Everyone likes to assume that their bodies will mostly remain fit and healthy as they get older. The truth is, some people can experience medical problems, either caused by illnesses they developed, trauma, or due to hereditary factors.
For example, hearing loss will affect many individuals as part of the aging process. But, it can also happen due to other factors, such as not protecting your hearing from loud noises.
If you feel concerned about your hearing or that of a loved one, you will undoubtedly want some help navigating the subject of hearing loss and what to do next.
The obvious answer, of course, is for you or your loved one to get a hearing test conducted by an audiology clinic. In moderate to severe cases of hearing loss, the audiologist may recommend that you (or your relative) wear hearing aids.
Do you think you or your loved one need to wear hearing aids? If so, the following five points describe what it’s like living with moderate to severe hearing loss and using hearing aids each day:
1. Hearing Loss Is Tiring
Firstly, as a person’s hearing significantly diminishes, it becomes incredibly exhausting living with it at times. That’s because you have to spend much of your time trying to decipher what people are saying to you or understanding what gets said on television or at the movies.
You have to constantly process in your mind what people are saying before you can understand and respond. Such processing is tiring.
2. Hearing Aids Don’t Restore Lost Hearing
Some people have the assumption that hearing aids are like eyeglasses: they can quickly fix hearing loss and result in people having normal levels of hearing again. Sadly, that’s not the case. The only thing that hearing aids can do is amplify the sound that enters your ears.
3. Some People Might Think You Are Rude
Another problem with hearing loss is that some individuals might assume you are rude because you haven’t acknowledged something they said to you. The reality is you likely didn’t hear what they said to you, especially if they spoke to you from a distance.
When someone is hard of hearing, it makes sense to speak to them face to face; doing so means they will have a better chance of hearing what you say and understanding what you tell them.
4. Hearing Aids Need Regular Maintenance
Hearing aids aren’t devices that require no maintenance. You will need to clean them periodically and either recharge or replace the batteries inside of them when they get low. What’s more, you may need to clean some internal components if they have water ingress.
5. There Is No Cure for Hearing Loss
One final point to keep in mind is you can’t pay a surgeon lots of money to restore your hearing to its former glory. There is no cure for hearing loss; at least, not yet.
The only thing you can do is work with what you’ve got, using hearing aids and making some lifestyle adjustments to accommodate for your hearing loss.