What Do You Hear?
Some of our best moments as ihear clinicians come from the follow-up appointments, when we meet again with patients who’ve been recently fitted with hearing aids. More often than not they want to relate their tales of the sounds they can hear now, that they hadn’t even realised how much they were missing…or not missing, in the case of one patient, “I now have a bird chirping outside my window at home, and it is driving me crazy!” But really, our patients couldn’t be happier when they begin to hear sounds of nature and the typical Aussie lifestyle again.
“I didn’t realise I was missing the wonderful the sounds of the ocean.”
“I’d missed the sizzle of sausages on the BBQ.”
It’s true that 90% of hearing aid wearers report an improvement in their quality of life, and this is likely down to being able to hear all the sounds of life, impacting the whole experience. What’s top of the list though, is reconnecting with the sounds of family life. Hearing well can allow the intimacy and closeness to return to those relationships that mean the most.
Before Jan met with ihear, her hearing loss has caused her to slowly withdraw from everyday life. She gave up on relaxing in front of her favourite TV shows. She had stopped answering the phone, leaving her husband to deal with the financial matters that had always been her domain, which left him feeling frustrated. All that changed when Jan attended a quick appointment to begin her journey to better hearing.
As well as taking back control of the finances, she can now hear and interact with her little grandson in London during their skyping sessions. Jan’s hearing aids have given them back the opportunity to know each other, despite living so far apart.“They’ve opened my world back up again and I’m not hiding at home all the time.” says Jan of her hearing aids.
It can seem daunting taking the first step to better hearing, but the good news is that the earlier the acceptance of hearing loss, the better the outcome if you do need hearing aids. The longer we are without sounds, the harder it is to acclimatise to hearing them again. Don’t let it be too long since you last heard all the sounds of life.
Has ihear helped you hear again? We want to know! Tell us on Facebook with the words “ihear… and the sound you’d missed the most”.
Having trouble hearing? Book a FREE hearing check at your nearest ihear clinic, and begin your journey back to better hearing.
