Recently, I met a man who had worn hearing aids for four years. We’ll call him George. George was deeply resigned because he still had to work extremely hard to understand a conversation. When in a social gathering with more than four people, he tended to withdraw because it was impossible to follow the conversation with any background noise.
Here are some of my favorite parts about this message…
I first tested George’s speech discrimination to determine how well he was understanding with his current hearing aids. He only scored 48%. No wonder he was struggling. I then conducted Avalon’s EDUCATIONAL Hearing Test and ended it with another Speech Discrimination Test using my Master Hearing Aid. A Master Hearing Aid simulates hearing aids and is an excellent predictor of how well a person can actually hear and understand if fitted properly with the right hearing aids. George scored 88%! Going from 48% to 88% would change his life and the lives of his loved ones. This would truly be a gift – the gift of clear hearing – one of the most precious gifts available today.
George couldn’t believe how clear he heard.
His eyes and face lit up when he heard so well. But sadly, he had become so resigned that he would not entertain the idea of getting new hearing aids. I was truly surprised. I even offered to loan him some of the new hearing technology to test drive for a week so he could hear it for himself. Because hearing is believing. George declined that offer, too.
At Avalon, we are committed to educating people, first.
I educated George on the importance of stimulating what was left of his hearing. This is a conversation I usually have with people with untreated hearing loss. But it also applies to anyone currently wearing hearing instruments. If your current hearing aids are not stimulating your hearing and brain enough, you may also suffer from auditory deprivation, much like George. Most people wearing hearing aids don’t know about this.
Over the years, the brain actually loses its ability to process sounds that it no longer hears. The saying, “If you don’t use it, you lose it.” applies here. This phenomenon is known as auditory deprivation. Even when those forgotten sounds are reintroduced through amplification, the brain may not be able to effectively use this new information. Sounds may be amplified but may not be clear. That’s one of the reasons why everyone’s experience with hearing aids is so very different. It has to do with how one’s hearing aids are programmed AND what is left of your ability to understand spoken language.
Are you struggling with UNDERtreated hearing loss?
UNDERtreated hearing loss is a phrase that I made up! If you wear hearing aids, the secret is to keep them programmed to match your hearing loss, giving you the best stimulation and clarity possible. Be sure to have your hearing tested every two years.
Just the other day, one of my patients came in with her three-year old instruments. Glenda was only getting 64% understanding. After retesting her hearing and reprogramming her hearing aids, I was able to bring her clarity back to 96%. Glenda left our office much happier!
With today’s technologies, you don’t have to struggle as long as you haven’t suffered from too much auditory deprivation. If you choose not to adequately stimulate your hearing, your speech recognition may be dropping.
Slipping into resignation was detrimental to George and his loved ones.
Now, back to George…George treated his hearing loss by getting hearing aids years ago but they no longer matched his hearing needs. I believe that George was angry because he never liked his hearing aids in the first place. I was now suggesting a new set of hearing instruments. He needed a little time to come to terms with this idea. And sure enough, two weeks later he called and was ready to go for that 88% clarity. George was now willing to give up his resignation and give himself and his loved ones, the gift of clear hearing!