Here And Now

Although hearing aids are designed to help those with hearing loss, making life easier and more fulfilling, there is still a stigma around wearing them.

There seems to be two halves to the stigma of wearing hearing aids, the first being that wearing hearing aids is closely linked to deafness, and unfortunately in the past deaf people, or those with hearing loss have been seen as inferior and having low intelligence. This is mainly due to hearing loss making it difficult for people to keep up in group conversations, noisy environments resulting in missing parts of the conversation and asking people to repeat themselves or answering questions incorrectly because they have been misheard.

The second part of the stigma is the assumption that people who wearing hearing aids are old. Hearing loss can occur as you get older, however many people choose to struggle and deny there are any issues as they worry about being labelled old or disabled.

Not wearing hearing aids due to embarrassment or discomfort is understandable but it can have negative consequences. One of the most important reasons to wear aids is to improve your communication with others. Studies have shown that those with hearing loss often struggle with loneliness due to the difficulties communicating with others and maintaining relationships in social situations. Alongside loneliness, hearing loss can impact your mental health in other ways often leading to social isolation and depression.

Hearing aid use can improve your health in other ways. Studies have shown that those who experience severe hearing loss are at a greater risk of developing dementia related conditions, which can be caused by a constant state of loneliness due to the lack of stimulation. Hearing aids can also improve your balance, reducing the risk of falls and other injuries.

New hearing aid technology is changing people’s views about wearing aids. Many of the newer devices don’t look as medical as the old NHS hearing aids, with better shapes available in a wide variety of colours compared to the bulky, beige hearing aids that used to be recommended.

As technology changes and improves in our daily lives, so does the technology available in hearing aids. A large proportion of them are wireless, have rechargeable batteries and Bluetooth connectivity to your everyday devices such as phones, tablets, and TV’s! There is even more functionality available with the apps available from the hearing aid manufacturers. Alongside being able to adjust your hearing aids more easily, many monitors other things such as your health and fitness and can even detect falls, giving family members peace of mind!

If you or a loved one has been putting off hearing aids due to the stigma around wearing them, or any reservations you might have, please feel free to contact our audiologists today for more information or an informal chat.

You can reach us by phone on 0333 3110905 or email info@earplace.co.uk