Ever wish you could get the inside scoop on what hearing aids are really like? What would your best friend say if you asked honest questions about what it sounds like, what it feels like, and how they really feel about using one? Here’s a description of what hearing aids are like, but if you really want to know, come see us for a demo.
1. Hearing Aids Occasionally Get Feedback
This isn’t the kind of feedback that you get when someone tells you how they feel about your performance. “Feedback “ is a whistling sound that a speaker makes when its microphone picks up the sound coming from the speaker. It causes a sound loop that even modern speakers like those in hearing aids don’t know what to do with.
We’ve all heard this kind of feedback just before someone starts talking into a microphone.
Although this can be uncomfortable, when hearing aids are properly tuned, it’s rare. If you’re encountering it, the earmold might not be correctly fitted or you need to replace it.
Feedback can be removed, in some more sophisticated hearing aids, by a built-in feedback suppression system.
2. Conversations Are Easier to Hear in a Noisy Setting
If you have untreated hearing loss, eating dinner with your family or friends in a noisy restaurant can feel like you’re eating by yourself. It’s almost impossible to keep up with the conversations. Most of the evening, you may find yourself just nodding and smiling.
But hearing aids today have some really advanced technology that can cancel out background noise. The voices of your family and the restaurant staff become crystal clear.
3. It Gets a Little Sticky at Times
When something isn’t right, your body has a way of responding to it. Your body will produce saliva if you eat something too spicy. If you get an eyelash in your eye, you produce tears to flush your eye. Your ears also have a defense system of their own.
Earwax production.
So it’s no surprise that those who wear hearing aids frequently get to manage wax buildup. Fortunately, it’s only wax and it’s not a problem to clean the hearing aids. (We’ll teach you how.)
Once you’re done the cleaning you’re quickly back in business.
4. There Are Advantages For Your Brain
This one may surprise you. When a person develops hearing loss, it very gradually starts to impact cognitive function if they don’t have it treated as soon as possible.
Accurately understanding what people are saying is one of the first things you lose. Solving problems, learning new things, and memory will then become a big challenge.
Getting hearing aids sooner than later helps stop this brain atrophy. They re-train your brain. They can slow and even reverse cognitive decline according to numerous studies. As a matter of fact, one study reported by AARP showed that 80% of people had improved cognitive function after treating their hearing loss.
5. The Batteries Have to be Replaced
Those tiny button batteries can be a bit difficult to manage. And they seem to run out of juice at the worst times, like when you’re about to hear “whodunnit” in a mystery movie, or just as your friend is telling you the juicy details of a story.
But simple solutions exist to reduce much of this perceived battery hassle. You can substantially increase battery life by employing the correct strategies. The batteries are small and inexpensive, so it’s easy to carry an extra set in your wallet.
Or, you can buy a set of rechargeable hearing aids which are available now. At night, just dock them on the charger. Put it back on in the morning. You can even get some hearing aids with solar-powered charging docs so they will be available to you even if you are hiking or camping.
6. You Will Have a Learning Curve
Today, hearing aids have advanced technology. It’s a lot easier than learning to use a computer for the first time. But getting used to your new hearing aids will definitely take a little time.
It gradually improves as you keep wearing your hearing aids. Try to be patient with yourself and the hearing aids during this transition.
Anyone who’s been wearing a set of hearing aids for 6 months or more will tell you that it’s worth it.
Only actually using hearing aids can give you the experiencing of what they’re really like. Isn’t it time to learn for yourself?
References
https://www.aarp.org/health/brain-health/info-07-2013/hearing-loss-linked-to-dementia.html
