Why do people resist using hearing aids?

There are many reasons why people resist seeking hearing help.  A study by the Better Hearing Institute revealed some of them. 

First, hearing loss usually increases slowly over time.  Often, people don’t notice the slow decrease.  They are unaware of it.  To make it more difficult to realize it is their ears, hearing loss sounds like people mumbling.  This makes it is easy to believe others speak softly or mumble. 

Second, embarrassment and discomfort with the thought of hearing aids can lead to denial and resistance.  Deep down they know they have hearing loss but just are not ready for hearing aids.  This is no longer a good reason to not seek help.  Today’s hearing aids look great and work great! 

Third, The Better Hearing Institute found that misdirected medical advice results in someone who is ready for help from seeking help.  There was a time when hearing aids did little to assist severe hearing loss.  Some of this old thinking is still around today.  With the new hearing aid technologies there is help for everyone. 

Lastly, there is a lack of awareness of the importance of hearing.  Communication affects every aspect of life.  It impacts relationships, shopping, social gatherings and religious services.  We also know that those with hearing loss who use hearing aids are healthier!

Encourage your  loved ones to seek hearing help.  See an audiologist for a hearing evaluation.  You will be surprised by the look and quality of today's digital hearing aids.  

Life sounds great!  Enjoy every moment!

Jane Kukula, Au.D.
Paula Webster, M.A.

Advanced Audiology Concepts

8897 Mentor Ave
Mentor, Ohio 44060
440-205-8848

Fax: 440-205-9818

http://www.aacHEAR.org

Picture obtained from: http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrb1gaO6mdojPdeYXnow9wi9mJpnp6_CQ3cKdyZr1j5PKOejuNeHhLkCgY7KkSTBln0azKZ46o2R4gDiH8htwnf7qvvVc0VxkKXU2FRJFgeCc3ev81LVs9RVpvdyYi9TgY81Lm6ZF3IaXJ/s200/Resisting.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.blog-bizedge.biz/2009_04_01_archive.html&h=196&w=179&sz=8&tbnid=56Svq3SbGX0k6M:&tbnh=100&tbnw=91&prev=/search%3Fq%3Dimages%2Bof%2Bpeople%2Bresisting%26tbm%3Disch%26tbo%3Du&zoom=1&q=images+of+people+resisting&usg=__2ejyuQ-jvciqGIGv0sXkLud9x9I=&docid=qqbS8tyba3zOsM&sa=X&ei=MZavUYDlEeTgyQHY-oDgCA&ved=0CDUQ9QEwAg&dur=859

New Hearing Aid Technology

Up until the mid 90's, we saw advancements in hearing aids about every ten years.  Since then digital hearing aids came to the market and we've seen advances in hearing aid technology about every 18 months.

Digital hearing aids are smart.  They listen to the sounds around you and adjust accordingly.  There are many features working behind the scenes to maximize conversations even when there is background noise.  Features such as directional microphones, noise reduction and noise cancelling.  These features turn on and off automatically, adjusting to your environment.  Yes, automatically, most hearing aids today can be set so that you don’t need to adjust them.  Yet for those times when you may want control of the hearing aids there are instruments that can also be adjusted manually.

In noisy places, hearing aids focus on the person in front of you (the hearing aids assume you are looking at the person you want to hear).  Some hearing aids can be to focus to the side or even behind you.  They are tailored to each individual’s needs. 

Telephone options are also available.  With some hearing aids telephone conversations are heard in both ears at the same time.  Hearing aids can pick up blue tooth signals and send them directly to the ears. This includes cell phones, music players, lap tops, television and other electronic devices with blue tooth capabilities.

Recent research has given us ways to reduce wind noise, reverberation and background noise. 

If you have been told hearing aids won’t help, if you are struggling with your current hearing aids or if have hearings aids over 4-5 years old, contact your audiologist to learn what can be done to imporve your hearing.  95% of people with hearing loss benefit from today’s hearing aids.  Call today.  

Life sounds great!  Enjoy every moment!

