Benefits of Treating Hearing Loss with Hearing Aids
Living with a hearing impairment can have serious consequences for a person’s quality of life, but studies show that 15 million people in the US with hearing loss avoid seeking help. Some of those people may consider hearing aids might be too expensive to be a priority, but as untreated hearing loss worsens over time and can lead to a myriad of health and social problems, the costs of disregarding this condition may be far greater than investing in an aid. Here are areas of your life that will improve with the help of a hearing aid.
Your Health
Benefits for the brain
Hearing is done not only by the ears, but also by the brain, which can receive and process a vast number of audial signals at the same time. Therefore the act of hearing is one of the most important ways that the brain stays active and healthy during the course of its life. For those in the older generation with serious hearing loss, the reduced level of audial signals and stimulation to the brain can lead to a weakening of certain structures over time. Researchers argue that this vicious circle of under-stimulation and atrophy can increase the risk of dementia, cognitive decline, and worsening mental health. Wearing a hearing aid can potentially reduce these risks, as lost sound pathways are reconnected and certain areas of the brain find a reason to work again.
Regaining hearing also enables wearers to be more socially active and maintain social relationships, which also reduces the overall risk of cognitive decline.
Benefits for psychological health
According to the Canadian Hard of Hearing Association, hearing difficulties lead sufferers to mental and physical exhaustion from the work of trying to understand the people and world around them, which leads to “low self esteem, social isolation and anxiety or depression”. Hearing aids therefore offer an important barrier to these types of psychological effects.
Your Career
So many modern workplace relationships depend on clear face-to-face or phone communication. With hearing loss, the people most affected are those who work in the service industries, especially those who have to talk to clients or customers on the phone. This has an effect on performance, and by extension, earnings. According to the Better Hearing Institute, hearing loss has the potential to reduce earnings by up to $30,000. Those who get help in the form of a hearing device however will see that loss reduced by 90% if they have mild to moderate hearing loss, and up to 77% if they have severe hearing loss.
Your safety
Hearing devices offer enhanced directional perception. Sufferers who find it easier to hear in one ear than the other have a warped perception of their surroundings. This could lead to serious accidents if in areas with environmental hazards such as fast moving traffic. If you choose to use a hearing device, your hearing specialist will ensure you hearing is equal on both sides, allowing you to better detect potential hazards around you.
Your personal relationships
In a recent study about hearing loss, 48% interviewed admitted their marriages have suffered because of their spouses hearing loss. Assistive hearing devices play a vital role in maintaining romantic, family and friendship connections by facilitating clarity in communication.
They can also help restore poise in social situations by allowing the wearer to understand and contribute to conversations in noisy environments, picking up difficult to detect sounds like ‘s’ and ‘ch’, which are vital for picking up vocal cues an nuances of conversation.
Are you ready to experience the benefits of treating hearing loss with hearing aids? Contact us at Hear Care Rhode Island today!