Are you listening to me.

kburra

kburra

Senior Member
Location
GB
Why do some people who need and have hearing aids leave them in the drawer? so that when conversing with them it is Eh, Pardon, What did you say, or I have to shout!!
 

I have two hearing aids. Wore them for 1 week, now they sit.
Not worth it.
Sometimes its not always the listener, sometimes its the people not speaking clearly, especially kids. Many have damaged hearing from the loud music, they talk lower and roll words together out of laziness.
When people talk to you, facing away from you, in a normal room voice, in a loud area....sorry, its not always the listener, its the speaker.
Many people assume you are hard of hearing because of age.
I brought my dog into the Vet for a checkup and it was alot of young people. They needed to call in an elderly doctor for a consult and as they were talking to him, they were all talking louder because he was elderly and couldn't hear well.

When they left I started talking to him louder as well. He stopped me and said, "don't talk loud, I can hear perfectly". I asked him why the other younger Vets talked louder, he said they just assume I can't hear them. "you would be surprised what you hear when others think you can't hear them. Alot of truths come out".
 
911 said:
I have pulled over many drivers with a hearing impairment. We don’t get frustrated because someone will ask “What?” over and over. We just speak louder. We have to show constraint, otherwise, it could turn into a shouting match.
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Well that makes sense even for normal hearing people.
You, are standing in a busy roadway, with cars and trucks coming by. Your voice is mixing in with traffic. Of course it may be difficult to hear, by anybody.
Its not about 'showing constraint', its about putting yourself in their shoes.
 
Most people with a hearing problem worked in the trades, factories, military and farmers. Hearing protection helps ,but the constant drone or sharp noises take their toll over the years.
I have hearing aids. They are not a fix all. They squeal when working with machines, amplify wind noise and make my ear canals itch. I still can't make out some words because too many letters have the same sound. Like b, c, d, e, g, p, t, v and z. They say they help in large gatherings. It seems to me that they make ALL sounds clearer, but also ALL sounds louder and I still can't understand whoever I'm talking to. In church, I can hear the priest better, but also the little ones fusing and crying.
My Dad has lost hearing aids in hospitals and rehab centers, so I don't blame people for not wearing them there. A good caregiver will understand that an elder likely has a hearing deficit and does their best to help them understand. Others feel that it takes too much effort. I've seen it first hand.
I don't wear mine all the time, because sometimes a quieter world is just fine.
 
Sippican said:
Well that makes sense even for normal hearing people.
You, are standing in a busy roadway, with cars and trucks coming by. Your voice is mixing in with traffic. Of course it may be difficult to hear, by anybody.
Its not about 'showing constraint', its about putting yourself in their shoes.
Click to expand...
Constraint does or may have something to do with it. Even when I talk louder, I sometimes get a WHAT? There are people out there that like to play games with us. I had a driver one time ask me 3 times. On the fourth time, I wrote him a note. At the end of the note, I wrote, “Maybe you could hear better sitting in the back of my vehicle.” That seemed to bring back his hearing.
 
My wife has genetic hearing loss and the process of her realizing and then finally taking action to get the aids has been hugely frustrating for me. It's better than it was, but it sure wasn't/isn't easy for either of us. It's pretty bad when the situation keeps me from conversing w her. Of course then I find out a marriage is a 50 year conversation and we're only on year 31 or 32!!!
 
I have hearing aids. I had to start wearing them before I retired. I was in a management role and good hearing was important! What I have learned about wearing hearing aids.

Not all hearing aids are alike. Some work better than others...some simply amplify the sounds; some filter out some sounds over others.

Higher priced hearing aids are not necessarily better than some lesser priced ones.

You have to get used to wearing hearing aids. Getting used to physically having them in your ears and getting used to the amplified sounds you hear with them (If you need hearing aids, your brain has actually forgotten many of the sounds you hear every day. Therefore, when you put them on you start hearing things that you do not recognize.) This scares away many people, but if you just hang in there and give yourself time, you will get used to them. (I am talking about a few days, not weeks)

For me my hearing aids have dramatically improved my hearing and ability to live a normal life. But it took some time for me to get to this point. Unfortunately, many doctors and providers do not properly advise new patients "what to expect and not to expect" as they start wearing hearing aids.
 
