Don’t Believe Everything you Hear: Top 5 Hearing Aid Myths revealed

Hearing aids were developed to help facilitate and amplify sound for
those who are hard of hearing. Since hearing loss is linked with
depression it can be said that hearing aids improve the quality of life
by giving people a second chance.  However, only one in five people
with deafness actually purchase a hearing aid. Consider the myths, and
the facts, surrounding this tiny, yet amazing, technology.

Myth number 1: Hearing aids are only for the elderly.

It is true that as you grow older the chances of someone being
affected by hearing loss is more prominent. Age, however is only one of
many factors that contribute to hearing loss. Most experts agree that it
is experience instead of age that contributes to hearing loss. Each
time your ears are exposed to a noise, the individual cells within the
cochlea are prone to damage. Stress can also cause incremental damage to
these cells.

Myth number 2: If I needed a hearing aid, I would know it. 

One of the most common affects of hearing loss is denial. Many people
want to deny that they are hard of hearing and choose to not get
immediate help. Just like anything else that gradually happens over
time, you may not have an accurate perception of just how poorly you are
able to hear sounds. There is also a misconception about what
constitutes hearing loss. It is not just that you lose your ability to
hear at certain volumes. Hearing loss also includes difficulty hearing
particular pitches or frequencies.

Myth number 3: Hearing aids will restore my hearing to normal.

Hearing aids will not return your ability to hear, but rather,
amplify the sounds you are unable to hear. In doing so, hearing aids
will undoubtedly introduce you to a new world
of sounds that will take some getting used to. The audio and physical
experience will take some getting used to. Many people even think their
own voice sounds strange. But over time your listening skills will adapt
to the amplification.

Myth number 4: Hearing aids are large and uncomfortable

Many people have not seen the latest technological advances and
designs that make hearing aids nearly invisible.
“Completely-in-the-Canal” (CIC) instruments are available for many
hearing losses, and these amazingly small hearing aids are so
technologically advanced that they’ve made most old-fashioned hearing
aids obsolete.

Myth number 5: Hearing aids are really expensive

Hearing tests are free. The very best hearing aids available are well
within the reach of most people. Any way you look at it, a hearing aid
could be the best investment you can make. Make sure to visit your local
Hearing center to get screened and speak to a professional audiologist.