The Advantages of Wearing Hearing Aids

Wearing Hearing Aids Offers Many Benefits to You and Your Family and Friends

When a degree of hearing loss has been confirmed and it is determined that hearing aids offer the best course of action, it may naturally be assumed that the latter are primarily intended to restore the former. After all, they are called hearing aids, so they must be worn to reinstate one’s hearing to its pre-loss level, right?

This is in fact an incorrect assumption – hearing aids do not directly restore hearing loss but rather amplify sounds to allow wearers to hear better and more clearly in everyday situations. Having clarified this misconception, and accepting the fact that the degree of hearing loss may be permanent, individuals may still question why it is recommended that they wear such devices.

Well, the answer is somewhat straightforward; there are a significant number of benefits to wearing hearing aids, for the individual as well as their family, friends, and colleagues. Hearing aids help resurrect many of the conveniences and pleasures in life that hearing loss takes away, and they reduce or eliminate many of the frustrations that often result from living with unattended hearing impairment.

Hearing aids can positively impact wearers and/or those with whom they interact in the following ways:

• Provide the ability to hear sounds that were previously being missed
• Conversing more freely with family/friends (less need for repetition)
• Capacity to use the phone or to hear speech more clearly during calls
• More comfort when watching television – volume kept at normal levels
• More attuned to auditory cues (phone, doorbell, public announcements)
• Improved participation in social gatherings and/or when in noisy settings
• Enhanced comprehension and performance at work or in the classroom
• Restored self-confidence and self-esteem in social or business settings
• Increased personal safety – earlier recognition of alerts (horns, sirens)

Of course, as seen with most products or devices, there may be some less-than-optimal features that should be highlighted in order to present a more balanced perspective. In the case of hearing aids, some potential disadvantages could/will be:

• Cost – upfront investment/purchase price can be high
• Comfort – a period of adjustment will likely be required
• Maintenance – regular cleanings and battery replacements
• Amplified sounds may include unwanted background noises
• Self-consciousness – need to overcome personal perceptions

Despite any of these possible encumbrances, the comprehensive benefits of hearing aids to wearers and their families and friends certainly favour an investment in these devices.

Hearing Aid Specialists Can Help Determine the Best Hearing Aid for Your Needs

Selecting a specific type of hearing aid will depend on several personal preferences and health-related factors. These considerations may include any or all of the following:

• The degree of hearing loss
• Your lifestyle preferences/needs
• The extent of your manual dexterity
• Your overall comfort with technology
• Budget and possible insurance coverage

In addition, personal comfort will be a factor as hearing aid can be worn in various ways:

• Behind-the-ear
• On-the-ear
• In-the-ear
• In the ear canal

The hearing aid specialists at Bravo Hearing Centre can offer valuable insight and advice on the choice of hearing aids that is best for your lifestyle and for the anatomy or shape of your ears.

If you or a family member require hearing aids and are uncertain about their value or appropriateness for your/their particular lifestyle, call the hearing aid specialists from Bravo Hearing Centre today at 647-694-4626 to book your free consultation and learn how these devices can positively and significantly impact everyday situations for you, your family, and your friends.