How to Get Help for Hearing Loss
Talk to your doctor. “Hearing evaluations should be a routine part of preventive healthcare as we get older,” says Yang.
When memory is a concern, hearing is worth checking early, she says. “It can be an important and treatable cause of memory changes.” It doesn’t have to be complicated: In her own clinic, Yang rubs her fingers beside a patient’s ears (with their eyes closed) as a quick hearing check, even for people without hearing concerns.
Hearing loss is one of the most modifiable risk factors for cognitive decline, says Sydlowski. “If you identify it early, that also means that you can start managing it,” she says.
“It’s not about the brand, it’s not about the features; it’s about using a device that’s appropriate for the type and degree of hearing loss that you have,” says Sydlowski.
Don’t give up if the first option doesn’t work. Sydlowski recommends taking notes at first: what is working well, where you still struggle, and specifics about when and how.
Many people abandon their hearing aids after a period of frustration or disappointment without ever checking back in with their audiologist, she says. “If they don’t know what you’re experiencing, then they can’t make it better,” says Sydlowski.
Even agrees, saying, “Don’t assume that a disappointing first experience means hearing aids cannot help.” If you have memory problems, a family member or caregiver can help at appointments and with daily use, he says.
“People assume you have to have significant hearing loss to benefit from these devices, which is no longer true,” says Sydlowski. Only a fraction of the people who could benefit have one, she says.
Find ways to stay socially engaged. Rather than avoiding social situations, Sydlowski recommends finding ways to take control and make them work for you.
For example, where you sit can make a big difference in a noisy restaurant. She suggests choosing a table along the edge of the room, with your back to the wall.
Even says to face the person you’re talking with and ask them to face you, reduce competing noise when you can, and move somewhere quieter for important conversations.
“The goal is not perfect hearing in every environment. It’s to keep communication working well enough that hearing loss doesn’t become an additional barrier to staying engaged in conversations, activities, and relationships,” says Even.
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