"Hearing loss affects only
old people and is merely a sign of aging."
Only 35% of people with hearing
loss are older than age 64. There are close to six million people in the U.S.
"If I had a hearing loss, my family
doctor would have told me."
Not true! Only 14% of physicians
routinely screen for hearing loss during a physical. Since most people with
hearing impairments hear well in a quiet environment like a doctor's office, it
can be virtually impossible for your physician to recognize the extent of your
problem. Without special training, and an understanding of the nature of hearing
loss, it may be difficult for your doctor to even realize that you have a
hearing problem.
"My hearing loss is normal for my
age."
Isn't this a strange way to look at
things? But, do you realize that well-meaning doctors tell this to their
patients every day? It happens to be "normal" for overweight people
to have high blood pressure. That doesn't mean they should not receive treatment
for the problem.
"The consequences of hiding hearing
loss are better than wearing hearing aids."
What price are you paying for
vanity? Untreated hearing loss is far more noticeable than hearing aids. If 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 vanity 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, vanity could severely
reduce the quality of your life.
"Only people with serious hearing
loss need hearing aids."
The need for hearing amplification
is dependent on your lifestyle, your need for refined hearing, and the degree
of your hearing loss. If you are a lawyer, teacher or a group psychotherapist,
where very refined hearing is necessary to discern the nuances of human
communication, then even a mild hearing loss can be intolerable. If you live in
a rural area by yourself and seldom socialize, then perhaps you are someone who
is tolerant of even moderate hearing losses.
"Hearing aids will make everything
sound too loud."
Hearing aids are amplifiers. At one
time, the way that hearing aids were designed, it was 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 hearing aids,
however, 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.
**From the Better Hearing Institute
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