I'm 71. For a few years, I noticed that I asked people to repeat themselves with increasing frequency. There seemed to be more mumbling going on. I had my hearing checked and was told I had mild age-related loss. Hearing aids could help. But I resisted. Turning 70 had come with a different struggle, something I'd never experienced around birthdays before. Adding hearing aids to my shifting self identity felt like too much. A tangible acknowledgement of my aging. So I kept complaining about mumbling and saying "what did you say?" way too often. It was being asked by a teacher to facilitate a book discussion during a writing retreat that pushed me over the edge. I knew I'd never be able to hear the comments of the 30 participants. Reluctantly, I returned to the audiologist. Reluctantly, I paid for expensive hearing aids. Reluctantly, I started to wear them, newly grateful for my curly hair that provided cover. And then I started to hear again. The beeping sound my car made when I backed up Bird songs. The creakings of my house. And yes, the voices of the discussion participants. I love my hearing aids. I can listen to audio books through them! And I've started talking about them. Finding others who think there's lots of mumbling going on. Texting me later to ask what brand I wear.
I am 87+ years old. I got my hearing aids at 80 before I went into the Peace Corps. Folks wear glasses, braces on our teeth, use a cane..I am confused why wearing hear aids should be avoided. Not only can I hear my coworkers better, I can hear birds singing and the wind blowing and the trees rustling. May we age with dignity and enjoy hearing our grand children's laughter.
I already had hearing loss from being too close to an exploding bomb in Afghanistan back in 1989, but then I went nearly deaf from my second round of Covid and have been wearing hearing aids ever since. They are a life-saver, and not being able to hear has been associated with higher rates of dementia, plus I could not reasonably live my life well without them. That being said, they are all ridiculously expensive, not covered by insurance, and the technology is not great in terms of hearing the richness of music or filtering out loud conversations or noise in a restaurant or being able to have pillow talk at night without the pillow creating screeching feedback in one's ear. I got my first pair at Costco. Phonak, in-the-ear, molded specifically to my ear. They're great! Relatively inexpensive ($2K+ compared to nearly $10K for the more expensive kind). But they're also very visible, which caused me shame at first but no longer. About to get a new pair, also molded to my ear but less visible, from a company called Opticon. Hoping they'll provide a less tinny-sounding sound. I tried the Eargo over-the-counter recommended by Wirecutter, and that was a waste of money for someone with my level of hearing loss. They were just too quiet for me, but I'm betting that for someone with mild hearing loss they'd be an excellent and nearly invisible boost. Anyway, the more we talk about hearing aids and destigmatize them--why are they any different, really, from eye glasses, which we practically fetishize?--the better. So I thank you for this post.
I’m 53 and look and the idea of hearing aids was appalling. Luckily my partner’s brother has had hearing aids for awhile and normalized the idea for me at this age, but what did it for me was the link between hearing loss and dementia. I went to an audiologist I really liked, got devices that worked for me (that were covered 100% by my insurance plan—ask!!!) and wear them daily. Now I can have convos with people with their backs turned to me and I no longer have to ask people to repeat themselves. Would I prefer to have perfect hearing without, yes? But, I also wear glasses, and so it goes. Dementia is not something I’m willing to mess with. Making hearing aids sexy…that’s a very Gen X thing to do.
I spent many years frustrated that my elderly father refused hearing aides. He missed so many interesting conversations with family that he otherwise would have enjoyed that I vowed I would walk my talk when my time came. At age 62 I started getting annual hearing tests. At 64 my fabulous audiologist recommended i try them out, even though my hearing loss was minimal. It was an adjustment for my brain to ignore the magnified unnecessary sounds (newspaper pages turning, car engine noises, furnace turning on) but within a few weeks I was totally convinced I’d made the right decision to jump on the hearing aide train early. I’m 70 now and a huge advocate of shedding the negative stigma of age related hearing loss.
