Why Do Deaf People Wear Hearing Aids

Can I Prevent Hearing Impairment

Many cases of hearing loss or deafness are not preventable; however, hearing loss caused by loud noise can be prevented, and prevention efforts can start at any age . There are steps you can take to reduce your risk of this type of hearing loss.

The intensity of sound is measured in units called , and any sounds over 80 decibels are considered hazardous with prolonged exposure. These include things like loud music, sirens and engines, and power tools such as jackhammers and leaf blowers.

To reduce the risk of permanent hearing damage, you can:

• Turn down the volume on your stereo, TV, and especially the headset on your music player.
• Wear earplugs if you’re going to a loud concert or other event . Special protective earmuffs are a good idea if you operate a lawn mower or leaf or snow blower, or at a particularly loud event, like a car race. If you feel your hearing is different after being at an event with a lot of noise , it means you’re probably experiencing a temporary hearing loss due to noise. Don’t worry, it will go away , but it means that next time you want to participate in the same event, you should wear protection for your ears to avoid a permanent hearing loss.
• See your doctor right away if you suspect any problems with your hearing, and get your hearing tested on a regular basis.

Hearing Loss And Deafness

A person who is not able to hear as well as someone with normal hearing hearing thresholds of 20 dB or better in both ears is said to have hearing loss. Hearing loss may be mild, moderate, severe, or profound. It can affect one ear or both ears, and leads to difficulty in hearing conversational speech or loud sounds.

‘Hard of hearing’ refers to people with hearing loss ranging from mild to severe. People who are hard of hearing usually communicate through spoken language and can benefit from hearing aids, cochlear implants, and other assistive devices as well as captioning.

‘Deaf’ people mostly have profound hearing loss, which implies very little or no hearing. They often use sign language for communication.

David Smith The Olympian

Unlike other types of hearing loss which are gradually acquired, David was born with hearing loss. His profound hearing loss meant that he had 80-90% hearing loss. With that level of hearing loss, David is nearly completely deaf. However, he and his parents were determined to never let his lack of hearing hold him back. David played sports and went to school along with other children with intact hearing.

As David continued to succeed in volleyball, he ended up playing college volleyball for UC Irvine from 2004-2007. In his final year, David was named to two prestigious teams, the NCAA All-Tournament team and the All-American first team, thanks to his play during the 2007 national NCAA tournament.

After his time in college, David went off to play professional volleyball, leading him to part of the 2012 Olympic mens volleyball team as a substitute. Then, in the 2016 Olympic games, David also was on the mens volleyball team when they won the bronze medal in Rio de Janeiro. And now, with the recent win in this past August, the U.S. mens volleyball team, which David still plays for, has just won their bid for the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo.

With such an exciting career that requires clear communication with teammates and coaches, it can be hard to understand how David is able to perform an elite athlete with profound hearing loss. David attributes his success to using a combination of hand signs, lip-reading, and powerful hearing aids.

Don’t Miss: Why Are My Ears Ringing All The Time

Make It More Obvious For Other People

Number five is to make it obvious, to make it more visible, to make other people more aware.

Because obviously, deafness is invisible. Its not something that is immediately obvious to people, and that can be a bad thing.

So maybe by wearing the hearing aids, especially if they are of different color, maybe slightly brighter color, then maybe it just makes it more easier for other people to get a heads up, like an FYI, if youre speaking to me, Ive got hearing aids on, just so youre aware.

So its like a subtle nudge for some people and then from there, the hope is that when you communicate with deaf people, then you are aware of certain situation like, you know, dont be in a noisy environment or make sure youre in well-lit room; all these other things Ive talked about it in a separate place. Ive talked about communicating with deaf people and you should check out the resources as well.

But it does help to make other people more aware because its not that obvious for everyone.

Social Stigma In The Hearing World

Number 11 is because of the social stigma that is existing in the hearing world.

And even though getting better, there are less stigma nowadays and its more common to see people wearing Bluetooth earpiece and all these things.

But still, there are stigmas involved for certain people.

And I had that in the past when I was younger, I have to admit

And sometime as well, it focuses more on people who are maybe not deaf enough or not hearing enough. They are in the middle bit.

Or maybe for those who have grown up mainstream and all theyve known is people around them are all hearing.

And you want to blend in, you want to blend in a society and not feel like an outcast, wish for people like myself or other people, they have felt like that.

So there are social stigma that is attached in the hearing world.

So as a result, we just dont wear hearing aids.

Read Also: What Medications Can Cause Hearing Loss

How Can I Adjust To My Hearing Aid

Hearing aids take time and patience to use successfully. Wearing your aids regularly will help you adjust to them.

Become familiar with your hearing aids features. With your audiologist present, practice putting in and taking out the aid, cleaning it, identifying right and left aids, and replacing the batteries. Ask how to test it in listening environments where you have problems with hearing. Learn to adjust the aids volume and to program it for sounds that are too loud or too soft. Work with your audiologist until you are comfortable and satisfied.

