I think society puts too much pressure on us to look a certain way. With that being said, it doesn’t surprise me when most people are resistant to the idea of wearing hearing aids. We tend to think we need to look young and beautiful to be accepted by others, but shouldn’t you want to ACT young and beautiful too? Hearing Loss is the third most chronic condition among older adults. Missing conversations and punch-lines of jokes is noticeable by others. Responding inappropriately to questions doesn’t look good either. I think the message that needs to be spread is that wearing hearing aids is a way of treating yourself well and they are not making people older, but are keeping them younger.
A colleague of mine identified a 12 year old with a significant hearing loss this week. He started crying before the testing was even complete. Why was he overcome with emotion? Was it because he no longer had to carry the burden of the hearing loss, or was it simply that he knew he would need to wear hearing aids and the thought of being different was too much to handle? I can understand his concerns. Middle school is probably the hardest time in a person’s life, especially if you just want to look like everyone else. It takes a strong personality to stand out and make looking different “cool”. I feel for this kid, but I know he has the strength to be himself.
Thankfully the hearing aids are now more cosmetically appealing than ever and some are not visible at all because we are inserting them far within the ear canal. However, the idea of wearing hearing aids usually heightens anxiety levels and concerns about what others will think. Hearing aids are still associated with negative stigmas.
I had an 84 year old patient who knew she needed hearing aids, but did not want anyone to know. She also wore a wig that covered her ears and her beautiful long white hair. When she realized that her new hearing aids would be so small and hidden up behind her ears that no one would be able to see them, she chose shiny fire engine red hearing aids. And guess what? She and her son would report on her follow-up visits that she routinely would ask others if they could see her hearing aids. And when they would tell her that they had no idea she wore hearing aids, she would raise her wig to show them off! She loved them that much! Oh, the irony…
Hearing loss and hearing aids seem to still have an old stigma attached that needs to be lifted. I have friends and family who have hearing loss, but have yet to accept it enough to do something about it. The psychology of hearing loss is complicated and the road to acceptance is not an easy one. The first step may be to simply take care of yourself and stop worrying about what others think. This can be hard, but it can lead to a more fulfilling life.
