Ignoring The Symptoms

Ignoring treatment for hearing loss can lead to communication difficulties, social isolation, and strained relationships. It can also impact mental health, causing frustration, anxiety, and depression. In the workplace, untreated hearing loss can reduce productivity and increase the risk of accidents. Seeking timely treatment is crucial for maintaining communication, mental well-being, and safety.

Why People Don’t Get Hearing Aids:

Lack of Awareness of Mild to Moderate Hearing Loss

Our brains fail to register mild or moderate hearing loss. When individuals lose high-pitched sounds first, they may still perceive low pitches at a normal level. Consequently, when they watch TV, they may not realize that the high volume is uncomfortable for others in the household. Additionally, when they complain that others mumble, they may not recognize that they only hear low-pitch vowels, missing high-pitch consonants.

Unrealistic Expectations

Some individuals expect hearing aids to fully restore their hearing. When these expectations aren’t met, frustration and disillusionment can set in, leading to discontinuation of use and negative word-of-mouth feedback.

It’s important to understand that hearing aids cannot regenerate damaged hair cells to restore the normal function of the auditory system. Hearing loss is akin to vision loss in that it results from damage or impairment to sensory cells—in the case of vision, the retina; in the case of hearing, the inner ear.

Just as damage or scarring on the retina creates blind spots in one’s visual field that cannot be corrected with glasses, damaged hearing cells create dead areas in the frequency regions of hearing that cannot be fully restored with hearing aids. For example, damage to outer hearing cells may lead to difficulty distinguishing between certain speech sounds, such as “b” and “p,” “d” and “t,” or “f” and “v,” regardless of whether hearing aids are used or not. Understanding these limitations can help manage expectations and promote realistic outcomes with hearing aid use

Previous bad experiences

• Insufficient time spent with a practitioner for adjustments and acclimatization.
• Improper fit, as hearing aids function differently based on individual hearing loss and fitting formulas used.
• Utilization of entry-level technology lacking essential features for managing noise, feedback, and sound quality.
• Inadequate client education on device operation and management.

Lack of transportation, limited access to vehicles

In case of emergencies or health issues, our clients can schedule home, hospital, or retirement home visits for their convenience for free of charge

Fear of Aging

Fear of aging, often heightened by media images and advertisements promoting youthfulness impact self-esteem and overall well-being. However It’s essential to note that hearing loss, often associated with aging, is not result of aging itself, but symptoms of poor health or poor life style.

Hearing loss affects people of all ages, with various causes:

About 3 out of every 1,000 children are born with hearing loss.

15% of young adults aged 18 and over report hearing trouble due to loud music exposure.

18% of adults aged 20-69 have high-frequency hearing loss due to prolonged exposure to loud noise at work.

Care Avoidance

Developed illness anxiety can lead to avoid seeking medical care and distrust doctors. This avoidance may stem from childhood trauma, mental health issues, or past experiences of abuse and neglect.

At our clinic, we aim to support and understand our clients, helping them alleviate anxiety through various means:

• Creating a pleasant clinic design and atmosphere.
• Embracing a client-oriented philosophy.
• Maintaining an honest and transparent approach to our products and services.
• Providing long-term support for hearing loss treatment and rehabilitation.

Family Resistance

In some families, certain members prioritize preserving their parents’ wealth over their well-being. Their primary concern is inheriting assets, often at the expense of their parents’ quality of life. Unfortunately, this attitude can lead to neglect of elderly relatives’ needs.

While most families aren’t as extreme, this issue isn’t uncommon. We hope everyone reading this is grateful for being part of a loving family that prioritizes the welfare of the elderly over financial gain.

Price

The cost is often cited as the primary reason for avoiding hearing aid amplification. However, in Alberta, many seniors are eligible for AADL benefits, while those in noisy workplaces may have WCB coverage. Additionally, others may have coverage through Blue Cross or other employment-related benefits.

Premium level hearing aids, properly adjusted, offer the greatest benefits, particularly in noisy environments. We maintain the lowest prices in the city.

Higher Priority

Some individuals recognize their hearing loss but prioritize other expenses, such as vacations or home renovations, over investing in hearing aids. However, while these expenditures may seem appealing, they cannot fulfill the social need for belonging and affection that effective communication provides. A luxurious house cannot mend broken relationships, nor can a vacation compensate for missed opportunities and misunderstandings arising from untreated hearing loss.

The consequences of communication breakdown due to hearing loss include misunderstandings, missed opportunities, unnecessary conflicts, mistrust, and fractured relationships.

Negative Experience with Hearing Aids Worn by Their Parents

Some individuals are aware of their hearing loss but believe nothing can be done about it due to negative experiences with earlier generations of hearing aids. These older devices were often limited to a single amplification setting, simply making everything louder.

However, modern hearing aids have significantly evolved, offering advanced sound-cleaning features such as:

• Noise cancellation
• Dereverberation
• Wind noise suppression
• Feedback cancellation
• Directionality

These features maximize sound quality and speech intelligibility when appropriately applied, tailored to the specific sound environments. Additionally, modern hearing aids often utilize artificial intelligence (AI) to further enhance performance.

Overstimulation

Hyperacusis is an abnormal sensitivity to sounds. In this case, normal environmental sounds severely bother people who suffer from hyperacusis: a sound of 65 dB SPL might be perceived as a 100 dB SPL. The most common reason for hyperacusis is a damaged cochlea from exposure to loud noises. Hyperacusis is managed by professionals. The treatment might include sound therapy and behavioral counseling recommendations, using sound protection and “noise-free” zones.