Jane Kukula, AuD
Paula Webster, MA
Advanced Audiology Concepts
8897 Mentor Ave
Mentor, Ohio 44060
440-205-8848
http://www.aacHEAR.org/

What to do when someone resists getting hearing aids

We are often asked how to encourage loved ones to seek hearing help, especially hearing aids. Often those with hearing loss resist seeking treatment.  We know that dealing with and accepting hearing loss is difficult for some people. 

There are many reasons why people deny hearing trouble. For some it is fear of the unknown or of aging.  For others it is denial or lack of awareness of the problem.  After all, if you don’t hear something, you don’t always know you missed it. Simply ignoring hearing loss can lead to withdrawal, isolation and depression.

Some people respond well to encouragement of loved ones.  For others pointing out the negative impact on quality of life and physical health can motivate them into action. While others do not take the suggestion well, become angry and more resistant to help. For this group, tough love may be the answer.  

The Better Hearing Institute suggests the following for those who are resistant to seeking help:

1. Don’t repeat yourself. Allow your loved one the opportunity to realize the significance of their hearing loss. Do not stop helping though. All you do is preface what you repeat by saying each time, “Hearing Help!” or some other identifier. In a short amount of time, your loved ones will realize how often you say this. In turn, they will come to realize how often they depend on you. (This suggestion is only for a loved one who resists the idea of getting any help).

2. Stop raising your voice. Raising your voice stresses your throat and vocal chords.

3. Stop being the messenger carrying the communication load for the family. Do not tell your loved one “He said” and “She said” when he or she needs to be responsible for getting this information directly from the source.

4. Do not engage in conversation from another room as tempting as this is and as convenient as it appears. This sets up you up for communication failure.

5. Create a telephone need. Stop being the interpreter on the telephone. Allow your loved one to struggle in order to recognize how much help is needed.

The hope is that the loved ones will realize what they are missing and recognize they need help.  At this point call and schedule a hearing evaluation.

Life sounds great!  Enjoy every moment!

Jane Kukula, AuD
Paula Webster, MA
Advanced Audiology Concepts
8897 Mentor Ave
Mentor, Ohio 44060
440-205-8848
http://www.aacHEAR.org

Affects of untreated hearing loss

Hearing health is an important part of daily life. It not only affects quality of life but also well-being.  There are many side effects of hearing loss that are rarely considered.  The obvious side affects are the loss of communication and the enjoyment of sounds such as listening to music.  The not so obvious ones include a negative impact on relationships and social life. Self esteem, confidence and level of physical activity are also impacted.  Further, untreated hearing loss leads to withdrawal and depression.

Folks with hearing loss are not alone. It is a common health problem impacting 48 million Americans. While hearing loss is common, it remains one of the most commonly untreated health conditions in the United States. The sad truth is, the majority of people with untreated hearing loss are men.

On the positive side, 95% of those with hearing loss are successfully treated with hearing aids.  Modern hearing aids are digital making them smart.  They adjust to sounds in the environment maximizing hearing for conversations.  There are many features such as directional microphones, noise cancelling and noise reduction that help hearing speech in restaurants and social activities, and they look great.  They are discreet and cosmetically appealing.  Treating hearing loss has a positive effect on self esteem, confidence, social events and relationships.  There is no reason to wait and put off treatment.  Most people regret they waited awhile to invest in hearing aids.

For those who resist seeking hearing help, the Better Hearing Institute reports one of the best ways to get a loved one to seek help for their hearing loss is to stop being their hearing helper! When family members help others to hear by repeating specials in a restaurant or filling them in on conversations, family members become the hearing "aides".   When they stop this, the person with the hearing loss becomes much more aware of what they are missing.

For most of us, the holidays bring social gatherings which can be difficult.  Encourage loved ones to call now  and schedule a hearing evaluation there is still time to be fit with hearing aids.  Improving hearing is a great gift.

Life sounds great!  Enjoy every moment!

Jane Kukula, AuD
Paula Webster, MA
Advanced Audiology Concepts
8897 Mentor Ave
Mentor, Ohio 44060
440-205-8848
http://www.aacHEAR.org