Why people don’t wear their discreet hearing aids
Have you begged and pleaded with your spouse or parent to wear their discreet hearing aids, only for them to “forget” or stubbornly refuse.
I was playing around with Google search, and some specific hearing aid questions caught my eye:
Why won’t my father wear his hearing aids?
My mum refuses to wear her hearing aids, help!
How do I cope with my spouse refusing to wear his hearing aids?
My husband refuses to wear his very expensive hearing aids, why did we buy them?
I’ve written about hearing aid devices before, mostly to the benefit of the wearer, but it is clearly frustrating for hearing people when their loved ones have hearing aids but choose not to wear them.
You are not alone.
About two million people in the UK own hearing aids, but statistics show that only 1.4 million people actually use them. With over 11 million people in the UK suffering some form of hearing loss, surely the statistics must be wrong?
Hearing aids can profoundly improve a person’s quality of life. However, there is still a stigma attached to being deaf, and many people won’t wear their hearing aids because they feel embarrassed. There are also more secretive reasons for their refusal to wearing these little devices.
Knowing the reasons behind their decision, or lack thereof, might help you devise strategies to ensure greater usage.
5 reasons people don’t wear their discreet hearing aids
There are a number of reasons people choose not to wear their hearing aids when they have been fitted for them. The most significant reasons are:
Lack of awareness
Recent research showed that many people with hearing aids are actively choosing not to wear them. The study conducted at the University of Manchester looked at the habits of 160,000 UK residents between the ages of 40 to 69. It revealed that shockingly only 2.1% of people regularly use their hearing aids.
They concluded that although a number of reasons were given for not wearing hearing aids, the number one reason was people’s insufficient awareness of:
The state-of-the-art hearing instrument technology available. Many people have a pair of hearing aids stashed and forgotten in their bedside table. Maybe they’ve hated the device right from the start and decided all hearing aids were equally as bad and ineffective.
Another scenario is that they bought hearing aids online or from a store and did not have them properly programmed by a hearing specialist, which would lead to poor sound and quality.
The potential impact their hearing loss has on their loved ones. Some people simply refuse to accept their hearing loss. They might admit to not hearing perfectly, but they’ll deny the severity. They don’t feel they need a hearing aid and can hear well enough without it.
The spouse or carer usually becomes the person’s hearing aid both at home and when socialising. Because you assist them, they don’t get too upset about their hearing loss; this might soon cause resentment. Speak up and tell your spouse or parent how it makes you feel.
The social stigma of hearing aids
To a large extent, attitudes toward hearing aids have changed for the better. People are more used to things in their ears, Bluetooth earpieces, smartphone wireless earbuds, etc. However, for many wearers, a hearing aid is a symbol of surrendering to ‘old age’.
If you have a parent refusing to wear their hearing aids, try to see things from their perspective. They might think by admitting they need the device you’ll see them as incapable of taking care of themselves and will be reluctant to trust them with your children.
Even in this day and age, hearing loss and the use of hearing aids continues to be associated with stigma, making wearers feel like outcasts. Hearing aids are still strongly associated with ‘getting old’ or for people who are profoundly deaf, and the wearer might want to avoid being seen as either.
It doesn’t live up to the expectation
Hearing aid advertisements emphasise the wonderful advantages of hearing aids and their ability to improve communication abilities, making it sound like your hearing will be 100% once you’ve put them in. With such optimistic expectations, the wearer is understandably disappointed when the device doesn’t live up to the hype.
When you expect too much, you’re sure to be disappointed.
On the other hand, stories of unsuccessful experiences with hearing aids are abundant. Practically everyone knows someone who knows someone who hates their hearing aids. Such stories discourage hearing aid wearers from using the devices because they ‘know’ they’re useless.
A hearing aid is an aid, not a replacement. Listening difficulties will occur, and many wearers experience pain and discomfort from loud sounds. That is why it’s important to go for follow-up sessions and get them adjusted.
Fit and comfort
Many older people complain of hearing aids being difficult to handle. Imagine trying to get your hearing aids in place with painful, swollen fingers. They have problems handling the device due to their limitations in manual dexterity. Stiff hands and finger joints are common in older adults and will impact on their experience of using hearing aids.
I recall finding a tiny hearing aid in a drawer, it certainly wasn’t one of mine. I discovered it belonged to my mother, who had kept it a secret. We didn’t even know she had been for a hearing test. The TV had been far too loud for a long time, and it was ME that had to repeat everything. I tried to change the battery in that tiny hearing aid with my nimble 35 year old hands – and it defeated me. How are older people expected to make adjustments to such tiny aids?
If the wearer cannot easily insert and remove the device and struggle to adjust the volume control or change the battery, they won’t wear them. Other reasons include:
- They feel like ear plugs.
- They make ears sweat and itch.
- Ear wax problems.
