What? What Did You Say?

I have this conversation with men from time to time about hearing loss. It usually goes something like this.

“My wife says I need hearing aids.”

“Is she right about that?”

“Yeah probably.”

“Have you been tested?”

“I probably should get a test, but no.”

As of October, 2024, I’ve been wearing hearing aids for two years. I was told several years ago that according to my hearing test, I was ready for them. Regardless of what the test said, I wasn’t ready to wear these things either in my ears or snuggled behind my them with those wires leading to my ear canal. I mean that would be acknowledging that I was growing older. People would see them, and I just might have to acknowledge that I’ve been on earth longer than I wanted to admit. The audiologist was sympathetic. She’d heard the same objections before. Or maybe she just sensed them from the dirty looks and suddenly puffed chests men deliver meant to signal “Hey, I still got it, Baby.”

Vanity and rage over the idea that we are getting older aren’t the only issues, of course. Part of the problem may be that prescription hearing aids are expensive. Even the ones sold over the counter can run $500 to $1,500. Note that these OTC units come with no professional support services, which I have found invaluable to have. Still, if finances are a consideration, over the counter devices are likely better than nothing.

A Doctor of Audiology gently explained to me that people would be much more likely to notice that I was experiencing hearing loss due to the number of times I asked “What?” a lot more than they would notice the actual hearing aids. I have found this to be true.

She also pointed out that without early treatment, it was quite possible that if I waited too long, even when I finally got around to using hearing aids, word recognition could well become harder to maintain. In other words, even if I could clearly hear what you say, my ability to understand your words might be diminished. Yikes!

If that news doesn’t send you for a hearing test, a new study led by researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health found that older adults with greater severity of hearing loss are more likely to have dementia. Moreover, the likelihood of dementia was lower among hearing aid users compared to non-users.

The audiologist I spoke with about this topic pointed out that people in their 30s who need hearing aids don’t usually struggle with the news that they need them. After all, they’ve been putting earbuds in their ears for years to talk on their cell phones and listen to music. For them it’s just another techie artifact placed on their heads. In other words, it’s cool.

If you’re having trouble hearing, get tested. And wear the damn hearing aids. Be cool, dude! You will be surprised by how quickly you adjust to them and you just might ward off other problems that will be significantly more troublesome.