Perhaps you’ve noticed that communicating with your loved one has become a bit more difficult these days: You’re pretty certain it’s because they can’t hear like they used to, and you think that hearing aids may be a great next step for them.
Instead of gifting your loved one with hearing aids, you’ll want to get them involved in the process by talking to them about their hearing loss. Once they’ve shown signs of accepting their hearing loss, you’ll need to ensure that they understand some important facts about hearing aids.
Before you help your loved find the appropriate hearing aids, share these 4 hearing aid facts with them in order to help them set realistic expectations.
1. Hearing aids will improve your quality of life.
If your loved one has shown interest in hearing aids, they probably already know that wearing hearing aids will help them to hear better. What they may not know is that hearing aids can improve your overall well-being.
Hearing aids enhance your ability to communicate with others and, perhaps more surprisingly, your memory. As such, research has found that hearing aids can reduce depressive symptoms and even your chances of acquiring a memory-related disease, like Alzheimer’s.
2. Hearing aids can’t restore your hearing.
One of the most common misconceptions is that hearing aids will restore your hearing to what it was before you acquired hearing loss. While hearing aids can certainly help to treat hearing loss, they have their limitations.
The most common type of hearing loss, sensorineural hearing loss, is characterized by damage to the inner ear, which results in permanent hearing loss that cannot be restored. So while hearing aids can help you to hear better, they can only do so by amplifying the hearing you have left.
To help your loved one understand what lies ahead in their hearing aid journey, show them our YouTube video about What to Expect.
3. Hearing aids require an adjustment period.
Many new hearing aid wearers are disappointed to learn that you can’t simply hear better the first time you put your hearing aids on: In fact, hearing aids require a couple of weeks for your ears and brain to adjust to.
There are two recommended methods for adjusting to your new hearing aids, the Quick Start Method and the Gradual Method, and both involve gradually training your ears and brain to the new sounds you can now hear.
4. Selecting the right hearing aids is a process.
Maybe you’re loved one has said something like, “Can you just order my hearing aids for me?” While you could, no one can tell someone else how they hear best: Only you can determine what sounds best to you.
In this way, your loved one should understand that they will need to be involved in process of purchasing their hearing aids. At Advanced Affordable Hearing, they’ll simply need to visit our Online Hearing Check to identify their hearing loss level and select the best hearing aids for them.
Visit our step-by-step guide to helping your loved one to hear better: Is Your Loved One Ready to Start Wearing Hearing Aids?