911 said:
At the end of the note, I wrote, “Maybe you could hear better sitting in the back of my vehicle.” That seemed to bring back his hearing.
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😁 You, Sir, are a force to be reckoned with! @911
To get me back on topic here... I wonder if any of the "forgetting the hearing aids" has to do with not *wanting* to hear the other person? Ashamed (not really) to admit that it sounds like something I might do if I'd have to listen to someone who annoys me. 😊
 
kburra said:
Why do some people who need and have hearing aids leave them in the drawer? so that when conversing with them it is Eh, Pardon, What did you say, or I have to shout!!
Click to expand...

A friend of mine who has been deaf since a child has a cochlea implant in his middle. He could Tuen it on and off by removing something. I suppose it was the ultimate ignor button.

Often he would have it turned off, mainly due to all the background noise he could hear. He never realised the world was so full of background noise, even when he was quiet. It seemed that his brain not being able to hear it in the past, was now not able to filter it out?
 
CallMeKate said:
😁 You, Sir, are a force to be reckoned with! @911
To get me back on topic here... I wonder if any of the "forgetting the hearing aids" has to do with not *wanting* to hear the other person? Ashamed (not really) to admit that it sounds like something I might do if I'd have to listen to someone who annoys me. 😊
Click to expand...
I wear my hearing aids whenever I am awake. Sometimes, someone (babbling) or something is making noise I do not want to hear. I simply reach behind by ears and switch off my hearing aids. Bingo, problem solved...
 
timoc said:
Some people with low hearing also at times have severe tinitus (I'm one) and the hearing aids amplify sounds so bad that it's like loud roaring.
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stretch5881 said:
Most people with a hearing problem worked in the trades, factories, military and farmers. Hearing protection helps ,but the constant drone or sharp noises take their toll over the years.
I have hearing aids. They are not a fix all. They squeal when working with machines, amplify wind noise and make my ear canals itch. I still can't make out some words because too many letters have the same sound. Like b, c, d, e, g, p, t, v and z. They say they help in large gatherings. It seems to me that they make ALL sounds clearer, but also ALL sounds louder and I still can't understand whoever I'm talking to. In church, I can hear the priest better, but also the little ones fusing and crying.
My Dad has lost hearing aids in hospitals and rehab centers, so I don't blame people for not wearing them there. A good caregiver will understand that an elder likely has a hearing deficit and does their best to help them understand. Others feel that it takes too much effort. I've seen it first hand.
I don't wear mine all the time, because sometimes a quieter world is just fine.
Click to expand...
My huzz has tinitus also and has experienced the same thing you have, timoc. And he and I both have the same experiences stretch mentions; for the amount of money hearing aids cost, you'd think they could make them more comfortable and work better.
 
I’m one of those who should get them, but…. In a large group, I miss things. My husband talks around a corner and gets frustrated when I don’t hear him. His voice has changed too so that’s part of the problem. Most of the time I don’t have many issues. I just dread getting them.
 
You lucky people who can still hear clearly should be thankful but should also be considerate of those who have problems even with hearing aids and not condemn or make fun of.

I am not deaf. I am simply hard of hearing due to age.
I have worn aids for ten years and now have the most expensive available but still have problems as discussed above and in other threads. All they basically do is amplify whatever sound you are hearing.
Shouting is not necessary. Just look at the person and speak clearly.

Hearing aids do not solve the clarity problem they just make the mumble or whatever the sound louder and pick up every small sound around. They do not filter sounds out.

Oh and they are not the most comfortable things to wear. After a few hours I am happy to take them out.

p.s......and I still need closed captions when watching most TV shows
 
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One of the first things I do upon waking is to take my Hearing Aids out of the dehumidifier
and I'm ready for the day.

I am on my third set and they have all been In-the-canal style. (can get a free set every 4 years if I want)
Each set was an improvement over the last set and the newest ones are almost perfect.
Weight is only 2.0 grams and were custom fit to my ear canal.
Bluetooth, phone ansewering, and I can pair them to my phone and watch at the same time.
With an App, I can choose modes from Music, theatre, restaurant, etc on the fly.
No problem with wind noise and automatically reacts to loud noises.
Can comfortably wear them till bed time.

Hearing conversations is my biggest problem and hearing aids solves this.

My Audiologist spent a lot of time with me to ensure I got the most out of my Aids,
which I consider the most important part of selecting the right aids for you.
 

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