Hearing aids can have a transformative effect on people's lives, from confidence communicating at work, to clarity in busy public spaces,to enjoying your pastimes at home.
Modern hearing aids are tiny, discreet and multi functional,and far from labelling you as being deaf or old, they're among some of thehandiest gadgets to have around the home.
But we understand why some people feel awkward or uncertain about getting hearing aids fitted - and we're here to dispel some of the myths.
1. Hearing aids are obvious
First of all, don't assume that other people will even know you are wearing a hearing aid. Modern hearing aids are tiny and can hide just at the surface of the ear canal.
For more profound hearing loss, slightly larger receivers can tuck behind the ear, but even these are much slimmer than you might imagine, especially compared with old hearing aids.
In many cases they're barely noticeable, and if you have hair that covers the tops of your ears, this can help to hide any minor visible indication that anything is there.
2. Hearing aids make me shout
Hearing aids can help you to communicate more effectively at lower volumes, not higher volumes, because you will be able to hear your own voice at its actual volume.
This can be a big help with everyday conversation - so you're not the only one who benefits from hearing aids, as the people you are talking to will get a more 'normal' conversation too.
3. Hearing aids damage hearing
Modern hearing aids don't just amplify all sounds equally,so unlike wearing loud headphones for extended periods, hearing aids won't damage your hearing in that way.
Automatic gain control intelligently adjusts different sounds to roughly equal volumes, giving a normalisation effect that canactually make it easier to hear quieter sounds in a noisy environment.
4. Hearing aids are difficult to adjust
Some wearers lack confidence because they have had hearing aids in the past that were difficult or even impossible to accurately adjust.
With modern hearing aids, you have the option to use a smartphone app to tweak the volume and other control settings.
It's a hands-free way to make fine adjustments and it gives you total control and confidence over your hearing aid settings.
5. Hearing aids are old-fashioned
Absolutely not! Modern hearing aids double as Bluetooth headsets for hands-free phone calls and as media streaming devices for listening to music or tuning directly into your TV.
Combined with ever-evolving smartphone apps to take control of all of these functions and media streaming hubs to stream from your home entertainment system, they are anything but old-fashioned and are a great way for even young wearers to feel more confident and connected with the world.
