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I’m your host, Dr. Lilach Saperstein and this is All About You! Episode 28.
What are some of the greatest benefits of using hearing aids and what are the greatest challenges or limitations of hearing aids?
All About YOU!
I asked you guys this question over on my Instagram @allaboutaudiology podcast and got so many responses from many of you who are hearing aid users yourselves and also from parents, caregivers, family members or loved ones of children or someone you know who are using hearing aids. I wanted to get some of your input on the biggest benefits and some of the most difficult challenges of hearing aids. And you guys sent me a lot of answers so I want to share that with you.
Just to really take a moment and recognize that hearing aids and cochlear implants are devices that can be incredibly beneficial and helpful to lots of different people throughout their lives. But there are also limitations that have to be considered and we can’t look at this thing and say, ‘Oh, they have their hearing aids, so they can hear everything.’ Or, ‘Now that the child has a cochlear implant, BOOM, they are good to go.’ We also need to recognize that there are going to be a lot of difficulties along the way, hopefully not A LOT of them, but there are definitely going to be some difficulties. And in terms of limitations, when you are talking about a microphone, that microphone is going to have a specific range of how far away it can pick up sounds.
So I’m going to read a couple of responses I got from you guys. One of the beautiful things that I love to hear about the benefits of hearing aids, is when people tell me that they feel they have gotten their life back. They feel like they are able to participate in the world that they want to be a part of. To be able to work and hear their colleagues, to be able to go to school… I heard from one of you who is studying to become an audiologist and I found it to be so beautiful the way you wrote, ‘I love them. The best part of hearing aids is they allow me to participate in most situations. And Bluetooth connections allow me to be connected. The worst part is still in bars and clubs where I still struggle and have to worry about the weather and situations that might damage my hearing aids.’
I responded and told him that it’s amazing that he’s studying audiology and soon enough, he will be able to program his own hearing aids. I was really moved by what you said, ‘Someday I’m going to be able to look at a scared little boy like I was and show them that they can do anything.’ That’s what you wrote to me. Those are the moments that it really feels like doing this podcast is really important and getting all of us to talk about how amazing it is that we have these technologies and we have audiologists who are trained in helping people to get to this place, where there is less fear and more possibility and more hope for the future.
Now,
