Many people have the misconception that hearing aids correct hearing the same way that glasses correct vision. This is a far, far cry from the truth. In reality hearing aids simply aid the wearer in hearing better. The key word is better.
Since hearing loss is very rarely, if ever, a straight line a hearing aid needs to amplify a high sound differently than it amplifies a low sound. Being a mechanical device it does this with varying degrees of success. The sound itself is mechanical. Though having never had “perfect” hearing I couldn’t quite tell you how different a hearing aid sound is from the actual sound.
To get an idea of how a hearing aid works think of an old VHS tape that is losing its quality. The sound is fading and in order to hear the volume needs to be turned up rather high. The higher the sound goes the more feedback and other noise becomes involved. Eventually you get to a point where understanding is virtually impossible. This is the same as a hearing aid. The worse the hearing loss is the louder the hearing aid needs to be. The louder the hearing aid is the worse the sound quality and understanding ability is decreased.
My right ear is to the point that even with my hearing aid on I don’t have good voice recognition. If someone speaks only to my right ear I will have trouble understanding what is being said. The hearing aid does help me, but it’s helping my left to understand more than it is able to understand itself.
Hearing aids also do not know what sounds I am trying to listen to. I can’t tell my hearing aid to ignore a loud person behind me so that I can hear a soft-spoken person in front of me, it doesn’t have that capability. I always find crowded places difficult. Going to a restaurant with more than one person invariably has me sitting and guessing at the conversation from time to time. There is just too much noise competition.
Likewise I’m not a fan of background music, or a TV on in the room while a conversation takes place. Anything that fights for my ears attention means communication is not going to be easy.
Very few people seem to understand the reality of having hearing aids. Unless people know me well they don’t take into consideration my hearing struggles. It’s not something that is well known. People assume that hearing aids “fix” hearing. All I have is a volume control on a lousy set of speakers.
The next time you interact with someone who has a hearing loss take the time to make sure they can understand. Don’t talk overly loud or slowly, just be aware of your surroundings. More than likely the person you are talking with will appreciate your effort.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment