From a general reluctance to ask for help to finding certain models uncomfortable, there are many personal reasons why people who are hard of hearing might be reluctant to use hearing aids, but advances in their design are working to eradicate these issues.
The non-use of hearing aids has been the subject of several academic studies, and the reasons are fascinatingly broad, especially since so many people who were previously reluctant to use them find them so helpful they regret not getting them fitted sooner.
The benefits of hearing aids are significant and only improving with more advanced technology and a greater understanding of audiology, with a range of models made by a range of companies, including some of the biggest in the world.
If all of this is true? Why are some people still reluctant to book an appointment or wear the hearing aids they have all the time?
Studies such as EuroTrak UK aim to find the answer, and the most common answers are rather revealing.
Believing Their Hearing Loss Is Not Bad Enough
The most common reasons given are based on the perception that their hearing loss is not sufficient to require hearing aids, but this is often part of a complex illusion.
Many people perceive hearing loss as the volume being turned down on the world, but the reality is that hearing loss often manifests first as struggling to pick out a conversation in a noisy room, often known as the “cocktail party effect”.
Hearing loss is subtle; it starts with struggling to pick out a conversation in a loud space, then it progresses into finding it difficult to follow along with a conversation, before it reaches the point where you have to ask the person you are conversing with to repeat themselves.
Hearing is undertaken both in the brain and in the ear, and if your hearing is damaged, your brain does extra work to pick up the slack, which can lead to the progression of long-term neurological issues such as dementia.
Hearing loss can also cause people to withdraw from social settings entirely.
Believing That Hearing Aids Are Uncomfortable
Nowadays, there is no one single type of hearing aid; even NHS hearing aids come in a range of styles even if they are limited compared to the incredible developments seen in the private sector.
However, the EuroTrak study suggests that the decades-old assumptions regarding hearing aid design still shape the perceptions of people who could really benefit from them today.
Most hearing aids are highly advanced; many are practically invisible, connect to apps for on-the-fly adjustments and can sometimes be integrated into other consumer products.
Believing That Hearing Aids Are Unaffordable
The final belief is that hearing aids are unaffordable, or variations such as difficulties finding a suitable design that is affordable.
In recent years, this has stopped being the case; over-the-counter hearing aids provide some mild support and early interventions, whilst rapid advances in medical technology have significantly reduced the price of many prescription hearing aids.