Make Your Ears a Priority During Better Hearing Month

May is the perfect time to take action and make your hearing health a priority.Why? Because it’s Better Hearing and Speech Month. This year’s theme is “Communication Across the Lifespan.”At Audiology & Hearing Services of Charlotte, we understand there are many reasons you may choose to delay scheduling an appointment. We also know that overcoming those reasons and taking the initiative to address your hearing – including annual hearing screening once you turn 55 – can pay huge dividends. In doing so, you can improve communication across your lifespan.Just because a person has hearing aids doesn’t mean they wear them regularly. Less than a third of people over 70 and less than 20% of those under 70 who would benefit from hearing aids wear them. Here, we’ll look at some common reasons given for not wearing them and how you can address them:

‍1. Embarrassment: It’s common for people to be hesitant to wear hearing aids because they think it makes them look old or less healthy. Modern hearing aids are more discreet than they used to be. Young people are often seen with earbuds in their ears, and hearing aids are less noticeable and rarely cause anyone to bat an eye.2. Forgetfulness: Early on, you can make reminders or set alarms on your phone to remind you to put your hearing devices in. Wearing them regularly is important because it helps your hearing aids work better – modern devices “remember” particular environments and adjust settings according to where you are.

‍3. They don’t fit properly: Poor-fitting hearing aids are uncomfortable and don’t work as effectively as they should. The problem could be an easy fix – if you think your devices need an adjustment, contact us to evaluate them.

‍4. They’re too complicated: It can be difficult adjusting to the new technology in today’s hearing aids. That’s OK to struggle with them initially. Be patient and accept that you will get used to them the more you use them – practice really does make perfect.

‍5. They stopped working properly: If you’ve noticed your hearing aids stopped working as well as they once did, they may need a fine-tuning.

Contact us to give them a tune-up.

For information on how Audiology & Hearing Services of Charlotte can help you take steps to improve your hearing health, call us at 704-412-7975 or contact us online.