The Dangers of Hearing Loss Procrastination!


I've done a little research on hearing loss procrastination and thought I would share it with you.

Procrastination can be the "silent thief" and here's why:




  1. Untreated hearing loss can permanently damage your ability to understand words.



  2. Hearing Loss has been Linked to Dementia...see http://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/news/media/releases/hearing_loss_and_dementia_linked_in_study


  3. Hearing loss is not something where you can recognize you have hearing loss--its not like you can see it for feel it. It get progressively worse without you even knowing it.



  4. Then, when you do discover you have hearing loss, your ideas about hearing loss (like they make you look old or you look handicapped, they squeal, or they do not work) causes you to put off doing something about it for years.


Hearing loss is your health issue. Hearing Loss will effect your quality of life. Hearing loss causes arguments with loved ones. Hearing loss can make you feel isolated. Hearing loss can affect how you meet new people or face new environments. Hearing loss can make you feel insecure. In the first few years of suffering from hearing loss you probably did not even know you have it.
Here is what Hearing loss can do:


  1. It can cheat you into thinking it is less of a problem than it actually is and you tell people that you are doing just fine. You hear what you hear--If you aren't hearing correctly, you don't know it. To you, what you hear is correct-others may notice your hearing loss before you do.




  1. Hearing loss, unlike many other health problems, does not develop quickly. It progresses very slowly. Its like boiling a lobster. Hearing loss will slowly steal your quality of life without you even knowing it.






  1. As your hearing decreases--as you age or your repeated exposure to loud noises, your brain is going to compensate without you even realizing it. For example, during conversation you may start reading lips or looking for facial expressions. Without these visual cues, lets say the person is in another room, or not facing you, you are not going to be able to understand what people are saying. As a result, you are going to put off doing anything about your hearing loss.




  2. Hearing aids will just not work for you. You may have have put off getting help for years. Then, when you finally get hearing aids you say the hearing aids don't work. What is happening here is that the aids are in fact improving your hearing to a normal level, but your brain no longer is able to interpret the sound signals as words. The hearing aids can provide sound correction to normal levels, but they cannot do the brain's job of processing sounds into intelligible words. This is where many people need to go for speech therapy.




So What are the Benefits of Hearing Aids?


Why get your hearing tested As Soon As Possible? The National Council on Aging says that the people who have improved their hearing with hearing aids are happier, more productive, more active, make more money, and yes, even have better sex lives compared to those who don't get help.


If you suspect you have hearing loss, or suspect someone close to you has hearing loss, I strongly urge you to get a hearing test/audiogram. If you receive a recommendation for a hearing aid, PLEASE DON'T PROCRASTINATE