My own earmoulds were rock hard and painful to wear, until I discovered soft silicone earmoulds as an adult. I fell in love for the first time! I was always raiding the box of earbuds for my itchy ears, although you should really never put anything smaller into your ear than your elbow!
It is extremely important that the right support, information, and counselling is provided when the hearing aid gets fitted.
Maintenance issues
Hearing aids are small, delicate devices that need to be taken care of to ensure they continue to function optimally. Because discreet hearing aids are now so tiny, the person wearing them might forget they need a thorough cleaning. For example, when was the last time you cleaned your earphones after a vigorous workout at the gym, do you even think of it?
The aid is in or around the ear, so it regularly gets exposed to sweat, moisture, ear wax, dirt and dust.
To keep hearing aids working, the user needs to clean it, change or charge batteries and keep it in good form. Many wearers find this a burdensome task, a nuisance that’s more trouble than they’re worth.
For many people, discreet hearing aids simply do not provide enough benefit, and they feel uncomfortable wearing one. Both the physical discomfort of the hearing aid and their emotional discomfort should be taken into consideration when trying to persuade them to wear the device.
In the past hearing aids were difficult to handle and there was a lot of noise and painful side effects. Digital hearing aids now offer a number of advantages over analogue aids, including increased comfort and digital noise reduction. It might be worth suggesting to your spouse or parent to try a digital hearing aid if they had frustrations with their previous one.
Ultimately, the decision is theirs, and you must respect that. The only thing you can do is provide support and suggest follow-up counselling on hearing aid use, which has been shown to increase usage.
Read more about the benefits and limitations of hearing aids.
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who the hell needs discreet ones LOL!!! I have small canals so earmolds are need too and sometime hearing loss is shitty. this is why I have the P version as usual 😛
You forgot a big one – for optimal function HAs need to be configured by audiologist according to exact hearing loss. And that takes several tries. When the sound is uncomfortable, it’s often hard to explain exactly how, both audiologists and clients must be very patient.
Oh and from real experience: accessories like bluetooth remotes fro HAs are unreliable and infuriating to use, audiologists who sell them are not trained to help with them. I wanted true stereo streamer for music, but twice got sold an expensive one that streamed only mono sound.
Hi Juraj, I find the audiologists aren’t trained in the additional equipment, they only seem to be trained on hearing aids.
I personally wish hearing aids were big enough to be seen. Then, maybe people would realize that I am not ignoring them, but that I just can’t hear well. I don’t understand why anyone would hide the fact that they are wearing hearing aids. To me, wearing them shows that you are trying your best to function in the world.
I so agree with you!!
When I was growing up, and even as an adult, if my hair was cut too short and my hearing aids could be seen, I’d be laughed at, pointed at, stared at, and treated like an imbecile. I’d prefer to hide them.
Younger people are vicious that way. Had that problem in my first 8 grades
I have the big ones, needed the power then just easier to handle. I don’t care if they are visible.
Instead of ‘4 eyes’ it was ‘4 ears’ 😔
SIMPLE! Those old people aids don’t have enough power. They generally need POWERFUL BTEs
The main reason I dont wear my well tuned Hearing aids, is because they magnify sounds to such a degree that they trigger Hyperacusis and cause EVEN more agony
Hi Joe, absolutely … I am sure my own hearing aids made me more deaf than I was already! There was so much amplification of sound being blasted into my ears all day long.
Another reason is because some people choose not to wear them. Some people like me can live without hearing aids just fine. I have always worn hearing aids since I was roughly two years old but the last few years, I realized I don’t need to wear two hearing aids. I only need one for certain situations but other than those situations, I do not see a necessary need for it.
That said, there are quite a few other reasons including those five points you mentioned. I often keep telling my audiologists to program the hearing aids “lower” because they automatically program to “normal” hearing levels.
It does seem sometimes audiologists have difficulty accepting that hearing aids are not a 100 percent solution rather than an assistive solution that may or may not fit the individual’s need.
Don’t forget that those that lose their hearing at an older age find there are loads of sounds that are too loud even with the hearing aids correctly tuned. It wasn’t explained to them that they need to wear them lots in perhaps quieter environments to start with so their brain can get used to these sounds and eventually de-tune itself to them.
Would have to be cost and maintenance. Currently, my hearing aids are 5 years old and it’s not worth it for me to pay for maintenance.
I absolutely dispise my hearing aids. I’m actually returning them before the guarantee is up.
I live with my dad who is hard of hearing and he doesn’t realise the strain it causes on people close to him when he refuses at all cost to ever wear his aid. We have to constantly translate for him and explain to people in public why he’s ignoring him. He cannot hear the other line down the phone and the TV is constantly blasting which wakes us up in the morning or disturbs us at random times during the day. I think often, the burden it puts on family members is overlooked.
Your brain gradually gets used to wearing the aid with time, and it keeps your brain active and alert as it’s your brain that does the hearing, not the ear.