You may experience some of the following problems as you adjust to wearing your new aid.

Uncorrected Hearing Loss Subjects Your Brain To ‘auditory Deprivation’

Most people with hearing loss dont hear sounds of certain frequencies, usually high ones. If you dont hear those soundsbecause your hearing loss isnt correctedyour brain adapts. 

Imagine a baby who doesn’t have the ability to hear. If hearing and speech and language are the parents goal, we need to get stimulation to the auditory nerve quickly because neural synapses are developing, explains Catherine Palmer, president of the American Academy of Audiology, a professor at the University of Pittsburgh and director of audiology for its health system. This is an issue for adults as well. We dont want the auditory system deprived of sound because over time that can change auditory processing abilities, she said. Your brain may forget how to hear certain words and sounds, in other words. This is known as auditory deprivation.

Also Check: How To Pair Hearing Aids To Iphone

What Makes A Good Hearing Aid For Profound Hearing Loss

The most important thing that a hearing aid must provide for someone with profound hearing loss is sufficient gain without distortion or feedback .

Many people with profound hearing loss have very poor speech discrimination and make use of their hearing aids for awareness of the sounds around them. It is important that the instrument provides enough gain across the frequency spectrum, as many people with profound loss will be able to detect some frequency sounds better than others.

They often prefer a more linear fitting strategy, which gives them a perception of âmore powerâ in the instrument by not compressing any of the sounds.

For better speech intelligibility, most people with profound hearing loss will need to pair an FM system or remote mic device with their hearing aids. This will allow them to pick up voices over the background noise, as well as overcome the effects of distance and reverberation. A hearing aid that can easily integrate with these accessories is a must.

Finally, because people with profound hearing loss rely on their hearing aids every day all day, comfort and reliability should be taken into consideration as measured by the design and IP rating.

My Hearings Not That Bad

Hearing aid users wait, on average, 10 years before getting help for hearing loss. But during that time, communication with loved ones becomes more difficult, and isolation and health risks increase. Our findings emphasized just how important it is to be proactive in addressing any hearing declines over time,says Lin.

You May Like: How Do You Say Hearing Aid In Spanish

Why Are Hearing Aids So Important

Early and consistent use of hearing aids means that deaf children are more likely than ever to start school with similar speech and language levels to their hearing peers.

Its important to make sure that your child is wearing their hearing aids for as much of their waking hours as possible.

When hearing pathways arent stimulated in response to sound early in life they dont develop as well as they could. Babies and young children need auditory stimulation so that they have the best opportunity to develop their hearing pathways.

Speech development depends on hearing both your own speech and the speech of others. Children must be able to hear their own speech clearly to make clear speech sounds. By hearing the speech of others children copy sounds and words, and learn how to differentiate between sounds.

Incidental learning happens through overhearing when children hear speech that isnt directed at them. Overhearing helps children build vocabulary and gives them grammar and general knowledge.

Very young children gain about 90% of their knowledge about their world incidentally. Therefore deaf children may miss a significant amount of information and learning opportunities if they cant overhear the world around them.

Why I Dont Like Wearing Hearing Aids

Ill be honest, personally, I dont enjoy wearing hearing aids at all.

Ive done a separate video about it and Ive got my own reasons.

But regardless of all that, I do wear it now and then, around social gathering or certain occasions where there are a lot of people.

Or even a small group of people and I want to be able to be part of our conversation, then, OK. I would wear it around that time.

But in general, I dont really like wearing hearing aids a lot.

The most important thing that you should be aware of is that hearing aids and cochlear implants, they do not bring a person hearing level two the same as a normal person hearing level.

It does not bring you back to that level at all.

It just helps a little bit. It gives you a little boost. It supports it in other ways. Thats it. Its just not going to make it the same level as you if you are hearing person yourself. Be aware of that.

And on top of that, like I said, just respect the persons decision whetherthey wear it or they dont wear it.

Respect it, but also understand why and appreciate it and be aware that there are a lot of things going on behind-the-scenes that will maybe bevery difficult for you to understand.

But if you have respect, thats all I can ask.

I hope this video has helped you. If you have any more questions,let me know in a comment.

Dont forget as well to or on whatever podcast platform that you use.

Recommended Reading: What Helps Relieve Ear Infection Pain

Rebelling From Too Much Pressure

Number 13 is because they are rebelling too much as a result of receiving a lot of pressure.

These pressures can be from audiologist to members of the family to friends, to people at work or society. They receive a lot of pressure from the people and saying you should wear your hearing aids and you should wear it.

And for some people, they just rebel. They feel a lot of pressure and they get anxiety. And they just dont want to do itat the end of the day.

