A hearing aid that works well and fits the person’s hearing loss can be very helpful.
If you have a hearing loss and if the hospital offers you a hearing aid then say yes. If your hearing cannot be restored to normal by either surgical or medical means then accept the offer of a hearing aid or hearing aids. Further, if you feel that you have a hearing loss that causes you a problem, but the hospital does not offer you a hearing aid, then ask about having one.
A well fitted aid can take some of the strain out of listening and this means that the person may be less tired at the end of the day. A well fitted hearing aid can mean that the person makes fewer mistakes and this can mean fewer embarrassing incidents. It can lead to the person feeling more relaxed and less stressed.
A well fitted hearing aid can lead to greater independence and less relying on other people. There are many advantages to a hearing aid such as hearing warning sounds ad feeling less cut of from everyday life.
FAQs Frequently asked questions, and frequent comments about getting a hearing aid:
FAQ 5.a. How soon should I get a hearing aid? People who have years of experience in issuing hearing aids have found that the sooner people get their first hearing aid the better. People who have worn hearing aids successfully for years generally agree and many wish that they had started wearing them sooner.
There have been various explanations, including that the brain forgets how to interpret the signals it gets from the ears.
However, the main point here is that hearing aids are frequently found to be useful so why wait any longer than necessary to get them?
FAQ 5.b. Everybody keeps nagging at me to get a hearing aid. I don’t want one. Do I have to get a hearing aid? This is an interesting question. Nobody has to get a hearing aid. It has to be your decision. It is your choice. However it’s worth remembering that hearing aids have been designed to HELP people not to make them miserable. Hearing aids can lead to a less stressful life because listening with a hearing aid can be a lot less hard work than trying to hear without one.
FAQ 5.c. The people I know have found hearing aids to be useless: If the appropriate aid hearing aid has been carefully fitted the chances are that it will not be useless. It is important to persevere with a hearing aid even if it does not work well at first. It is very rare that a person with a hearing loss gets no help whatsoever from a hearing aid.
The reasons why some people find a hearing aid to be of no use include:
- the person may not have been given the most appropriate aid for them
- the mould may not be comfortable
- they may not have been given enough advice
- the advice may have been inappropriate for them
- they may not have had the confidence to practice using it
Some people find it very easy to start wearing hearing aids as they gain benefit from the start. However, many people take several months to get the best out of a hearing aid and they find that need a lot of practice in different situations.
At first a hearing aid may seem muffled, tinny and uncomfortable. However, these are all problems which can usually be solved by either practice or returning to the clinic for further help and adjustment.
FAQ 5.d. Won’t a hearing aid damage my hearing? If you have been given the appropriate aid for your hearing loss then a hearing aid should not damage your hearing if they have been well fitted to suit your needs.
FAQ 5.e. Won’t a hearing aid make me look old? Not really, since people of all ages wear hearing aids – including babies and children. Also, if the hearing aid reduces the strain of hearing you probably won’t feel so old because you won’t feel so tired.