Hearing aids are compact devices that slip into the ear and magnify sounds.
Today’s hearing aids are smaller, lighter, more dependable and more effective than those of 20 or 30 years ago.
Our health experts have compiled the following list of the most important benefits of hearing aids.
10 Benefits Of Hearing Aids
If you have difficulty hearing consider the many benefits of today’s best hearing aids.
1: Hearing aids can encourage better physical fitness.
That’s because people who experience hearing loss often become reluctant to go running, play sports or visit the health club. Some of this reluctance is born out of a fear of stigmatization. But there is also a very real, scientifically quantifiable risk involved when people with hearing loss exercise. Researchers at Johns Hopkins have confirmed that hearing loss brings with it a much greater risk of falling (1). This should probably not be a big surprise since hearing and balance are so closely linked (2). But whether a surprise or not, it can impede a person’s ability to work out.
2: Hearing aids may help reduce the risk of dementia.
This has come as something of a shock to many people but recent studies have revealed what seems a pretty clear relationship between hearing loss and the onset of dementia (3). The good news, however, is that wearing a hearing aid has been shown to reduce the chances of developing hearing loss related dementia (4). That in itself is a very exciting development. But it needs to be more widely disseminated. Because only a small portion of people who suffer hearing loss ever do anything about it. As such, they leave themselves vulnerable to developing dementia.
3: Hearing aids can improve a person’s social life.
It’s hard to have a conversation at a party if you can’t hear what the other person is saying. It’s hard to enjoy the symphony if you can’t distinguish between the sounds of the different instruments. And it’s hard to enjoy the beach if you can’t hear the sound of the waves gently lapping at your feet. A hearing aid can return all of these aural experiences to your everyday experience and greatly enhance your social life.
4: Hearing aids make your world safer.
About this there can be little doubt. Particularly for people who live in crowded urban settings where hazards are everywhere. Not being able to hear cars coming, someone calling out from a bicycle or the horn on a truck or bus warning you to get out of the way makes the world a far more dangerous place for people with hearing loss. Fire alarms, smoke alarms and other warning devices may also go unnoticed by people with impaired hearing. Hearing aids can correct that.
5: Hearing aids can reduce symptoms of tinnitus.
A hearing aid should not be considered a cure for tinnitus. But there is compelling evidence that suggests a good hearing aid can greatly reduce the symptoms of tinnitus. One survey of hearing professionals determined that 60% of patients reported a reduction in tinnitus symptoms when wearing a hearing aid (5). Many hearing aid users also report that they feel less tinnitus-related stress when wearing their hearing aid.
6: Hearing aids can increase your earning potential.
In today’s non-stop, 24 hour global business environment it’s important that you be on top of your game. And that’s true whether you are an employee or you own your own business. Being able to hear clearly what your boss or customer is trying to say can make the difference between success and failure and greatly enhance your earning potential. Studies back this up by demonstrating that those suffering from hearing impairment suffer from reduced academic performance and lower earning potential (6).
7: Hearing aids can improve your quality of life.
You have 5 senses and being deprived of any one of them is going to greatly impact your overall quality of life. We tend to take our senses for granted until we are threatened with losing one. And hearing loss is one of the most common types of sensory deprivation (7). Being able to hear properly again will have a positive effect on virtually every aspect of your life.
8: Hearing aids help young people realize their potential.
People are often shocked when they learn a child has difficulty hearing. But they shouldn’t be. The statistics are clear and disturbing: many thousands of children are born each year in the US with impaired hearing (8). Because children often go undiagnosed their parents are puzzled as to why they may not be performing well in school. If you suspect your child may have difficulty hearing have your doctor administer a hearing test. If they are hearing impaired a hearing aid could make all the difference in their life both short and long term.
9: Hearing aids allow people to take back control of their life.
It’s hard not knowing what people are saying to you. It’s scary thinking you could walk out into the street and not hear a car bearing down on you. It’s hard to understand what’s going on if you can’t hear the cashier talking to you, the contractor explaining things to you or your child trying to explain a problem they’re having at school or in life. Hearing aids enable people to regain a level of control over their life, their home, their business and their personal interactions.
10: Hearing aids can improve self-esteem.
This is true regardless of the person’s age or background. There are myriad stigmas associated with hearing loss and all of them take a psychological toll on the individual. They are considered ‘stupid’ ‘high maintenance’ or shunned in other ways (9). And while those of us who can hear might not think about it, this kind of social stigmatization can have a profoundly negative effect on a person’s self esteem. Having their hearing restored can go a long way toward repairing the damage.
Conclusion
Besides the obvious benefit of helping people with hearing disabilities today’s hearing aids provide a wealth of secondary, lifestyle benefits.
Among other things they can improve a person’s social life, make it safer for them to venture out in public, help young people with hearing issues excel in school and improve a person’s self-esteem.