Too much pressure and the way too many people are telling you what to do is not the best way forward. Its never going to help anyone at all, especially if its from people who justdontgetit.

It Doesnt Live Up To The Expectation

When you expect too much, youre sure to be disappointed.

On the other hand, stories of unsuccessful experiences with hearing aids are abundant. Practically everyone knows someone who knows someone who hates their hearing aids. Such stories discourage hearing aid wearers from using the devices because they know theyre useless.

A hearing aid is an aid, not a replacement. Listening difficulties will occur, and many wearers experience pain and discomfort from loud sounds. That is why its important to go for follow-up sessions and get them adjusted.      

You May Like: What Is F In Sign Language

How Does Someone Receive A Cochlear Implant

Use of a cochlear implant requires both a surgical procedure and significant therapy to learn or relearn the sense of hearing. Not everyone performs at the same level with this device. The decision to receive an implant should involve discussions with medical specialists, including an experienced cochlear-implant surgeon. The process can be expensive. For example, a persons health insurance may cover the expense, but not always. Some individuals may choose not to have a cochlear implant for a variety of personal reasons. Surgical implantations are almost always safe, although complications are a risk factor, just as with any kind of surgery. An additional consideration is learning to interpret the sounds created by an implant. This process takes time and practice. Speech-language pathologists and audiologists are frequently involved in this learning process. Prior to implantation, all of these factors need to be considered.

Where Can I Find Additional Information About Hearing Aids

The NIDCD maintains a directory of organizations that provide information on the normal and disordered processes of hearing, balance, taste, smell, voice, speech, and language.

Use the following keywords to help you find organizations that can answer questions and provide information on hearing aids:

Recommended Reading: Why Is Water Getting Trapped In My Ear

Not Knowing What Good Hearing Aid Options Are

State-of-the-art hearing aids are available, but many people dont know that.

Even if you did a Google search, you come across one of the two things:

And lots of misinformation.

Usually people get their recommendations from an audiologist and just buy their hearing aids through the audiologists office.

Or some people ordered them online or bought them from a big box store like Costco. In most cases, they did not have them properly programmed by a hearing specialist, so they stash them in their bedside drawer and forget about them.

Perhaps theyve hated the device right from the start and decided all hearing aids were equally as bad.

What Is A Hearing Aid

A hearing aid is a small electronic device that you wear in or behind your ear. It makes some sounds louder so that a person with hearing loss can listen, communicate, and participate more fully in daily activities. A hearing aid can help people hear more in both quiet and noisy situations. However, only about one out of five people who would benefit from a hearing aid actually uses one.

A hearing aid has three basic parts: a microphone, amplifier, and speaker. The hearing aid receives sound through a microphone, which converts the sound waves to electrical signals and sends them to an amplifier. The amplifier increases the power of the signals and then sends them to the ear through a speaker.

Also Check: How To Pair Compilot With Hearing Aids

What Does The Future Hold For Cochlear Implants

The NIDCD supports research to enhance the benefits of cochlear implants. Scientists are exploring whether using a shortened electrode array, inserted into a portion of the cochlea, for example, can help individuals whose hearing loss is limited to the higher frequencies while preserving their hearing of lower frequencies. Researchers also are looking at the potential benefits of pairing a cochlear implant in one ear with either another cochlear implant or a hearing aid in the other ear.

How The Ear Hears

Think about how you can feel speakers vibrate on your sound system or feel your throat vibrate when you speak. Sound, which is made up of invisible waves of energy, causes these vibrations.

Hearing begins when sound waves that travel through the air reach the outer ear or pinna, which is the part of the ear you can see. The sound waves then travel from the pinna through the ear canal to the middle ear, which includes the eardrum and three tiny bones called ossicles. When the eardrum vibrates, the ossicles amplify these vibrations and carry them to the inner ear.

The inner ear is made up of a snail-shaped chamber called the cochlea , which is filled with fluid and lined with thousands of tiny hair cells . When the vibrations move through the fluid, the tiny outer hair cells amplify the vibrations. The amplification is important because it allows you to hear soft sounds, like whispering and birds.

Then, the inner hair cells translate the vibrations into electrical nerve impulses and send them to the auditorynerve, which connects the inner ear to the brain. When these nerve impulses reach the brain, they are interpreted as sound. The cochlea is like a piano: specific areas along the length of the cochlea pick up gradually higher pitches.

page 2

Also Check: How To Treat Ear Infection During Pregnancy

Why Can’t I Wear My Hearing Aids During Audiometry Testing

Occupational Safety and Health guidelines require initial and annual hearing checks of employees who are exposed to hearing hazards, such as high noise, in the workplace. These tests are used to monitor an employee’s hearing acuity and sharpness over time by comparing an initial baseline audiogram to annual audiogram results. If a comparison of the results indicates a hearing loss, then the employer must take further action to investigate and mitigate the causes.

