Hearing loss is a common condition that affects millions of Americans. The inability to hear properly can cause problems in your personal, social, and professional life. Hearing aids can improve your personal safety, as well as increasing your quality of life by improving your hearing capacity.
Are you considering hearing aids? The variety of benefits from hearing aids has been compiled in a list below. If you have further questions about hearing loss and the benefits of hearing aids, contact the doctoral-level audiologists in Manhattan, KS, and Kansas City at Associated Audiologists.
First, how do hearing aids work?
Most digital hearing aids consist of the same basic components: microphones, amplifier, speaker, digital processor/computer chip, and battery. The sound travels to the microphone, which is sent to the digital chip, next to the amplifier to provide the needed amplification specified for the degree and type of hearing loss and eventually through the speaker delivering the customized sound to the listener.
Depending on your level of hearing loss, the hearing aids can process different pitches as needed to improve communication.
Hearing aids improve your personal life
Hearing aids can have a positive influence on your personal life in several ways:
- Hearing aids help you communicate. Being able to effectively communicate with your spouse, children, and loved ones is important for maintaining healthy relationships. As your hearing loss progresses, the ability to understand and converse with people is greatly impaired.
- Hearing aids can help prevent further complications. Being misunderstood by people, talking too quietly, or being unable to understand them can be frustrating to deal with on a consistent basis. You may be left out of conversations because you can’t hear who’s speaking, or they leave you out of the conversation to avoid having to continuously repeat themselves. All these factors can influence your mental health, and if left untreated, hearing loss can lead to depression.
- Hearing aids can improve your personal safety. Your overall safety is enhanced as your ability to hear has improved. For example: When driving, you will be able to hear sirens from farther distances, listen to problems with your car, and hear other cars on the road.
Social situations are easier to take part in
Whether your hearing loss is mild or severe, it can make partaking in social situations uncomfortable. Office gatherings, family holidays, and even eating at a restaurant can be a frustrating process of deciphering what is going on around you, who is speaking to you, and what they are saying.
Hearing aids help to reduce your discomfort with these issues. Your quality of life will increase as the people around you are able to enjoy your company just as you enjoy theirs. Rather than trying to read lips, you will comfortably hear the people sitting at your table in a restaurant. You can laugh and joke at family gatherings without having to ask people to repeat themselves.
Your professional life is enhanced
Trying to work while suffering from hearing loss can be stressful. You can’t hear instructions from your boss, your coworker’s tips, or your conversations with clients.
In today’s work world, excellent communication skills are important for the development of the company, and building relationships in the office is contingent on your ability to hear. If you’re constantly asking questions, misinterpreting someone’s directions, or unable to adequately provide customer service, then your career may be jeopardized and your household income could be affected.
Investing in hearing aids can remedy many of the communication-related problems you are suffering from in the workplace. Your performance and confidence will be greatly improved as the work-related conversations and customer inquiries are handled with relative ease.
If you are suffering from hearing loss and considering hearing aids, Associated Audiologists wants to help you.
