Baby Boomers’ View of Hearing Aids
Baby Boomers are changing the attitudes of everyone about hearing aids. The past view of Hearing Aids is less than desirable…from making someone look old to not even working for people who have a sensory neural hearing loss.
It is so great to see how attitudes are changing about wearing hearing aids. To me it is downright refreshing. For the past 35 years I have done everything within my power to try to convince people they should at least try wearing a hearing aid. It has been extremely difficult, if not impossible, to motivate most people to at least try to see if they would benefit from amplification…even when the patient agrees they have a hearing loss and know their hearing loss is causing much pain in their lives.
How are the attitudes changing? What are the Baby Boomers saying about a hearing aid that is so different? They are saying, of course, if I need help I will get it. They understand that to keep a job or to have a successful career accurate communication is vital. They also have strong feelings about how important having friends and family are to them, not allowing a hearing loss to alienate them from these relationships.
Bottom line:Â Baby Boomers realize how important their hearing is in life.
They seem to also take on the responsibility for having the hearing loss. They don’t seem to blame others for not speaking up or talking clear enough. To most, getting a hearing aid is like getting a pair of glasses. If you need it to perform better in all aspects of life, you get it corrected.
Sure, the technology and the size of hearing aids have had much to do about the attitude change. You truly can have a hearing aid no one will know about. Also, many view a communication device in their ear — even if it is showing in a bright color — as being the hip, cool or just common sense thing to do.
The only thing that makes my heart very heavy is how many people in their 70’s, 80’s and beyond are being affected by their hearing loss because they choose not to get their hearing loss corrected. If you could see the older patients that come in to our offices every day and have lost so much of themselves, and especially the closeness of their relationships with their families.  Only about 20% have gotten help and the ones who have gotten help have waited so long that the amount of correction we can give them has diminished greatly due to the severity and longevity of their hearing loss.
Thank heavens people are accepting their hearing loss and wanting to get help if they need it.
