The Hearing Aid and Misinformation
Whether you suffer from auditory impairment yourself or are trying to help someone who does, it's common to deal with resistance to the idea of wearing a hearing aid. There are some misconceptions and hurdles you must overcome if you want to get the help you need.
No one wants to admit that they need help. Everything in our society preaches the idea of being self-sufficient. But getting an assistive listening device is hardly the same as giving up and moving into a nursing home. You have to do what you have to do to get by. Today's assistive devices may not be perfect,
but they can be a great help to those who can't hear as well as they should be able to. There are several misinformation regarding listening devices and it's important to be aware of them.
A Hearing Aid is Too Loud
It's true that these devices take some getting used to. This is less true today, however, than ever before. Modern models have developed technology that decreases background noises, reduces sharp highs, and modulates sound so that users are not subjected to a constant waffling between normal speech and ear-splitting sound. Many of the best digital devices on the market today don't even come with a control for volume. Instead, they are immensely capable at discerning automatically what needs to be amplified and what doesn't.
Surgery Instead of a Hearing Aid
With the popularity surrounding the advent of the cochlear implant, many people are under the misconception that this form of surgery is an alternative to the hearing aid. Unfortunately, this isn't the case. Cochlear implants and other forms of surgery are only effective for certain types of auditory impairment, and these cases make up less than 10% of all auditory loss instances. As it stands today, the hearing aid is still the most effective product on the market when it comes to helping someone hear better. If you have questions about the surgery, however, you should certainly talk to a specialist about the possibility.
I Can Wait
One of the worst things you can do is put off getting help for your auditory loss. The sooner you get treatment, the sooner you can adjust to the re-learning process that wearing one of these devices requires. But, there is another important reason to get help as soon as possible. The longer a person goes without being able to hear, the harder it will be for them to get help in the future. Over time, phonemic regression can occur, meaning that your brain will no longer be able to make proper sense of the sounds coming through your ear. Once this happens, assistive devices will no longer be as helpful as they once would have been.