I'm 70 years old. For years I had become accustomed to saying, "What?!" followed by, "You need hearing aids!" Something prevented me from getting them Perhaps it was the $8,000 cost not covered by any insurance or perhaps it was my refusal to accept the obvious truth. One day a friend told me that Costco, the largest supplier of hearing aids in the world, was very reasonable and that he got his there. I ventured out. The day I received them and the audiologist told me to walk around the store, as I stepped out into the huge Costco, I immediately burst into tears. OMG I CAN HEAR in the equivalent of technicolor
I am 63 and was sold on hearing aids when I learned that exercising my auditory nerves would preserve them. These nerves increase clarity (hearing aids only boost volume.). So if you want to preserve your hearing, don’t wait! Btw, I also started birding recently and now can hear their calls much better, a bonus I didn’t consider!
I’m 61 and got hearing aids last year. Shame? Absolutely not! I love my hear aids SO much. They’ve made a huge difference in how I relate interpersonally. Losing the beginnings and endings of words meant I had to think, to decode, to guess at some words when people were speaking to me. Not a big problem really, but it put a slight lag on understanding, which put a tiny lag on keeping up. As someone who thinks(and talks) at a million miles a minute this disconnect was disconcerting. Apparently, all those concerts I went to in the 70s and 80s did my ears no favors. After I got the hearing aids my 27 year old concert-going daughter said she should probably get her own ears checked and would be happy to get hearing aids if she needed them. Hopefully the times they are a changing.
Just a note to add that if you are giving a public talk, presentation, etc, to PLEASE use a microphone. Too often folks are reluctant to do so and promise to “use their big voice,” but invariably drop tones with certain words, etc. And audiences are shy about raising a hand to ask for more volume. It’s good to always consider that there will be people with (invisible) hearing loss in any meeting or public audience
I'm only 31, but many of my relatives are in their 60s and 70s and have begun wearing hearing aids and, as someone interacting with them, I love that it allows them to be engaged in the conversation at family events! Also, I am a psychologist whose research focuses on memory, and I urge you and/or your loved ones who are hard of hearing to wear your hearing aids to SAVE YOUR MEMORY! One of the strongest predictors of dementia onset is being hard of hearing - with reduced linguistic input to your brain, your cognitive function begins to deteriorate. This research finding was the only thing that got my fiance's dad to start wearing his hearing aids; maybe it will make a difference for others!
I have had much experience with hearing loss as all three of my siblings have had severe hearing loss from an early age, so the thought of wearing hearing aids has been fraught with stigma and fear. I'm about to turn 72, and I know I have hearing loss but can't seem to bring myself to check out the kind of hearing aids that might help me carry on conversations without asking people to repeat what they said and turning the TV up so I can hear the dialogue. I'm so shamed by my hearing loss that I resist closed-captioning! I know this all sounds extreme, but when you've grown up with siblings whose hearing aids were literally strapped on devices causing bullying and "torture," it's hard to overcome that stigma. I'm very grateful for the comments I've already read because I am ready to schedule an appointment with an ENT. Thank you everyone!
I’ve been losing my hearing since I was a kid. I hate my hearing aids and prefer the muffled quiet world in my head but like underwire bras, they’ve become a necessary evil. And just like my bra, they come right out as soon as I get home. I bought the Bose hearing aids because they’re Bluetooth compatible and relatively cheap. They suck. I have trouble hearing mid tones and most hearing aids only let you adjust volume and bass unless you’re willing to buy really high end aids. Most insurance plans don’t cover hearing aids. I know heating is important for my safety and to keep certain brain synapses firing but honestly, a quiet world is pretty nice.
Hi Sari! I’m the Managing Editor of HealthyHearing.com (along with being a Binder working on an unrelated memoir, and publishing a newsletter on Substack). I have tons of knowledge about hearing loss/tinnitus, and access to a mountain of hearing experts on this topic if you’d like to collaborate in some way. There is a lot of misinformation and stigma on this topic, so I’m glad to see you sharing your story and asking others to share!
I’m 64. My ears ring constantly which interferes with my clarification of what I hear but I’ve also lost the high end of my hearing. I was told I needed hearing aids but they are $5000.00 for the type I need so I will not be getting them. Even if they were just $2000. I wouldn’t have the money to buy them.
Thanks for sharing on this very important topic. I was at a dinner last night in a room with background noise, and it was obvious that the 6 of us at the table were having trouble hearing all but those seated adjacent or directly across. No one commented on our age-associated hearing loss, but we all noted the difficulty hearing!!
