You may have heard the slogan that Better hearing is better living. It does have a catchy sound to it, but there is more to sayings like this than smooth sounding marketing phrases. What is hearing, especially for those who grew up with good hearing? With normal hearing levels, children at six years of age express themselves with over 2500 words and understand more than 20,000! The most common gateway to the development of language is through the sense of hearing. With language comes an organized cognitive development and an active social exchange with others. Those of us who learned language primarily through hearing, don’t lose the words we have learned, but when we experience difficulty hearing, but we lose access to many words and complex thoughts from others which negatively impacts our quality of life.
Open Doors to a better Quality of Life
When someone we know is struggling to hear the full message in a conversation, it is time for them to investigate the cause of the problem and act on the recommendations that hearing professionals may offer. If the “someone” who is struggling is you, take control of the situation and seek some help! There are many causes of hearing loss, but the most common is age-related-hearing-loss. The term is a catch-all for several changes in our bodies that naturally take place with age. Hearing loss of this type can be helped a great deal, but not cured. The most common treatment for age related hearing loss is the use of hearing aids. Hearing aid technology has come a long way in recent years, and there are many ways in which hearing aids can improve your quality of life and benefit those around you. If you are living with hearing loss, here are some ways that hearing aids can transform your day-to-day life:
Communicate Better with Others
Do you often find you have to ask others to repeat themselves because you are unable to hear them clearly? If so, then you may feel as though your hearing impairment is a burden for others. As a result, your relationships with your loved ones could even suffer. By wearing hearing aids, and following effective communication tips offered by your hearing professional, you’ll be able to better hear and understand those around you, making it easier for you to communicate and giving you the confidence you need to participate socially without feeling like a burden.
Be More Confident at Work
Did you know that hearing loss could directly impact your success and earnings on the job? That is because difficulty hearing can drastically affect your job performance, especially if you work in an industry where you need to communicate with people regularly. Hearing aids will foster more confidence allowing better performance at work, which could in-turn boost your earnings potential and make you a better worker overall.
Stay Safer and More Alert
With hearing difficulties, one could miss an important phone call, an alarm, or even nearby emergency sirens while behind the wheel of a car. This could pose a serious safety risk not only to the individual, but others around as well. With hearing aids, sounds around us are sensed more clearly, which will result in a heightened state of awareness whether at home, at work, or somewhere in the community.
These are just a few of the many ways in which hearing aids can open the doors to an improved quality of life. If you would like to learn more about your hearing aid options, reach out to our team today.
References:
Owens, Jr., Robert E. (1996) Language Development: An introduction (fourth edition)
Stahl, Stephen A (1999). Vocabulary Development. Brookline, MA: Brookline Books.