Most folks who would benefit from hearing aids never get them.
Many of those who do are astounded at the resulting improvement in their lives.
But don't expect an aid to make your hearing as good as fully normal unaided hearing would be.
Don't get an aid without first getting an audiogram to be sure your hearing loss is of a type that can be helped by a hearing device-and that it can't be assisted by an operation You will have to decide what is most important to you in a hearing aid.
Some aids have advanced features that may make them easier to operate and more adaptable to varying hearing environments, but those features might cost more or require an aid to be cosmetically less appealing.
In shopping for hearing devices, you will want to consider only dispensers who offer thorough advice and explanations of your options, who offer a wide variety of styles and makes of aids, and who have flexible policies allowing you to test out aids and return them with little or no fee if you are not please with the results.
It is essential to confirm in writing how long you can trial out any aid you purchase with a right to return it, what charges, if any, you will have to pay if you return it, and whether the test period will be extended if the dispenser suggests trying to make adjustments so that the aid will suit you better.
For one model, we found that prices among local dispensers ranged from $1,199 to $2,999.
And that's for the same model! For another, prices ranged from $1,700 to $3,455.
This clearly shows the range of aid prices that can be found.
Take a moment to ask yourself these questions: Do I often ask people to repeat themselves? Does it often seem that people are mumbling? Do I often feel tired or stressed during conversation? Do I often misunderstand questions? Do I miss the point of jokes because I miss too much of the story? Do I turn up the volume on televisions or radios so much that friends complain? Do I have difficulty understanding speech in crowded places? Do I find that when I look at people I can more easily understand what they are saying? If you answered yes to some of these questions, it might be time to get your hearing checked.
If you are hearing less than you should be you're not alone.
About 10 percent of people have some hearing loss.
The figure is more than 30 percent for persons over age 65.
The vast majority of those with hearing problem would benefit from using hearing devices.
But most go without these helpful devices either because they are hesitant to acknowledge a handicap or because they don't think the benefit will justify the trouble and cost.
It is true that an aid won't fully make up for hearing loss in the same sense that eyeglasses can restore 20/20 vision.
A hearing aid can amplify voices and sound but can't give you the exact patterns of volume and pitch that you would have experienced without a hearing loss.
people with a hearing loss often say, "I can hear you but I can't understand you.
" Even with the help of a hearing aid, you might still have this experience.
The sounds you want to hear-speech sounds for example-are amplified, but so are other sounds such as background noise, resulting in some degree of confusion.
The usual patterns of sound that the ear is adapted to use to discern wanted from unwanted information will never be fully restored.
Despite their inability to deliver "normal" hearing, aids have improved the lives of millions of people-enabling them to enjoy their senses more fully and to communicate more effectively with others.
Many first-time hearing aid wearers are surprised at the improved quality of their lives.
In a study of hearing aids, hearing aid users reported comments like the following: "It's such a joy to go for my walk in the early morning and hear the birds singing, which I could not hear before.
It is also a pleasure to hear all of a sermon at church or someone's conversation rather than parts.
" Today's modern hearing devices have come a long way from the "ear trumpets" manufactured in the early 1800s-and even from the devices available just a few years ago.
Modern digital hearing aids can do much to meet the needs of their wearers and the complex and varying acoustic environments they encounter.
As hearing aids grow smaller and more technologically advanced, they are also more convenient and less obtrusive to wear.
Today, if you have a hearing loss, you can choose from hundreds of hearing aids with varying degrees of size and sophistication, but sure to shop for the best hearing aid price.