Hearing Loss Myths
MYTH 1:
 If you say something loud enough, it will be heard.
A widely held view that is not entirely true. Many with sensorineural hearing loss also suffer from a condition called ‘recruitment’: A heightened sensitivity to loud sounds. While soft sounds need to be amplified before they are heard, loud sounds can cause physical discomfort in patients with this condition. As a result, excessively raising your voice may cause distortion of speech and discomfort for the hearing-impaired listener.
MYTH 2:
Senorieneural hearing loss occurs in the same amounts across all frequencies (tones).
Some hearing losses are evenly spread across the sound spectrum. These are called flat losses. Most sensorieneural hearing losses are in the high - called sloping losses. The less common ‘reverse loss’ is when the high frequencies are heard better than low frequencies.
MYTH 3:
Hearing aids did not work for someone I know, so they will not work for me.
Adjustment to hearing aids or hearing enhancement devices can take many months. Realistic expectations regarding your hearing aids or hearing enhancement devices is critical to your success. If you wear your hearing aids on a regular basis you will adapt faster to the world of sound and improve your ability to focus on speech. A willingness to keep working with the hearing aids is the key to success.
YOU AND YOUR HEARING
 The effects of untreated hearing loss are devastating. Many sufferers are unaware of their condition and often refuse to accept the situation. It typically takes a person 7 years to take positive action about their hearing loss once it is identified. That is a long time of not hearing! Family and friends are typically the first to notice your hearing loss. Hearing loss is often stigmatized by being associated with old-age, dependence and incompetence.
A reduction in hearing ability results in a reduction in the ability to communicate and function normally in the world. Many sufferers withdraw from day-to-day life and can become isolated. Relationships with friends and loved ones can be severely tested and when nothing is done to correct the situation – relationships can suffer.
Most people wear hearing aids or enhancement devices to improve their understanding of speech. Speech is among the most complex sounds to understand with many different intensities, tones and harmonic levels – all working together to create recognizable words.
When listening conditions are less than ideal, word recognition and understanding is reduced. Common scenarios where hearing is particularly challenging for the hearing impaired are:
• Dinner table where more than one conversation is taking place.
• Parties where there is any degree of background noise.
• When a person is speaking and is not facing the listener or audience.
• Inside a traveling vehicle.
• In windy outdoor situations.
You can get more information about the signs of hearing loss here.
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