Blogging from A to Z Challenge: H

Aging: The Good, the Bad, and the Tolerable

H is for Hearing

My 20-year-old grandson told me that his friend has the same hearing aids that I have. I was showing him how I can program my hearing aids on my I Phone to provide different sound levels and clarity depending on where I was. I try to be open about my aging challenges when I am with the grandchildren to take the mystique out of aging and soften the negative stereotypes. My grandson didn’t know why his friend wore hearing aids. He just did.

Recently, more younger folks suffer hearing loss from loud music venues. There is hearing loss from chronic diseases, infections, medications, and damage to the inner ear—not just from old age. Yet the stigma of wearing hearing aids is high among older folks because they don’t want to be judged as “OLD.” Therefore, there is a reluctance by the elderly to seek help for hearing loss. With time an older person with poor hearing will become more isolated, avoid social gatherings, and could eventually suffer cognitive decline.

When my mother began to lose her hearing, she told me that she didn’t need hearing aids. Me, my husband, and our two children, needed to stop mumbling. Later, she moved to an assisted living facility and gratefully accepted hearing aids when she met a new boyfriend. She wanted to hear what he was saying. Her social life and disposition improved dramatically.

Here is a podcast from The People’s Pharmacy: Stay Sharp Through Better Hearing, which covers the causes of hearing loss and what to do to make corrections, plus the latest advancements in hearing aids and information on the new, cheaper over-the-counter-hearing aids. This podcast is not just for the elderly population.