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Let me explain an excellent reason to be fitted with hearing aids as soon as you become aware that you are experiencing hearing loss. Have you ever heard of auditory deprivation? This phenomenon is a major contributing factor to the problems of hearing loss, and can only be averted by getting the amplification of sound your loss needs through hearing aids. Few people have heard of it, but the majority of those who suffer from hearing loss also have some degree of auditory deprivation.
The auditory system, which enables us to hear, operates on a “use it or lose it” principle. When one experiences hearing loss, the brain and the neurological elements of the auditory system are deprived of hearing certain sounds. Gradually, over time, these sounds can be forgotten and one’s ability to understand speech begins to diminish.
To put it simply, hearing and understanding are two separate processes, although both are necessary for good hearing. There are many people in nursing homes who can hear what is said with hearing aids, but they have a hard time understanding what is said. Words sound mushy because the auditory system is losing its ability to discriminate speech.
There is no surgery or medicine that can cure auditory deprivation. Amplification of sound through hearing instruments can slow the process of auditory deprivation and help those with hearing loss to maintain their understanding ability. Some actually improve in their under-standing ability after wearing hearing aids over a period of time.
If you don’t want to have to learn to read lips, the safest route is to be fitted with hearing instruments as soon as you know you have hearing loss. Don’t delay – have your hearing checked today! Dick Clay, BC-HIS (Board Certified Hearing Instrument Specialist)
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