People wait a long time to get fitted with hearing aids. I’m a good example of this, having hearing loss since birth (we guess) but waiting until my 38th year to do so, after figuring out “something was up” with my hearing when I was 13 or so.
In his article about baby boomers and hearing aids, Steve points to an article in Hearing Review which mentions an average of 7 years waiting in the US between identifying hearing loss and actually getting hearing aids. The article is Right Product; Wrong Message, and you should read it. It’s about how we can try and change the social norm in hearing care, how hearing loss is perceived, etc.
Anyway. I waited, and it seems I’m not alone.
One thing I realised when I got fitted is that I had underestimated how much hearing loss I had. Various conversations I’ve had since then with audiologists at Phonak and other people with hearing loss have led me to believe that this is quite common.
You cannot hear what you cannot hear.
When you lose your eyesight, you still see everything, but it’s blurry.
When you lose your hearing, the sounds you don’t hear just cease to exist. You don’t know you don’t hear them anymore. You can’t “hear” that you didn’t hear the doorbell. You can’t “hear” that you didn’t hear somebody talking to you when you had your back turned.
Another way in which eyes and ears are different.
When hearing degrades, or just wasn’t there in first place, you rely on other people to inform you that they tried speaking to you and you didn’t hear them. Or that they’re not mumbling, they talk like this with “everyone” and only you are making them repeat every second sentence.
We shape our lives around our capacity for hearing. My preference for quiet places and one-on-one situations is not a coïncidence. These are the social situations in which my hearing doesn’t prevent me from communicating and enjoying myself. When I got fitted, one of the things I noticed is that almost all my friends were loud speakers. Funny, eh? Sometimes I think of all the soft-spoken people I never got to know because I simply couldn’t understand them, or maybe didn’t even hear them try to talk to me.
I personally think that one of the major reasons why people wait to get hearing aids, setting economic reasons aside, is that they are not aware of the benefits hearing aids could bring in their lives, because they don’t realise what they’re missing out on because of their hearing loss.
For those of you who like scientific articles, I just stumbled upon this research on why people do not get fitted. Really interesting to have numbers about things like stigma, hearing aid trial and rejection, and also denial about the severity of one’s hearing loss.
Reblogged this on Annelie on asthma, humor, and the world. and commented:
“We shape our lives around our capacity for hearing. My preference for quiet places and one-on-one situations is not a coïncidence. These are the social situations in which my hearing doesn’t prevent me from communicating and enjoying myself. When I got fitted, one of the things I noticed is that almost all my friends were loud speakers. Funny, eh? Sometimes I think of all the soft-spoken people I never got to know because I simply couldn’t understand them, or maybe didn’t even hear them try to talk to me.”
Actually that is so true. I also like the silence because it is lovely and it is so much easier to hear everyone speak. Like most people with a hearing disability I have easier to hear many peoples voices than some othes. There is a special tone and way to speak that appeals more. I actually often take my self in thinking “I could never be friends with that person, he / she talks with a to hard tone to hear.” It is not that it is a person who is a bad person, nore that I do not like the person, but it is more meaningful to choose friends you can actually hear what they say. Mumbleing people is a real struggle, and people that is afraid of ther own voice, talking so silently you have to tell them to speak up. One do not have to shout, but speak clear, with a clear tone and not to low.
The ear is a sound instrument, it is created to hear sounds.
You are so right about the ceasing to exist. I still recall getting fitted for my first hearing aides, I was going allong doing my thing. Was getting ready for work, ironing my cloths. I kept hearing a sound I had never heard before in my life! No one was home with me, I looked around trying to figure it out… I was amazed it find out and realise it was the steaming hissing from the iron! Never heard it before! Was the most beautiful thing I ever heard…
Reblogged this on Another Boomer Blog and commented:
I don’t know – why DO we underestimate hearing loss?
Just yesterday I gave my physician an update on my hearing loss, as I was just diagnosed six months ago. I asked my physician if medical school teaches them about hearing loss. She said, “not really.” So I proceeded to give her the 2-minute overview of how my life has been for the last six months getting accustomed to new hearing aids….and how frustrated I have been that there is so little support from the medical community in how to cope. She listened and I said, “you have many years ahead to treat patients, so I wanted you to understand how people do not realize they really need hearing help…and that the medical community currently is of little help.” Anyway, did my part yesterday. Thanks for your blog!