Top 10 Reasons I Have Hearing Aids
Back when I could stay up later than 9:30 p.m., I occasionally watched Late Night with David Letterman. The late-night talk show ran for 33 years, from 1982 to 2015.
Those familiar with the program may remember Letterman’s Top Ten Lists. The lists were regular segments on the show and revolved around a shared, humorous theme.
So, in homage to this show and late-night television, here are my Top 10 Reasons Hearing Aids Are a Good Idea for Me…
10. My Family Didn’t Argue with Me
One day, I suggested to my husband, sons, and daughters-in-law that I start researching hearing aids. To my disappointment – and surprise – none of them said, “Oh, I don’t think you need to do THAT.”
9. I Didn’t Want Our Milk to Sour
“What’s that beeping noise?” asked my husband one evening.
“What beeping noise?” I responded.
We discovered that the annoying sound – the one I couldn’t hear until I was on top of the source – was the refrigerator, warning us the door was ajar.
8. I Longed to Scroll Social Media Incognito
With today’s technological advances, hearing aids now double as headphones, allowing wearers to listen to audiobooks, podcasts, phone calls, and music. And that means you can watch Instagram stories and videos – with the volume turned up – and no one else will know what you’re doing.
7. I Wanted to Add One More Step to My Morning Maintenance Routine
Slather on moisturizer and sunscreen and eye cream. Wash and dry the hair, take medications, drink water, stretch, apply makeup, floss. Learning to insert and position hearing aids properly takes some time to master. They need an occasional cleaning and filter change. It’s one more thing…
6. I Didn’t Want the Neighbors to Hear Our Television
While watching Yellowstone or Shrinking or The Perfect Couple, I continually asked my husband to crank up the television volume. It could not be loud enough for me, even though we also utilized the closed-caption feature. “You can’t hear that?” he’d say.
5. I Needed Another Thing to Pack – and Keep Track of – While Traveling
Hearing aids no longer require teeny-tiny batteries that users must change. They recharge in a case at night, which is wonderful. However, that means one more item to remember to pack and one more thing to stuff into my carry-on bag.
4. I Love Doing New Things
Like the audiologist said, “The learning curve is steep.” She also told me it is easier to get hearing aids when you “still have finger dexterity and are tech-savvy.”
The total price of my hearing aids included unlimited consultations, and I have taken advantage of those tutorials! Like contact lenses or earrings, they get easier to insert into ears over time. The more you wear them, the easier they become! My audiologist showed me a foolproof technique that fits my unique ear – pull the ear up and back and push the device toward my nose. Everyone’s ears are different.
As for the app, I rarely use it. Mine work well without fiddling with the adjustments. I do connect them to Bluetooth while on airplanes. That allows me to listen to an audiobook or stream a show without headphones. The sound comes through the hearing aids. Some may prefer to take phone calls or watch television through the hearing aids, and that is easy to do, too. Once you learn…
3. I Needed One More Reason to Feel Old
As if I needed a reminder that I was getting older, the year I turned 65 was an eye-opening one – more wrinkles, some heart issues, a bit of hair loss. And now hearing aids.
After visiting two audiologists, both recommended – based on my needs, type of hearing loss, and vanity desires – the same make and model. A small component – matched to your hair color – fits behind your ear. Another tiny piece disappears into the ear canal. A wire, resembling dental floss, connects the two pieces. And nobody can tell I wear them!
2. My Husband Is Still Working and Has Insurance Coverage
It surprised me that Medicare, the insurance most of us utilize after we retire, does not cover hearing aids. Many other insurances do. Costco, hearing centers, and Amazon sell hearing aids, but they are not inexpensive. My package covers loss, breakage, and appointments for three years. By then, I suppose the technology will change – again! – and I may require replacements.
And the number 1 reason I have hearing aids …
1. My 4-Year-Old Granddaughter Motivated Me
There’s nothing like the dear children in our lives to nudge us toward doing what we’ve known we should do all along. One day, my precious granddaughter asked, “Cookie, what do you mean when you say Pardon Me?”
That’s all it took.
Evidently, I had been asking her to repeat herself. A lot. I’d noticed it, but I thought her adorable sing-song voice was simply hard to understand. I also realized I missed parts of conversations, but when a child called me out – because they call them as they see them – I faced reality. I moved into action. And I’m glad I did.
Let’s Have a Conversation:
Do you think you need hearing aids? Do you have them? Did you have trouble getting used to them? Do you have advice for those who are nervous about trying them?
Tags Healthy Aging
Getting my heating aid was not an option. My stamps were crushed as the result of a mva many years ago. I had surgery and Teflon straps were put in but they only last just so many years. I am blessed that I still having hearing in one ear, with the help of a hearing aid.
I love my hearing aids. They have greatly reduced the ringing in my ears. What a relief!
I lost my hearing in my early 30’s to what I believe was caused by a string of childhood illnesses at age 5.
I was driven to see an audiologist while in Nursing school because I couldn’t hear the teacher even while sitting in the front row. I was also going through a bitter divorce and not finishing school nor working to support myself was an option. Though a bitter pill at such a young age and launching my career, I’m so grateful my to my employer for paying for my first pair of hearing aids, (this was before insurance absorbed any of the cost).
I’m now retired from an extremely rewarding Nursing career of 25 years and it’s been fun and interesting to watch technology, advancements, and stigma improve making it easier than ever for people to get and wear hearing devices.
I’m also proud to say I’ve served as a hearing ambassador of sorts over the years, and have helped lots of people discover how much their lives and health improve with good hearing.
I got mine last fall because I knew if I waited to long I would be one of those people who have them and never use them. So at 66 I got mine and haven’t looked back. Mine are the same as the ones mentioned in the article.
I’m 66 and have an appointment for next week. I got my mother hearing aids at 82 because she continually asked me to repeat most everything I was saying. She tried a couple of different types but could never get on with them. I think you’re right, better sooner than later !
Hearing loss runs in my family, so I got hearing aids. Removal of a mass from my brain left me deaf in one ear. My new hearing aids are wonderful! The device in my deaf ear is only a receiver but it is blue tooth connected to my ear that can hear. I can easily keep up with conversations from both sides. The downsides: no more stereophonic music and figuring iut where sounds are coming from when they are from behind me is hard. But these are a very small price to pay. Mine are rechargeable and taking the charger on trips is not a big deal. Even without electricity the case will give 3 full charges (it has its own battery that charges when it is plugged in) Get your hearing checked; hearing aids make a huge difference in your wuslity of life. And they can be controlled by/with your phone.