21/02/2025
Why do so many people delay seeking help for hearing loss? The stigma of hearing loss is a common thread, creating barriers that go beyond the practical and into the deeply personal.
Untreated hearing loss doesn't just affect the ability to hear; it impacts relationships, social participation, career performance, and overall quality of life.
How serious is the problem? A study published by the US National Institutes of Health showed that people with hearing loss wait an average of 8.9 years before seeking treatment. Significantly, the study found those with mild to moderate high frequency hearing loss (the most common type) wait even longer. Why the wait?
The ‘stigma’ is attached to hearing loss because either people don't think they're old enough to start wearing hearing aids, or the hearing aids are going to make the person wearing them look much older. However, in reality, if you think about, nobody else cares; it's all in the mind of the hearing impaired person.
Do you yourself look at a person wearing hearing aids and say "Wow, they look really old now". I don't think so. Again, you don't care, as long as they are getting out and about still enjoying life, rather than staying at home with the hearing loss.
At Accent Hearing, we see so many people who have waited far too long to do something about their loss, who are now in their 80's, have moderate to severe hearing losses, poor dexterity, have driven families into despair with them having to repeat things all the time, are quite slow in moving around and now want to try hearing aids! By then, sometimes it's way too late, as they can't manage to get them in their ears, the technology with connectivity to mobile phones these days is beyond them and they can't adapt to the louder sounds.
Brain plasticity (rewiring of neurons and assigning sound to different pathways of the brain) is a huge part of adapting to the normal sounds of daily life again. By the time you turn 80, things have slowed right down, including all mentioned above, not to mention cognitive abilities and your working memory of the brain. Your brain is using more cognitive capacity if you have hearing loss, having to focus more on listening skills and trying to read lips, making you feel more tired or exhausted. Don’t wait 8-10 years before doing something if you want to have a good relaxing life in your senior years with a hearing loss, your family and friends will be forever grateful.
