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I'm completely new to the world of hearing aids. Advice please.
Hearing Loss | Last Active: Mar 1 2:29pm | Replies (120)Comment receiving replies
Unfortunately, most of my medical records and personal documents have been repeatedly lost or stolen. However, the audiologist's office in Vienna is here:
https://maps.app.goo.gl/hBgpAgv4ax7gF1HPA
I might have a digital copy floating around somewhere. That is one of them. There is another.
I think it is the social isolation and lack of brain stimulation that is associated with dementia, not the hearing loss.
I forget the name of the audiologist, but I am sure I can find it if necessary.
I stopped using my hearing aids for the most part over the last few months because I do not necessarily always need them to hear well enough.
I must have visited their office about 6 times or so before having the hearing aids tuned up. Audiology is fascinating.
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I encourage you to use your hearing aids as much as possible. It takes time to get used to hearing aids. The ear needs to adjust to them.
There are numerous studies that relate cognitive decline to hearing loss, especially when it goes untreated. Much of that research has been done at Johns Hopkins and also at Stanford University. It is not conclusive. However, the isolation that hearing loss often causes, can lead to loneliness and possibly depression. When we feel cut off from other people it hurts deeply. It brings on fear, frustration and auditory fatigue. It hurts when we know we tend to respond out of context because we feel lesser.
When we stop doing things we always enjoyed doing we appear to be declining even if we are not. These are realities of adult onset hearing loss. It is up to us to find ways to help ourselves. That includes letting people know we do not hear well, along with knowing how to explain our unique needs to them.
We are bombarded with hearing aid advertisements that suggest we hide our hearing loss by buying 'invisible' hearing aids, or hearing aids that are 'so small no one knows you are wearing them'. This markets denial and leads a lot of people to avoid seeking the help they need.
Hearing aids vary. As stated earlier and by a few others, we help ourselves when we know that we should insist on specific features like telecoils, Bluetooth, manual volume controls, and even disposable batteries in many cases. We should also insist that providers tell us how these options work and demonstrate them for us. We should not have to read 'the find print' to learn.
Yes, audiology is fascinating. Over the counter products are changing things. It is important to understand, though, that well fitted hearing aids done by a professional are far more likely to be helpful for anyone who has hearing loss that is greater than mild or moderate.