Are you a part of our Facebook community? We recently asked our fans, “What’s one thing you wish other people understood about hearing loss?” Check out this great list and please add your own thoughts in the comments below! Visit us on Facebook to ‘like’ our page and join the conversation.
“If I need you to repeat something and I still can't understand what you said, change your words. Don't say ‘I'm going to the gym.’ ten times, louder each time you say it. Instead try, ‘I am going to workout.’ Sometimes it isn't the volume of your speech, it's word recognition.” – Lanie B.
“As an audiologist, I offer hearing aids as a way to treat a medical issue when someone is a candidate for such treatment. I am not just trying to ‘sell you something’ or force you into something that is not necessary. I care about your quality of life and brain health and until there is a magical pill or surgery for typical hearing loss, I am going to continue to offer what my profession supports through evidence-based practice! Trust your professional! – Lily H., Au.D.
“I wear Starkey hearing aids and love them. I find that the hardest thing for people who do not have hearing loss to understand is the fact that you know when you can't see, but you don’t know when you can't hear.” – Donna K.
“Getting people who are hard of hearing to get themselves help is a concern of mine. People need to see public service announcements that show hearing aids in a positive light. People need to be educated that life can be so much more enjoyable when they can hear, and wearing a hearing aid is not a sign of weakness or old age.” – Judy H.
"Wearing hearing aids is not the same as getting your normal hearing back. Get a person's attention before you speak. And speak clearly. Don't start talking and then walk away! Understand that even with the best hearing aids it is still hard to hear one person when multiple people are talking at same time. I have Halos and they are great but not perfect. Be patient!” – Patricia D.
“Volume will not always deliver clarity. If you have hearing loss, don't put off getting hearing aids. Wait too long and your ability to understand and adapt decreases.” – Tracey N.
“Hearing aids are like glasses for your eyes but most people don't see it that way. I have tinnitus and hearing loss and use the Xino devices. They have changed my life. Each one of us that has a hearing loss can educate those who don't.” – Lynn S.
“Hearing loss combined with loss of clarity and tinnitus is very frustrating even with hearing aids. It's difficult for both the affected person and those around us. I would just like people to try and understand that as monotonous as it is for them to have to repeat what they say, it's twice as monotonous and frustrating for us to have to keep asking them to repeat themselves. Patience on both parts is key.” – Dawn J.
“We need to educate normal hearing people on how to communicate with those of us who are hard of hearing. It's not just how loud you speak, it's also word recognition and articulation. Teach people to speak to you directly and not walk away, cover their mouths, whisper, and take your head out of the fridge if you are talking!” – Diane R.
“I don't know how many times I have heard a customer say to me, ‘If I would have known how much hearing aids would improve my hearing and life, I would have done it years ago!’”– Mike Tesch, hearing clinic patient care coordinator
“For me this is an easy question to answer. It's hard not to be able to hear like a person with normal hearing. It takes a lot of work to listen to what someone is saying or asking you.” – Kevin M.
“Sometimes the louder people speak, the more distorted the message becomes. I wear new Starkey hearing aids and can tell you without a doubt that people do mumble or turn their voice away from you when they speak.” – Donald J.
“Having a hearing loss doesn't mean that there's something wrong with you. Hearing aids are stigmatized as a sign of getting older, and there's often a negative and embarrassment association tied to them. What's more embarrassing: having a hearing device in your ear or constantly asking people to repeat themselves or missing out on life/conversations?” – Kelsey B.