Myths and prejudices about hearing loss and hearing aids present a major problem. This is the reason why only one out of five who need hearing aids has them.
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I am too young to wear a hearing aid… |
 One of the most common myths about hearing loss is that it is a sign of old age. |
| Another myth is that hearing impaired people are less intelligent than people with normal hearing. |
| A third myth is that reduced hearing is the same as slowness of perception. |
These myths about hearing impairment are totally unfounded |
Hearing impaired people count many totally different people, including quite young people whose hearing loss is caused by acoustic trauma (loud volume levels at concerts and in bars and nightclubs).
One out of ten has a hearing loss. Even children and young people can be hearing impaired, and more than 50% of all hearing losses occur among people who are working. The majority of these people, however, do not admit their hearing loss openly. Nobody wants to be considered ‘old’, less intelligent or impaired – although these prejudices are completely untrue. It is very important that people with normal hearing understand that hearing loss is a common problem that affects people of all ages and ‘types’.
Also hearing aids are subjected to prejudices and myths. Most people do not even know how modern hearing aids look or function. Modern hearing aids use very fine digital technology to amplify the sound delivered to the ear. Many people still believe:
- that hearing aids are big and clumsy
- that they continuously whistle
- that they are difficult to operate and you have to adjust sound constantly.
The smallest hearing aids on the market today are so small that they can be placed deeply in the ear canal. Audible feedback whistling can often be cancelled. Most hearing aids are fully automatic, which means that loudness does not have to be adjusted manually. Modern hearing aids adjust the loudness so you hear what is important. This allows the user to concentrate fully on other things than the hearing aid.
SEE ALSO:
Stigma
