy relationships with loved ones, since you’re always straining to hear, and no matter how many times they repeat themselves, you just can’t make out what’s been said. Hearing aids will give you back your life, allow you to communicate easily, and hear sounds you haven’t heard in years.
Pacific Northwest Audiology
For all your hearing needs, visit us at Pacific Northwest Audiology. We’ll start with a hearing test, and together we’ll find out more about your lifestyle and hearing needs so we can suggest the perfect device to help you hear all the important sounds around you. After you’ve acknowledged the reality of your hearing loss, you can take steps to change it, and get back the ability to hear. Worried admitting to hearing loss will make you seem old? With a sleek, sophisticated hearing device, no one will be talking about your hearing. The only thing your friends and loved ones will notice is how well you’re hearing, and how you’re still able to keep up with the kids despite your age.