Adjusting to Hearing Loss: Living well with a hearing aid

By Patrick Vernon –

According to the charity Disability.co.uk nine million people in the UK suffer from some form of hearing loss. Many of those affected can continue with their lives as normal, but some ignore the problem. If you are worried about your hearing you should make a visit to your GP or audiologist. 

Going to your GP – Doctor

There are many types of hearing aid on the market and they can be made to measure, but before you invest in one of these high-tech gadgets you should have a full hearing test carried out. An article in the Daily Mail explains how a 45-year-old woman, named Leesa from Norwich, woke up one morning unable to hear anything through her right ear. After a visit to her local hospital specialist she was told that she had lost the hearing in that ear. Sudden hearing loss can be caused by a variety of conditions, from infections to medications, or in Leesa’s case it can be unexplained.

What to look out for

The NHS website explains some of the symptoms to look out for and what to do if you think you have any problems. There are many types of hearing loss and for those people who suffer from the problem there is lots of help available. Once you have been diagnosed, and accept that you have difficulty hearing, then you should seek the advice of a specialist. The first step is to find out if a hearing aid will benefit you. They don’t help everyone, but as technology advances they are becoming more effective. Once you have decided to get a hearing aid you then have to choose the right one for your needs.

Choosing the right hearing aid

There are a wide variety of hearing aids on the market and once you have had one fitted it will change the rest of your life. After years of struggling to hear people talking or having the TV turned up to full volume, you will be able to become involved in group conversations again. With advances in technology you no longer have to have a visible hearing aid. If you wear glasses there are now Spectacle Hearing Aids, which have stylish frames and not only help your vision but also aid your hearing. They are discreet and there is no need for anyone to know you are suffering from hearing problems. 

Advanced technology

The very latest in hearing aid technology allows the wearer to lead a normal life and they are now capable of connecting to your mobile phone. An article on the Which website explains how you can use Bluetooth compatible hearing aids and the benefits associated with them. If you are going to invest in a smart phone or android device you should check that it is not going to be affected by interference and whether you will need a neck loop or ear hook. There is no need to suffer in silence anymore.

Patrick Vernon is a freelance writer, with experience writing for a range of magazines and websites, researching various topics in order to offer useful info and content to the public.