Getting Your First Hearing Aids is Only the Start…

Published on: 28 Jun, 2023
Updated on: 29 Jun, 2023

Hearing begins to deteriorate for most people in their twenties, but for many of us it does not start to get really noticeable until our fifties, says the Guildford Hard of Hearing Support Group.

And then begins a slow process of adapting to not really hearing properly.

The support groups adds that finding that you no longer enjoy going to the pub is a typical example, and: “We don’t immediately realise it’s because we are not able to conduct a conversation in such noisy surroundings. And before we know it we are tending to shun other social events.”

However, there is much that you can do to preserve the quality of your life. And you are not alone. According to the hearing loss charity RNID, more than 40 per cent of people over the age of 50 have some degree of hearing loss, rising to 70 per cent for the over 7os. By 2035, the number of people in the UK with hearing loss is expected to be over 14 million.

The support groups says: “Fortunately, hearing aids are remarkably clever, but even so, getting used to them for the first time is far more challenging than your first pair of specs.

“Because with the best will in the world, no hearing aid is going to restore ‘perfect’ sound. The process of gathering sounds is far more complicated than it is for seeing. So it takes a few weeks to get used to your new hearing aids. But even so life can still be challenging.”

One of the most useful skills is lipreading. The Guildford Hard of Hearing Support Group has regular meetings at St Catherine’s Village Hall, providing opportunities to practise lipreading, social events, and illustrated talks.

Its flagship Managing Hearing Loss course runs every autumn.

It is designed for those who have just got their first hearing aids, but others are welcome.

It starts in October and runs on six Monday afternoons at the United Reformed Church in Portsmouth Road.

For further information have a look at its website at https://www.guildfordhoh.org.uk/managing-hearing-loss or send an email to askghoh@hotmail.com, or send a text to 07761 000549. And see poster below.