Presbycusis, or age-related hearing loss, is common among older adults. Nearly 25% of people aged 65-74 have disabling hearing loss. If you have age-related hearing loss, you may struggle to converse with friends and family. When you can’t regularly hear conversations, it makes it harder to connect with those around you.
Hearing aids have technologies and settings that ease your ability to understand those sounds and, as a result, connect more genuinely with those around you. The ability to connect with others and maintain social friendships as you age can improve your quality of life and act as a buffer against the negative effects of aging.
If you’ve been considering how hearing loss is impacting your social connections, a hearing specialist can help you determine if hearing aids are a good option for you.
Benefits of Hearing Aids
The ability to communicate effectively is one of the most important factors for maintaining healthy relationships. Hearing aids offer several benefits for improving communication.
Some hearing aids can:
- Make speech and sound clearer
- Amplify voices in loud environments, such as during lunch at Woodinville Café
- Automatically adjust to the frequency of speech sounds
- Offer specific speech programs
These settings can help you connect with others and give you more confidence to make new friends and invest in your social relationships.
Benefits of Connection
Hearing loss doesn’t have to feel isolating. Improved social connections can provide the following benefits for your social outings:
- Lowers frustration: If you can hear conversations on the first try, it lowers frustration for you and others around you by minimizing their need to repeat themselves.
- Reduces miscommunication: With hearing aids, you’ll likely know exactly what someone said clearly the first time. It reduces the risk of misinterpreting what was said.
- Genuine conversation: People will be able to speak openly with you about more vulnerable topics because you and they will be less likely to withdraw from the conversation due to the inability to hear.
Hearing aids can make a positive impact on the quality of life for those with age-related hearing loss. For questions about hearing aids or to speak to a hearing specialist, contact Hearing Advancement Center.
