A recent study of people in the United Kingdom found that many people who need hearing aids are not wearing them. The study, which was conducted by the University of Manchester’s Audiology and Deafness research group, examined habits of more than 160,000 individuals between the ages of 40 and 69 who live in the United Kingdom. The research found that 1 in 10 middle-aged adults had significant hearing problems when conversing in background noise, but only 1 in 5 wore a hearing aid.
The study was published in the journal Ear and Hearing in February 2014, and Dr. Piers Dawes, a researcher from the University of Manchester, suggested that this study is very important – potentially as a launching point for further research about why people don’t use hearing aids and other hearing loss solutions:
“It shows hearing aids remain significantly under used despite significant improvements in both technology and their provision, and a high proportion of people who would benefit from treatment may not receive effective intervention,” Dawes said. “Reasons for the lack of uptake might be lack of awareness of treatment options, lack of recognition of their difficulties, finding hearing aids uncomfortable or finding them of limited help.”
Whether it’s cost, lack of awareness or stigma, the reasons individuals don’t wear hearing aids when they need them are surely varied. But if someone you love is living with untreated hearing loss, here is some important and positive information you can share with that person about hearing aids and other assistive listening devices:
Hearing aids today rely on very advanced technology
Many times, people who are reluctant to get fitted for hearing aids don’t realize that the devices are much different than the models they grew up seeing their elders wearing. In fact, there’s nothing bulky about most hearing aids today! Hearing aid technology advanced very rapidly – about as quickly as smartphone technology – so devices produced just five years ago might be less advanced than even the baseline hearing aids on the market today. You can purchase hearing aids that are equipped with Bluetooth® and wireless capabilities and connect seamlessly with your phone, TV or laptop. There are also very advanced feedback, wind noise and background noise minimizers. If you tried hearing aids once many years ago and were disappointed, it’s worth a shot to try them again.
Hearing aids can be very discreet
Hearing aids have been developed to fit in increasingly smaller and more discreet packages. Today, you can purchase hearing aids that fit completely in the ear canal, but even many of the behind-the-ear models are less noticeable due to color, shape and design.
There are other hearing loss solutions
Even if you’re not yet ready for hearing aids, there are many other hearing loss solutions on the market today. One great option is the CapTel captioned telephone. For many people with hearing loss, talking on the phone can be difficult because there is no possibility to use lipreading or gestures to infer meaning when you don’t hear correctly. However, the captioned telephone works like a regular phone, except that it has a large screen attached that displays captions of your conversation as you talk. You can use your remaining hearing and the captions to ensure that you never miss a word. Other assistive listening devices include personal amplifiers, FM neck loops or special things for the TV, depending on your needs and interests.
Just remember that hearing loss is a natural part of aging and very common – it’s nothing to be ashamed of.
