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Hearing Loss: Come introduce yourself and connect with others

Posted by Colleen Young, Connect Director @colleenyoung, Feb 5, 2019

Welcome to the Hearing Loss group on Mayo Clinic Connect.
This is a welcoming, safe place where you can meet people living with hearing loss, and friends and family supporters. Whether you were born deaf or hard of hearing, experienced hearing loss after birth or with aging, it helps to connect with others. Together we can learn from each other, support one another and share stories about living with hearing loss, coping with challenges and celebrating milestones.

Let’s chat. Why not start by introducing yourself? What is your hearing loss experience? Got a question, tip or story to share?

Interested in more discussions like this? Go to the Hearing Loss Support Group.

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daveshaw | @daveshaw | 4 days ago
In reply to @h2h "@daveshaw It is too bad that there is such a negative stigma, embarrassment, whatever one might..." + (show)
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@daveshaw It is too bad that there is such a negative stigma, embarrassment, whatever one might have, for admitting they have hearing loss and then wearing hearing aids that are "obvious" behind the ear ones. Even the industry promotes "low profile", "in the ear, hidden, nearly invisible...." reinforcing this negative thinking. These smaller HA won't have a telecoil. I want a hearing aid that still has a telecoil in it and eventually the new Auracast bluetooth LE. But several things have to also have this Auracast in them to work seamlessly with my hearing aids. Unfortunately, several HA maufacturers are starting to not make telecoils available with their HA and instead just putting in Auracast, which to me is very unsupportive of those who still want and need telecoils. Of course one likely has to ask their AuD to put in telecoils as it seems to be a rare AuD that automatically includes them or even tells their customers about them, frustrating. There are still thousands of places with hearing loops that won't be going away and it's still going to take years for Auracast to get installed in places. And when installed any current system should stay in place as well. Auracast will be wonderful when fully available and integrated, but it is still years away. The final criteria for it isn't coming out until Dec 2027 even.

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@h2h If you have severe to profound hearing loss you need to put your vanity in the rear view mirror and get the most powerful hearing aids on the market.
In my humble opinion Phonak with their I90 Sphere Ultra is far and away the best hearing aid on the market. Are they perfect? The answer is no but they are far superior to anything on the market today.
I would love to hear from others out there with severe to profound hearing loss.

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h2h | @h2h | 3 days ago

IMO, no matter what level of hearing loss one has, they need to not be embarassed in telling people and becoming an advocate for better service, such as an assistive listening device at a bank tellers window, or govt office counters, doctor offices counters and in exam rooms, hospitals, etc...

I'd be interested in trying out the aids you have, but I know it varies from person to person how well a certain HA might work. For some, certains one's work great, for others not as well due to level of hearing loss, type of hearing loss, and other factors.

Fortunately I'm only at the moderate to severe level of hearing loss, so far.

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