Think Hearing Aids Make You Look Old? Think Again!

If this sounds familiar: “I’m sorry, but could you please repeat that?” you are not alone. It’s estimated that over 40 million people in the U.S. suffer from hearing loss, making it the third most common health problem.

Struggling With Perceptions

In a poll of several hundred seniors at a national conference, the manufacturer of Siemens hearing aids reported most seniors admitted to having hearing loss. The survey found seniors are quite lax about their hearing health. Approximately one-third of respondents admitted to having their hearing checked only once or twice in their entire life, and during doctors’ visits, hearing was the least likely routine health check received — tied with a colonoscopy.

Seniors tend to overestimate how others will react to them wearing hearing aids. The majority (51-67 percent) claim they don’t wear hearing aids because they fear others will perceive them as “old and feeble” or make them stand out in a crowd in a negative way. Surprisingly, the vast majority of seniors are not judgmental of other people wearing hearing aids.

Many are also in denial over the social impacts of their hearing loss. One in four say they don’t want to interact with someone who continuously asks them to repeat themselves, saying the person is “annoying.” Ironically, when the situation is reversed, most seniors think it’s perfectly acceptable if they are the ones doing the repeating.

Proactive seniors who regularly have their hearing tested and address their hearing loss are better able to enjoy active social lives and extend their careers. Furthermore, untreated hearing loss makes it difficult to understand and follow doctors’ orders, respond to everyday alerts and warnings (e.g., telephones, doorbells, car horns) or enjoy conversations with family and friends. These situations are frustrating and embarrassing, and some even dangerous.

Interesting only one in seven seniors with hearing loss wears hearing aids, while 50 percent of seniors admitted to having procedures more for vanity reason, such as having plastic surgery or getting Botox injections. All too often we hear: “Hearing aids are for old people,” or ”My hearing isn’t bad enough for hearing aids.” 

Aging baby boomers place a lot of importance in staying and looking young. One of the best ways to accomplish this is to treat hearing loss by wearing hearing aids. Keep in mind, hearing aids don’t make you look old – not wearing hearing aids when you need them does. Smiling and nodding your head when you don’t understand what’s being said, makes your condition more obvious than even the largest hearing aid.