A hearing aid can help people hear better in both quiet and noisy situations. However, only one in five people who would benefit from a hearing aid actually use it. Age-related hearing loss is an increasingly important public health problem affecting approximately 40% of people aged 55 to 74. The main clinical treatment intervention for people with hearing loss is hearing aids; however, the majority (80%) of adults ages 55 to 74 who would benefit from a hearing aid do not use them.
In addition, many people who are given a hearing aid do not use it. The objective was to collect available evidence on the possible reasons why they did not use hearing aids among people who had had at least one placed on them. Hearing aids can't cure hearing loss, but they CAN help you hear better again. Many people think that hearing aids are a cure for hearing loss.
However, they are not intended to restore hearing. Hearing aids aren't a “cure for all”, they're simply a tool that helps you hear better. They are not a perfect substitute for normally functioning ears. While today's hearing aids are way above what they used to be, you may still have trouble hearing in certain situations, such as in a noisy restaurant or at a party.
Keep in mind that even people with very good hearing also have trouble picking up every word of a conversation in these environments. This low incidence is noteworthy, as stigma has often been considered to be one of the main reasons why people don't use their hearing aids. However, in most studies, the alleged reasons for not using a hearing aid were a minor section and not the main purpose of the article. They were not previously identified because, after reading the summaries, it was not yet clear whether the articles provided any information about the reasons why hearing aids were not used, so it was considered worth reading the full article.
Therefore, it is important to provide appropriate support, information and advice when placing the hearing aid. Even with the headphones correctly placed, you may still have difficulty hearing well in some situations. They found that there was a lack of consistency and robustness in the way in which the use of hearing aids was evaluated and classified. The other studies had different main objectives, but mentioned the reasons why hearing aids are not used as a secondary issue.
Once you get used to hearing aids, it's important to use them as much as you can (except for activities such as sleeping, showering, or swimming). What's interesting to note is that one study (Kochkin, 2000) reported that people had problems with health professionals because they had received poor service from the dispenser or had overrated hearing aid expectations. Basically, you're retraining your brain to interpret sounds, focus on some, and filter others, just as you naturally did when your hearing was normal. However, for most people, especially if you've had an untreated hearing loss for a long time, it will take some time to adjust.
One of the main reasons why people don't use their hearing aids when they are prescribed seems to be due to discomfort or because they don't know how to place them correctly. Interestingly, it's worth noting that none of the studies reported on whether there were differences between sex or age in terms of the reasons why hearing aids weren't used. An important issue seems to be related to the care and maintenance of the hearing aid and manual dexterity. .
