@jakedduck1

Hey Leonard

Age related hearing loss (Presbycusis) is so common and leads to loss of certain tones. Everyone does not hear the same as they did when younger….higher frequencies diminish even in those who do not need hearing aids and have no trouble understanding anyone. That plus any underlying medical conditions such as diabetes and any ototoxic medications taken over the years or subjection to loud noises also diminishes hearing.

You may not need aids. But , if you are concerned, why not schedule a hearing test. Have an audiologist test your word recognition scores and do some tone testing and bone conduction testing. You may have a mild loss in one or both ears. Go to an ENT practice and have your ears checked first by a Doctor to rule out any impacted wax or other condition. Then see an audiologist in that practice. If they say it is correctable by aids you can always trial one or a pair for 30 days (law) They are not cheap but you may do well at Costco. They may help but they are not miracle workers….that’s why they are called “aids”.

The thing about not getting aids is that you can help keep what you have and not have it deteriorate any further by keeping those little hair cells in the inner ear stimulated. Your problem with accents and understanding in crowds or when more than one person is talking is an indication, to me, that you have some loss. I suggest getting it checked out and, if you do go that route of trialing aids, get on the hearing thread here at Mayo…there is a wealth of information from experienced users…like myself. Diet is such an important factor too.

FL Mary

Properly fit hearing aids will probably help you. What you describe here is typical of sensorineural hearing loss. Accents are hard and understanding speech in noisy settings is too.