Being able to follow a conversation, be confident in work settings, and enjoy socialising, music, television, and theatre are all activities that we take for granted when we can hear.
For those with hearing loss, these activities can be fraught with anxiety, isolation and mental exhaustion. With the ability to listen and hear so important for mental and physical wellbeing, more people are looking to hearing devices to solve their hearing difficulties.
What are the statistics for hearing loss in the UK?
According to data from the World Health Organisation, hearing loss is the second most prevalent disability. It affects approximately 18 million people in the UK in the form of deafness, hearing loss and tinnitus.
That equates to one in three adults, and among those, 2.4 million have hearing loss significant enough that they struggle to hear conversations.
The number of people with hearing loss or other hearing difficulties has increased considerably over the past few decades, a difference of six million.
This huge increase is partly due to an increased population, and also due to more accurate information that includes any degree of hearing loss. That includes loss of hearing in one ear as well as both ears, tinnitus and impaired hearing.
How can hearing aids improve the lives of those with hearing loss?
Hearing aids, when properly prescribed, custom-fitted and adjusted, can make a world of difference to someone suffering from hearing loss, in terms of quality of life.
While the help provided by hearing aid services is not a cure for hearing loss, it can help to mitigate the deficit caused by it, and in doing so, improve lives.
A public example is Ilona, the daughter of a Scottish rugby player, Zander Fagerson, who recently had her hearing aids fitted. The seven-year-old’s parents noted how much more confident she was and how the hearing devices had “transformed her life”.
Ways in which hearing aids can transform lives include:
Easier communication
Without the need to ask people to repeat themselves and without the misunderstandings that can come with not hearing words correctly, communication is inevitably easier.
Concentration and focus
Being able to hear more of what is happening around you, in particular speech, can reduce cognitive processing as you are not trying to interpret or guess what is happening.
By reducing the amount of effort that goes into processing audio signals, the brain is freed up to concentrate and focus on other things.
Mental health
Hearing devices can improve mental health by allowing you to socialise more easily and reducing anxiety about talking to people, or reducing misunderstandings and missing details.
Confidence
Missing announcements and information can impact your confidence, but knowing you can handle phone calls and hear tannoy calls can help with confidence.
Even knowing whether there are people, vehicles or pets moving around you can help improve confidence.
Less stress
Not being able to hear fully can be stressful; dreading that night out or the big meeting at work contributes to that. However, knowing that you can cope better in situations with groups of people is reassuring.
More enjoyment
Being able to appreciate the details in music or hear bird song on a walk in the park, the little things like this can make all the difference.