It’s finally Audiology Awareness Month! This means there’s no better time to care for your hearing health. If you’ve been diagnosed with hearing loss but are still unsure about making the investment in hearing aids, consider the many benefits they have to offer, which we review below.
Better Communication
This may be the most obvious benefit, but it’s important to note that you’ll be able to communicate better with hearing aids than you can without them. This includes over the phone, face-to-face and even in group settings. In fact, the FDA lists the following benefits on their website:
- “You will be able to hear speech over the telephone more clearly.
- You will be able to communicate more easily with family and friends.
- Your ability to communicate may improve in noisy listening situations (e.g. a restaurant or in a large group of people).”
Stronger Relationships
Any relationship expert will tell you the key to strong relationships is healthy communication. So if you’re communicating better, your relationships will grow stronger. This is because you’ll better be able to share jokes, have serious conversations and everything in between, without having to ask your partner to constantly repeat themselves or risk misunderstanding what they say to you.
Higher Income
A survey by the Better Hearing Institute found that people with untreated hearing loss lose up to $12,000 in annual income compared to those without. Fortunately, wearing hearing aids was shown to mitigate the effects of this loss by 50%.
Improved Mood
Hearing loss has also been linked to mood problems like anxiety and depression. This is because, if you can’t hear well, you worry about mishearing people and responding inappropriately, which can lead to social isolation. This is a well-known risk factor for depression. Wearing hearing aids can help you navigate social situations with more confidence and get you back to your favorite activities, like dinner parties.
Increased Safety
Research by Johns Hopkins has linked untreated hearing loss to a three-times higher risk of falling. This is likely due to a combination of lower awareness of your surroundings and increased load on limited cognitive resources. Hearing aids can combat these risk factors of a fall and keep you safe. For more information or to schedule an appointment, call Western Montana Hearing and Speech today.