For audiometry testing, an employee will be asked to remove his or her hearing device for several reasons. First, for accurate comparisons to be made between tests, the testing method employed must be consistent. The best way to obtain this consistency is to perform a test of the employee’s unassisted hearing ability. If an active hearing aid is in place during testing, it will amplify the sound emitted by the audiometric equipment. This amplification may be inconsistent from year to year or sound to sound. Second, earphones used for audiometric testing must fit snugly against the test subject’s ears. Hearing aids, jewelry, or other items may interfere with the fit of the audiometric testing earphones and thus invalidate the results. Finally, if the hearing aid is turned off but remains in the employee’s ear during testing, it may cause interference feedback.

Tags

Its Part Of Their Identity

Number two might be weird for some people: Its part of who they are. Its part of their identity. Its part of them. And that might be hard to understand. But for some people, its just the way it works.

Hearing aids are part of their accessory, part of the identity, whatever it is, its part of who they are.

So thats fair enough, I think.

Recommended Reading: Why Does It Sound Like Water Is In My Ear

Hearing Impairment In Infants

The following signs may indicate a hearing problem:

• Before the age of 4 months, the baby does not turn their head toward a noise.
• The infant does not appear to be startled by a loud noise.
• The infant responds to you when they can see you, but respond far less or do not respond at all when you are out of sight and call out their name.
• The infant only seems to be aware of certain sounds.

Where Can I Find Additional Information About Cochlear Implants

The NIDCD maintains a directory of organizations that provide information on the normal and disordered processes of hearing, balance, taste, smell, voice, speech, and language.

Use the following keywords to help you find organizations that can answer questions and provide information on cochlear implants: 

Also Check: Which Composer Experienced Severe Hearing Loss During His Lifetime

Failed To Live Up To Its Hype

If I could hire a hearing aid marketer for my business, I might become a millionaire. They are masters. Smooth and seductive marketing for hearing aids play up the wonderful advantages of hearing aids and their ability to improve communication skills.

It sounds like your hearing will be 100% once youve put them in, and youll be able to participate in group conversations — no problem!

Of course, it isnt all sunshine and rainbows.

With such optimistic expectations, the wearer is understandably disappointed when the device doesnt live up to the hype. Almost everyone knows at least one person who hates their hearing aids. Such stories discourage hearing aid wearers from using the devices because they were told theyre useless.The point to remember is that a hearing aid is an aid, not a replacement. Listening difficulties will still happen. Many experience discomfort from loud sounds.

For these reasons, it is ideal to get them adjusted in follow-up appointments with your audiologist.

And dont procrastinate!

I know, I know easy for me to say… especially considering I havent seen my audiologist for more than a year

Bone Anchored Hearing Aids

A bone anchored hearing aid may be an option if you have hearing loss caused by sound being unable to reach your inner ear.

This type of hearing aid is attached to your skull during a minor operation. It picks up sound and sends it to the inner ear by vibrating the bones near your ear.

It can be clipped on and off  for example, it’s removed at night and when you swim or take a shower. Some newer types are held onto the head with magnets instead of a connector through the skin.

You May Like: How To Get Hard Wax Out Of Ear

Phonak Naida Marvel 90: Best For Connectivity

Clear Living ratings are determined by our independent Editorial team. Scoring is based on a number of factors including the hearing aid’s price, effectiveness, power options, functionality and more.

A powerful hearing aid that can connect directly to an external microphone for better hearing in loud noise and at a distance

• Comes in the Naida Marvel super power BTE style or the Naida Link M BTE model for compatibility with a cochlear implant
• Connects directly to Phonak’s Roger microphone range with no external receiver needed
• Allows for real-time remote video support with your provider

Summary

Accessories

They Are Large And Bulky

Number seven is because some of them are still large and bulky.

So on the one hand, I have mentioned that are uncomfortable because of that. And then on the other hand, they just dont look good.

Some people might be thinking, well, you can get those extra small ones,you can get it right inside and theyre discreet.

Or you can get a smaller sized one even behind the ear. Theyre quite small and you can get by with that.

Well, yes, you can get those but it doesnt mean that they will work for everyone.

A case in point is that Ive got a hearing aid, it is much smaller than this one. But the problem is theyre not appropriate for me.

There are hearing aids I can get even smaller than the one I have, so tiny. But theyre not appropriate because theyre not able to pick up the sound that I cant hear, which means that theyre pointless if I wear them.

It doesnt add anything to what I get from the current one I have right now.

And thats the problem.

Just because these small hearing that are available, it doesnt mean its appropriate for everyone. Maybe its suitable for a small margin of people or people who can hear a certain type of sound.

Whatever it is, we dont always have the option of having a small one if we want that option.

You May Like: What Type Of Hearing Loss Does This Simulate