In another acknowledgment of senior citizenship, I got hearing aids last week.
I remember when I was in college, I did not understand why the writing on white boards in classes looked fuzzy. Also, road signs were blurry, and I could not read them until it was almost too late.
It finally dawned on me one day that it probably had something to do with my eyesight. A visit to an optometrist confirmed my nearsightedness, and I was fitted for glasses.
Over time my vision has not significantly deteriorated, other than farsightedness that comes with age. About 10 years ago I started wearing progressive lenses (bifocals), so my "readers" are built in. I wore contacts back in my 20s, but eventually grew tired of the maintenance (and less vain about my appearance) and went back to glasses.
Fun fact: the only time I ever lost a contact lens was the day I got married. With a contact in only one eye, I looked as if I were winking at my bride as she strolled down the aisle to join her life with mine.
When I learned I needed glasses, I could not get them fast enough. It was a great day when I could stop squinting. I remember being amazed at seeing individual leaves on trees!
But for whatever reason, when I started having some hearing problems at least five years ago, I resisted hearing aids. One reason was the cost, and knowing health insurance does not cover them.
But I had some other misgivings. I remember my mother getting them when she was about my age, and she hated them. She was constantly adjusting them because she could never seem to achieve a level between not loud enough and too loud.
And it's another thing to maintain, taking them off and on every night, being careful not to get them wet, etc.
But I finally gave in, and much like when I got glasses all those years ago and could suddenly see things I did not know were there, I now hear previously unheard sounds. A few days ago, while driving, I thought something was wrong with my car due to a sound I was hearing. It was a Styrofoam cup vibrating in the cupholder. That is just one example.
Maintenance is simple. I put them in a charger every night. All the controls are accessible via an app on my phone, and they have Bluetooth technology. Best of all, they are non-intrusive and virtually invisible.
I hope, just as it has been with my vision, my hearing will not get much worse. But should I need to turn up the volume, I can do so.
And if there are things I would still rather not hear ("sorry, I couldn't hear that, Honey"), I can also take them out.
8 comments:
I just ordered a pair of hearing aids like these and will have them in a week or two. I have had hearing aids for quite a while already but let it go too long before I had my hearing checked again. I look forward to these new ones with the Blue tooth and recharging features. I don't want to keep missing out on good conversations and sweet sounds! :)
As always seems to be the case, reading your post is like reading my biography. I too was amazed at the details when my eyes were first corrected with glasses. I went through a contact phase in life when I was active but eventually went back to glasses because there was a lot less work involved. Where I hope we will diverge is our ears. Growing up on a farm, my parents were always very protective of our hearing and we all had ear muffs and were expected to wear them. That has stuck with me and I still wear ear muffs when I'm making lots of noise, mostly with lawn care items these days. Thus far, I haven't noticed any degradation of my hearing.
My grandfather struggled late in life having both poor eyesight due to macular degeneration and poor hearing from just growing up in a time when they didn't know any better. He struggled with his hearing aids but could never get them adusted since all he had were tiny knobs and no smart phone technology. As a result, he spent his last years without them in and was essentially deaf and blind and I think that led to his giving up and just letting nature take it's course early. That has stuck with me and I hope if I get to that point, at least I will be able to hear thanks to bluetooth and a smartphone.
That’s so funny about seeing the leaves on the trees. I got glasses when I was in the sixth grade. That is exactly my experience. I had never seen individual leaves and was amazed.
Good for you, Bob, for stepping up to the plate and doing something about your hearing. Stick with it! People with profound hearing loss don't realize how much it affects not just them, but everyone around them!
Kelly -- exactly, and that is a big part of what prompted my decision to get them. Although she has been kind and patient, my wife has had to serve as my ears in a number of situations and that is not fair to her, especially when there is help available. Also, I know people who don't hear well who tend to withdraw from engaging simply because they can't hear the conversation. I'll withdraw if I want to, but I don't want it to be because I can't hear!
Hearing aids seem to go with age as several friends have recently begun wearing them and I've been told I am not far behind. Glad they are working out for you.
Bob, I have concluded that as we get older, glasses get more flattering. They hide a multitude of issues. lol Just saying... I remember having your exact experience when I got glasses for the first time - but I was in fourth grade. I was shocked to see the individual leaves on the trees! And street lights weren't fuzzy anymore!
I'm curious if your hearing aids help zoom in on individuals voices when in a noisy room. That seems to be my biggest issue. I don't think I have any serious difficult hearing, generally, but when there is a lot of noise in a room, the competition between all the noises/voices becomes nearly unbearable for me anymore.
Becki -- it was the "competing noises" that bothered me in the first place with regard to my hearing. In a busy place such as a restaurant where there is extraneous chatter, I have a hard time hearing people sitting with me. Now, with the hearing aids, I can hear them, but they are too loud! Another example is being in room with a TV on. Of course, that annoys me in general anyway! There are controls, through the app on my phone, that are supposed to help with this, but I am not adept at using them yet. I go back for my follow-up in a few days, and this is one of the things I will discuss with the technician. Overall, I am very pleased, and I have adapted better than I thought I would.
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