03/04/2026
We've had lots of new people join so I'm sharing again.
My hearing aids are great and I love them! But they aren't called hearing miracles for a reason. Something many people don't know is that hearing device limits.
Some people say it's up to 12 feet but I think that depends on the situation. Is there background noise? That shrinks word discrimination and understanding. Harsh acoustics create reverberation and that makes it more difficult. How well the speaker enunciates and project their voice.
It also depends on the severity of the hearing loss. With a severe hearing loss, my maximum is 6 feet. BUT, if there's background noise and harsh acoustics, that number is going to be 2 to 3 feet.
Some people have low vision AND hearing loss. They prefer people to be closer. Without my glasses on, I need people to be within 3 feet for better sound. This also applies to lipreading skills and strategies. The closer people are, the more information I can pull in.
The distance is individual. It works differently for each of us. This week, work on finding your preferred distance. Then let other people know that works. Let's get rid of unrealistic expectations for hearing devices, together. The more we share, the more we all grow. Hearing people need to grow their know too.