I'm 71. For a few years, I noticed that I asked people to repeat themselves with increasing frequency. There seemed to be more mumbling going on. I had my hearing checked and was told I had mild age-related loss. Hearing aids could help. But I resisted. Turning 70 had come with a different struggle, something I'd never experienced around birthdays before. Adding hearing aids to my shifting self identity felt like too much. A tangible acknowledgement of my aging. So I kept complaining about mumbling and saying "what did you say?" way too often. It was being asked by a teacher to facilitate a book discussion during a writing retreat that pushed me over the edge. I knew I'd never be able to hear the comments of the 30 participants. Reluctantly, I returned to the audiologist. Reluctantly, I paid for expensive hearing aids. Reluctantly, I started to wear them, newly grateful for my curly hair that provided cover. And then I started to hear again. The beeping sound my car made when I backed up Bird songs. The creakings of my house. And yes, the voices of the discussion participants. I love my hearing aids. I can listen to audio books through them! And I've started talking about them. Finding others who think there's lots of mumbling going on. Texting me later to ask what brand I wear.
I am 87+ years old. I got my hearing aids at 80 before I went into the Peace Corps. Folks wear glasses, braces on our teeth, use a cane..I am confused why wearing hear aids should be avoided. Not only can I hear my coworkers better, I can hear birds singing and the wind blowing and the trees rustling. May we age with dignity and enjoy hearing our grand children's laughter.
I already had hearing loss from being too close to an exploding bomb in Afghanistan back in 1989, but then I went nearly deaf from my second round of Covid and have been wearing hearing aids ever since. They are a life-saver, and not being able to hear has been associated with higher rates of dementia, plus I could not reasonably live my life well without them. That being said, they are all ridiculously expensive, not covered by insurance, and the technology is not great in terms of hearing the richness of music or filtering out loud conversations or noise in a restaurant or being able to have pillow talk at night without the pillow creating screeching feedback in one's ear. I got my first pair at Costco. Phonak, in-the-ear, molded specifically to my ear. They're great! Relatively inexpensive ($2K+ compared to nearly $10K for the more expensive kind). But they're also very visible, which caused me shame at first but no longer. About to get a new pair, also molded to my ear but less visible, from a company called Opticon. Hoping they'll provide a less tinny-sounding sound. I tried the Eargo over-the-counter recommended by Wirecutter, and that was a waste of money for someone with my level of hearing loss. They were just too quiet for me, but I'm betting that for someone with mild hearing loss they'd be an excellent and nearly invisible boost. Anyway, the more we talk about hearing aids and destigmatize them--why are they any different, really, from eye glasses, which we practically fetishize?--the better. So I thank you for this post.
I’m 53 and look and the idea of hearing aids was appalling. Luckily my partner’s brother has had hearing aids for awhile and normalized the idea for me at this age, but what did it for me was the link between hearing loss and dementia. I went to an audiologist I really liked, got devices that worked for me (that were covered 100% by my insurance plan—ask!!!) and wear them daily. Now I can have convos with people with their backs turned to me and I no longer have to ask people to repeat themselves. Would I prefer to have perfect hearing without, yes? But, I also wear glasses, and so it goes. Dementia is not something I’m willing to mess with. Making hearing aids sexy…that’s a very Gen X thing to do.
I spent many years frustrated that my elderly father refused hearing aides. He missed so many interesting conversations with family that he otherwise would have enjoyed that I vowed I would walk my talk when my time came. At age 62 I started getting annual hearing tests. At 64 my fabulous audiologist recommended i try them out, even though my hearing loss was minimal. It was an adjustment for my brain to ignore the magnified unnecessary sounds (newspaper pages turning, car engine noises, furnace turning on) but within a few weeks I was totally convinced I’d made the right decision to jump on the hearing aide train early. I’m 70 now and a huge advocate of shedding the negative stigma of age related hearing loss.
