Hearing is a treasured sense. It opens the door to an auditory world of sounds, beeps and clicks, and different languages. It becomes supremely important in appreciating our sound environment and in the conversations we have with those around us. However, like our bodies, our hearing is affected by age, and diminishes as we grow older. Over time, we experience more difficulty hearing, and ask people to repeat what they said once, then twice, until we finally give up on conversation entirely. We need to act when this progressive hearing loss occurs, and to expect that we will no longer be able to do some of our activities. In this context, hearing aids have a clearly positive impact on improving our daily social lives.

Get back in touch with friends and rediscover the joy of going out

78% of people with hearing aids noticed they spend more time with friends or doing activities with friends.

Hearing loss first affects us through social isolation. Trying to understand conversation becomes exhausting. Yet data compiled over the past three centuries have shown that people with hearing aids experience considerable improvement in comprehension. And since it is the ears that hear but the brain that understands, two ears are better than one. Indeed, several studies have shown that wearing two hearing aids (compared to one) improves understanding in noisy environments, makes it easier to locate sound sources, refines the perceived sound quality and reduces the effort required to understand speech. So a person with hearing loss can rediscover the pleasure of speaking with others and taking part in activities. Conversations in restaurants and cafés become more enjoyable. Going to movies, plays and concerts is again possible. Hearing aids help us make the most of these activities!

Hearing aids for sports

37% of people with hearing aids confirmed they enjoy sports more with hearing aids.

It is commonly thought that we can’t do sports with hearing aids. Au contraire! There is now a wide selection of hearing aids made with watertight electronic elements that withstand perspiration and water drops. They can be worn during physical training or even competition. Whether for running, fishing or biking, hearing aids help us hear surrounding sounds and communicate better with our partners.

Hear well to enjoy leisure activities even more

66.2% of people with hearing aids are happy to be able to hear the sounds of nature.

It’s often only when we are able to hear again that we realize how much we missed all the quiet sounds of nature. Taking walks or gardening is much nicer when we can hear birdsong and wind in the leaves. And high-definition hearing aids now have automatic systems to control wind noise, so we can enjoy outdoor activities while still being able to hear voices clearly.

Better hearing for better quality of life

83.1% of people with hearing aids say they have a better quality of life in general.

Ultimately, hearing aids not only improve wearers’ quality of life in general, but also improve relationships. In all cases, wearers experience improvement that transforms their social lives. They are able to go back to pleasures they’d lost over the years and get back in touch with the world of sound. Escaping through music, taking a group class or simply watching TV or listening to a favourite radio show become part of daily life again. And the enjoyment can be even greater with new wireless technology that enables hearing aids to send sound from a cellphone, music system or TV directly to the ear via Bluetooth accessories.

They’re definitely one of the best investments we can make!

By Charles-Édouard Basile, audioprosthetist, Groupe Forget