I discovered a blog that changes the way we should think about hearing aids and I couldn't explain it better. People tend to think that hearing aids are about getting old, but they are all about keeping you young. We've been thinking about them all wrong, but it's our fault as audiologists for not spelling it out correctly. Please read this article from an Irish blogger Geoffrey Cooling titled "You Have it all Wrong, Hearing Aids Aren't About Getting Old" that I found on hearingaidknow.com:
You Have it All Wrong, Hearing Aids Aren't About Getting Old
Written by Geoffrey Cooling
Published December 15, 2020
Hearing Aids Help You to Stay Young
You have it all wrong about hearing aids, but don't worry, I think that is our fault. I had a bit of a lightbulb moment the other day, I was thinking about why it takes so long for people to move from awareness of hearing loss to the adoption of hearing aids. The average right now is 6.2 years. That's better than it was, up to the last few years, it was actually between 7 and 10 years. Anyway, I realised something so simple, it was profound, it's our fault, I mean the professionals and the manufacturers, we have been framing hearing aids as solutions to problem areas in life. Many people equate those problems with getting old, as they do with hearing loss. So it is easy to simply think that hearing aids are about getting old. You know what, they aren't, hearing aids are all about keeping you young, I would go as far to say that hearing aids were anti-ageing, long before anti-ageing got fashionable. Let me explain.
The Original Anti Ageing Devices
No, they don't fix your wrinkles, but using them does help you to stay young for longer. They also help you to stay happy and engaged. As I said, they are the original anti-ageing formula. Hearing aids allow you to remain active socially. They help you to enjoy the situations that make life complete. They ensure that you don't stop doing what you love to do. They help you to stay engaged with the people and situations that you love.
Healthy, Active & Socially Engaged
Staying young is all about being active, healthy and socially engaged. Being active as we get older helps keep us healthy and happy. Being socially engaged helps keep our minds sharp. Being socially engaged helps keep us happy, we are social animals after all. If you have untreated hearing loss you are more likely to be socially isolated.
That social isolation plays havoc with our happiness and has a direct knock-on effect on our health. Social isolation also has a direct impact on cognitive decline, it accelerates it. If you aren't keeping the mind sharp, it withers. That's an over-simplification, but it is a valid description.
Who Has Time For Sitting Around?
You have worked all your life, been careful and made sure you are going to reap the rewards. You want to stay active, healthy and well for as long as you can. Who has time for getting old? There is far too much to do and explore.
Who has time for putting up with hearing loss? Pretending you know what is going on in social situations while all the while wishing you could go home? Becoming more and more frustrated because you feel left out. Leaving clubs and not undertaking activities because you couldn't be bothered. Doing that will make you old.
Hearing aids aren't for just solving problems for old people, hearing aids are keeping people young by enabling healthy, active lifestyles. You have been thinking about them all wrong for a while, but I still think that's our fault because we never spelt it out properly before.