I'm 70 years old. For years I had become accustomed to saying, "What?!" followed by, "You need hearing aids!" Something prevented me from getting them Perhaps it was the $8,000 cost not covered by any insurance or perhaps it was my refusal to accept the obvious truth. One day a friend told me that Costco, the largest supplier of hearing aids in the world, was very reasonable and that he got his there. I ventured out. The day I received them and the audiologist told me to walk around the store, as I stepped out into the huge Costco, I immediately burst into tears. OMG I CAN HEAR in the equivalent of technicolor
I am 63 and was sold on hearing aids when I learned that exercising my auditory nerves would preserve them. These nerves increase clarity (hearing aids only boost volume.). So if you want to preserve your hearing, don’t wait! Btw, I also started birding recently and now can hear their calls much better, a bonus I didn’t consider!
I’m 61 and got hearing aids last year. Shame? Absolutely not! I love my hear aids SO much. They’ve made a huge difference in how I relate interpersonally. Losing the beginnings and endings of words meant I had to think, to decode, to guess at some words when people were speaking to me. Not a big problem really, but it put a slight lag on understanding, which put a tiny lag on keeping up. As someone who thinks(and talks) at a million miles a minute this disconnect was disconcerting. Apparently, all those concerts I went to in the 70s and 80s did my ears no favors. After I got the hearing aids my 27 year old concert-going daughter said she should probably get her own ears checked and would be happy to get hearing aids if she needed them. Hopefully the times they are a changing.
Just a note to add that if you are giving a public talk, presentation, etc, to PLEASE use a microphone. Too often folks are reluctant to do so and promise to “use their big voice,” but invariably drop tones with certain words, etc. And audiences are shy about raising a hand to ask for more volume. It’s good to always consider that there will be people with (invisible) hearing loss in any meeting or public audience
I'm only 31, but many of my relatives are in their 60s and 70s and have begun wearing hearing aids and, as someone interacting with them, I love that it allows them to be engaged in the conversation at family events! Also, I am a psychologist whose research focuses on memory, and I urge you and/or your loved ones who are hard of hearing to wear your hearing aids to SAVE YOUR MEMORY! One of the strongest predictors of dementia onset is being hard of hearing - with reduced linguistic input to your brain, your cognitive function begins to deteriorate. This research finding was the only thing that got my fiance's dad to start wearing his hearing aids; maybe it will make a difference for others!
Unfortunately, my hearing is great. I just don't like what I'm hearing most of the time...
I have had much experience with hearing loss as all three of my siblings have had severe hearing loss from an early age, so the thought of wearing hearing aids has been fraught with stigma and fear. I'm about to turn 72, and I know I have hearing loss but can't seem to bring myself to check out the kind of hearing aids that might help me carry on conversations without asking people to repeat what they said and turning the TV up so I can hear the dialogue. I'm so shamed by my hearing loss that I resist closed-captioning! I know this all sounds extreme, but when you've grown up with siblings whose hearing aids were literally strapped on devices causing bullying and "torture," it's hard to overcome that stigma. I'm very grateful for the comments I've already read because I am ready to schedule an appointment with an ENT. Thank you everyone!
I’ve been losing my hearing since I was a kid. I hate my hearing aids and prefer the muffled quiet world in my head but like underwire bras, they’ve become a necessary evil. And just like my bra, they come right out as soon as I get home. I bought the Bose hearing aids because they’re Bluetooth compatible and relatively cheap. They suck. I have trouble hearing mid tones and most hearing aids only let you adjust volume and bass unless you’re willing to buy really high end aids. Most insurance plans don’t cover hearing aids. I know heating is important for my safety and to keep certain brain synapses firing but honestly, a quiet world is pretty nice.
Hi Sari! I’m the Managing Editor of HealthyHearing.com (along with being a Binder working on an unrelated memoir, and publishing a newsletter on Substack). I have tons of knowledge about hearing loss/tinnitus, and access to a mountain of hearing experts on this topic if you’d like to collaborate in some way. There is a lot of misinformation and stigma on this topic, so I’m glad to see you sharing your story and asking others to share!
I’m 64. My ears ring constantly which interferes with my clarification of what I hear but I’ve also lost the high end of my hearing. I was told I needed hearing aids but they are $5000.00 for the type I need so I will not be getting them. Even if they were just $2000. I wouldn’t have the money to buy them.
Thanks for sharing on this very important topic. I was at a dinner last night in a room with background noise, and it was obvious that the 6 of us at the table were having trouble hearing all but those seated adjacent or directly across. No one commented on our age-associated hearing loss, but we all noted the difficulty hearing!!