People often ask me after an exam how much better they will hear if they choose to wear hearing aids. They want to understand what they are getting themselves into by investing their time and effort into a device about which they have heard mixed reviews. It is an excellent question, one that I would ask if I was in their shoes.
Improvement with a Hearing Aid
Each person will experience a different outcome with hearing aids. Every hearing loss is unique, as is the way the brain understands sound. Another variable is the personality of the individual. Some people enjoy change and experimentation and other people do not. A person with the same hearing loss as their friend may love the sound quality of one particular aid and their friend may not like it at all. This is because hearing and understanding speech is accomplished by both the hearing organ (cochlea) and the pathways in the brain going to the temporal lobe. Each of us uses the complicated areas of the auditory pathways differently.
Most Common Complaint
The most common difficulty fitting an individual with hearing aids is convincing the person to be open minded to new speech sounds and sounds in the background. The increase in speech signal is wonderful; however, it comes with mild interference from the environment. This interference is evident because the brain has been “unstimulated” for some period of time. When you stimulate it with new sounds, it takes a few weeks to “recondition” to all the sounds of the world. I commonly hear, “I forgot the leaves make noise when the wind blows,” or “My feet make noise on the cinders outside,” and “I did not realize how loud I was talking to people.”
Quality of Life Changes
People with the hearing loss will not realize the multitude of experiences they are missing. After all, they missed it! If you ask them, they may say that they sometimes need to ask people to repeat themselves. But if you ask more questions such as, is the TV louder than what other people want? Are you able to understand the cashier at the grocery store? Does your family complain that you do not pay attention to conversations? They may realize that it is a bigger problem than they first thought. I find that a hearing impaired person’s family will be more aware of the various settings that cause difficulty than the person with the hearing loss. Again, they missed it, so they will not be aware of many of the situations. People should not need to pick and choose what they are going to take part in. That reduces quality of life and the ability to interact with others. Relationships are at risk and healthy relationships are based in the serious conversations as well as the small talk. Small talk gives relationships fullness, connection and joy.
Comments From People Who Wear Hearing Aids
“When I got hearing aids, it tremendously reduced my social isolation and improved my ability to hear things even in public. Now I cannot imagine functioning without them,” – RP
“I am a social person and curious about what is going on around me. Without hearing aids, it makes it very difficult to have relationships. The hearing aids allow me to be who I am, they bridge the gap. I find that hearing aids dispel frustration and bring me joy,” – JH
“I can’t believe how much I was missing! I thought I was just asking for the TV to be louder but now I can hear it all. My family is so much happier not to have to talk loud. I did not realize they were so put out by me,” – CD
“I never knew how much I would love my hearing aids. I wear them all the time and now they sound like my normal hearing. What a gift!” – CT
“It took time for me to get used to the new sounds. I stuck with it and now my life seems normal again,” – BJ
“I can hear most of the time without even trying. Sometimes, at a very loud restaurant I don’t understand well but the majority of the time I am very happy,” – EL
“I stopped going to my meetings because I could not understand all the time. Now, I push my hearing aid button and I can hear as loud as I want. I do not have to worry about answering the wrong question anymore,” – RM QCBN
By Dr. Karon Lynn, Au.D
Karon Lynn is a doctor of audiology and practices at Trinity Hearing Center. She has 30 years of experience working with hearing impaired individuals. Dr. Lynn may be reached at 928-522-0500, or by email at audio@trinityhearing.net.