Testing Testing, Testing.
I have two aunts and, much to Bertie Wooster’s admiration, I admit I hadn’t seen them for many years until my father’s funeral. I’d spoken with them occasionally on the phone but not met face-to-face for decades which would explain why, when I said hello to one of them, she replied “You’re not Tony ………… (pleadingly) surely!” I blame the lighting.
Turns out I’ve got three extended family members with impaired hearing. Not deaf, but plainly struggling to hear, particularly if there’s background noise and all moaning about how actors mumble on TV nowadays. The signs are obvious.
Have they had hearing tests or spoken with a GP? Nope, not one of them because:-
“I’m scared they’ll find something serious and I don’t want to pay all that for a hearing aid.”
“Oh, it’s not that bad, but I don’t go out much anymore and I do get lonely.”
“I know I’m vain, but I don’t want to wear a hearing aid.”
I chatted about their concerns, to no avail; they’ll continue losing out on life. As for not wanting to wear a hearing aid because of how it looks – then stop wearing your reading glasses and stare at a page you can’t understand.
It’s not for me to suggest what people do or don’t do (not sticking fingers in the shredder apart) but isn’t it better to use an aid whilst it’s possible? I’m surprised how many hearing aids I see on a daily basis and this week I met two people with bad Tinnitus. I guess I’m more aware of these problems or just willing to talk about them. I do wonder how many people struggle without being recognised by the medical system. What is the true statistic for impaired hearing?
Perhaps it would help to compare hearing difficulties with driving. If you ignore the oil warning light in the car and then the ‘Engine Fault’ alert you’ll have problems later, so getting a hearing check is worth the effort. Who am I to talk though? I should have had our car checked before the gearbox detonated. Instead believed the online advice that it was a sensor error. Cost a bloody fortune too; at least that was repairable.