Hearing Aids are sophisticated electronic devices that a person with hearing loss can use to help them hear better again. But the decision to purchase and use one is often met with resistance because of misinformation. In this blog article, we will be debunking 7 of the most common myths about hearing aids.
“Hearing aids are only for people who are old.”
People may also think that hearing aids make one look old. These are very common misconceptions regarding hearing aid users since it stems from the fact that one’s hearing will worsen as one ages. But it is definitely not true that hearing aids are only for people who are old or make one look old.
Hearing loss can happen to people of any age, not just people who are older. Causes of hearing loss include prolonged exposure to loud noises on a regular basis (either at work or during recreational activities), certain diseases or infections, and even some medical treatment like chemotherapy, etc. The list goes on and they can affect people of any age group – not just the elderly.
The social stigma of how wearing hearing aids makes one look old exists, but when you don’t wear hearing aids, there are much more problems that will arise. This includes:
Not being able to have engaging conversations with your loved ones
You can’t enjoy the activities you love
Possible health issues like poorer cognitive function and dementia
Just like how one would was spectacles for their vision problems, using hearing aids for one’s hearing loss issues is perfectly acceptable as well and no one should shame you for it.
“Wearing hearing aids or not, there’s not much difference.”
This myth stems from how people think that hearing aids wouldn’t make a significant difference in their lives. They tend to feel that even with a pair of hearing aids, the activities they do will still be the same – such as talking with their friends, having fun with their hobbies, work, etc., so buying one is basically redundant.
That couldn’t be further from the truth. With hearing aids, everything sounds much more complete, especially when you talk to your loved ones. Their voices and laughter will sound much clearer, you can have a better experience interacting with them, and also feel that your time spent with them is much more fulfilling.
“I don’t need hearing aids since I’m used to how sounds are already.”
This is also another common myth among people with hearing loss. Thinking that they have been living with hearing loss for such a long time, they have already gotten used to how everything sounds, so there’s no need for change.
In fact, according to the Hearing Loss Association of America, people with hearing loss wait an average of 7 years before seeking any help. People live so long with hearing loss that they get used to it and don’t feel the need to get hearing aids. But they’re simply missing out on much more enjoyment in life as described earlier, that is better interactions with their loved ones and a complete hearing experience with their daily activities.
“The cheaper hearing aids device will work well enough for me.”
People who have decided to get a pair of hearing aids tend to feel that they just need to get one that helps them make sounds louder. But cheap hearing aids often have many issues such as lacking important features and most importantly poorer sound quality. Users of cheaper hearing aids tend to complain that the sounds don’t sound natural, and there’s a lot of background noise. Instead of making their lives more enjoyable, these hearing aids could introduce a whole new set of inconveniences.
With hearing aids that are slightly more costly, sound quality and background noise cancellation is significantly better. Of course, your audiologist will recommend a pair that is best suited to your needs but don’t fall into the trap of thinking that you just need hearing aids to make sounds louder and settle with the cheapest one possible. Many factors come into play as well when providing you with a more complete hearing experience. Investing in a slightly more expensive pair is likely to be better for you in the long run.
“My hearing will get worse if I rely too much on hearing aids.”
Some people think that by relying on hearing aids, their brain “forgets” what sounds are like normally. It’s a weird misconception since it should be the other way around – with hearing loss one will hear fewer sounds, so the brain and the ear gets stimulated less and less, and perform worse over time.
As such, it’s even more important for someone with hearing loss use hearing aids and keeps their ears and brain stimulated so that they don’t get worse over time.
If you’re a new hearing aid user, wearing your hearing aids for prolonged periods of time might be exhausting. Slowly get used to them by taking small breaks, and gradually increase the duration of how long you wear them. Read more on our 7 tips for using hearing aids for the first time.
“Hearing aids spoil very easily.”
Hearing aids only spoil easily if they are not properly maintained and cleaned regularly. If done properly, most hearing aids can last up to 5 years, otherwise, you would have to replace them probably every 2 years or shorter and spend a hefty sum of money to do so.
Cleaning removes and prevents the buildup of earwax on your hearing aid, but also removes moisture, which can cause corrosion of the internal components of the hearing aid like the speaker, microphone, or battery, significantly reducing the lifespan of the hearing aid.
If you need guidance on cleaning and maintaining your hearing aids, read up more on our tips here.
“Hearing aids are too loud.”
While this might be true for hearing aids 20-30 years ago, hearing aids today are much more advanced and allow the user to adjust its volume without the help of an audiologist.
Many of such complaints also come from how background noise such as the rustling of leaves and the flipping of pages might sound too loud. Though sometimes the user’s sound settings may be too high, it could also just be the user not being used to them, since they haven’t been able to hear them this clearly before using hearing aids.
Ultimately, if you feel that your hearing aids are too loud, you just have to get it adjusted, either by yourself or with the help of your audiologist. Many softer sounds that you weren’t able to hear before may sound loud all of a sudden, but once you get used to it, they will no longer bother you as much anymore.
Conclusion
That concludes our 7 myths about hearing aids. It may be difficult to get navigate through all the information available on hearing aids and hearing loss and decide whether or not they’re true or false. If you need more information, don’t hesitate to contact us as we have audiologists ready to help you.
The Hearing Centre – Best Hearing Aids in Singapore
If you are searching for the best hearing aids in Singapore, look to The Hearing Centre. We are a pioneer in providing the top-quality hearing aids to the hearing impaired for over 17 years and counting. Our experienced team provides a full suite of hearing-related services from consultation, to assessment, hearing aid fitting, and post-care, all tailored to your individual needs.
With many years of strong partnership with some of the leading hearing aid manufacturers in the world, we provide customers with the best quality hearing aids at most affordable prices and are proud to operate with high standards of integrity.
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