Even after accepting their hearing loss, some people — perhaps even your friend — may minimize the problem. Individuals generally lose their hearing gradually, and they may compensate for the increasing loss by reading lips, trying to fill gaps in sentences, or other tactics. Meanwhile, family, friends and coworkers may be inconvenienced or annoyed by behaviors related to the hearing loss. Your friend also should be aware that untreated hearing loss, even if it’s mild, may increase a person’s risk for significant, life-altering health conditions, including depression, dementia and injury-causing falls. For more detail on this topic, I encourage you to read an excellent article written by my Amplifon colleague, audiologist Dr. Carrie Meyer.
Some individuals don’t believe hearing aids are appropriate for their type of hearing loss. The fact is, 95% of sensorineural hearing loss, the most common type of hearing loss, can be helped with hearing aids. A hearing evaluation by a licensed professional will determine the type and degree of hearing loss and which kind of hearing aids would be appropriate.