Why People Avoid Treating Hearing Loss - and Why You Should Schedule a Hearing Test!

There are lots of reasons people give for avoiding a hearing test, but there are even more reasons why you should get a hearing test. So, stop putting it off and call Hearing Consultants today for a painless hearing evaluation that will make your life better!

Avoiding Bad News

We get it. No one likes bad news and taking a hearing test seems to be inviting bad news. But hearing loss can be treated and we’re here to get you through all those issues you think are part of the ‘bad’ news.

You Are Not Alone

In the United States, hearing loss is the third most prevalent medical issue, ranked behind arthritis and heart disease. A lot of adults wait up to five years after they think they are experiencing hearing loss to get it checked and corrected. Let’s face it, no one likes bad news. And avoiding a hearing test is like, well, not getting bad news. Are you using any of the following reasons for not getting a test?

• You think it will take surgery to fix the problem. Not likely, only five to 10% of hearing loss cases need a surgical option to correct them. For the rest, one of the pretty awesome new hearing aid options will work just great!
• I only have hearing loss in one ear. Actually, you probably have hearing loss in both ears, but one ear is better than the other, so you are favoring that ear. How disconcerting for someone you may be talking to if you keep shifting your heard to one side or re-adjusting for your “good” ear. Hearing aids can correct the issue in both ears and give you better comprehension of what is going on.
• Hearing loss means I am old. Well, hearing loss can be a natural progression of aging, but hearing loss affects all age groups. Six million people between the ages of 18 and 44 have hearing loss and more than 1 million school-age children have hearing loss.
• My family doctor would have told me if I need hearing aids. While hearing associations are getting more and more general physicians and internists to routinely recommend hearing tests – many still don’t. It is likely you seem to be hearing fine in the quiet doctor’s office. Perhaps you are turning up the television and radio more and more to hear it, but that’s not a question routinely asked by a family doctor.
• Hearing loss is a normal part of aging and I will just get used to it. You didn’t say that when you got your glasses prescription changed, did you? So why wouldn’t you get your hearing corrected?
• Hearing aids are ugly. Nonsense! We aren’t talking about you getting those big flesh-colored pieces of plastic your grandparents had. Hearing aids now are tiny, discreet turbo-charged wonders that let you stream from your television, your phone, or your laptop.

Why You Should Get a Hearing Test

Injuries from falls are one of the main reasons seniors find themselves in long-term care facilities. Loss of hearing affects your balance and makes you accident-prone. It can impact your driving ability. Will you hear a siren? Will you get distracted trying to follow a conversation in your car and watch the roadway? Do you want to risk losing your independence and your driver’s license?

People with untreated hearing loss tend to start isolating themselves because they don’t want to deal with the challenges of following a conversation in a group setting. Or, they don’t want to be ridiculed for making an inappropriate comment because they misunderstood what was being said. This leads to depression and a decline in cognitive abilities because you are no longer exercising your brain in a lot of ways that keep it sharp.

What Are You Waiting For?

There are hearing aid models that fit behind the ear, have tiny receivers that fit over the ear – and look cool and trendy considering they seem to be a phone accessory – and hearing aids that are invisible and fit entirely in the ear canal. There are special hearing aids to help you hear music better, that can adjust to wind noise, so you can enjoy the outdoors, and digital hearing aids just need to be recharged instead of you having to worry about batteries. And, you can test drive the model you chose so you won’t be spending money on something you won’t use.

Get energized, get re-engaged, and get a hearing exam today. Call Hearing Consultants and start enjoying all your senses again.