How Hearing Aids Improve Your Relationships
Communication is Key
We all know that good channels of communication are the foundation to healthy relationships. Of course, when miscommunication occurs, this may lead to conflict. But what happens when communication becomes increasingly difficult not because of personalities or egos – but because of hearing loss?
Hearing loss is the third most common medical condition in the United States, affecting 48 million Americans. One key complaint of hearing loss is that though people are still able to hear, it becomes increasingly difficult to understand.
Speech Recognition and Hearing Loss
With hearing loss, speech recognition becomes a challenge. Because sounds are not clear, folks with hearing loss may experience difficulty discerning between certain sounds such as “p” and “b” or “th” and “s.” Hearing loss also interferes with the ability to anticipate speech patterns, which may lead to slow understanding or misunderstanding.
Additionally, speech recognition becomes increasingly difficult when there are multiple speakers or a busy environment – or both! Imagine sitting at a busy restaurant with several dining companions and there are multiple conversations happening at once. It’s already difficult for people with normal hearing – but now imagine missing chunks of conversation and not being able to focus on the speaker amidst the background noise.
The difficulty with speech recognition may create rifts in interpersonal relationships. One of the signs of hearing loss is frequently asking people to repeat themselves. Over time, constantly asking for repetition may lead to annoyance and frustration.
It’s no wonder that hearing loss often leads to social anxiety and social isolation. When people are struggling to hear their friends and loved ones, and are not comfortable discussing changes in their hearing, they begin to pull away. Over time, people with untreated hearing loss begin to isolate themselves and stop pursing the things they love to do. Untreated hearing loss has been linked to increased levels of depression, and it’s no surprise.
Hearing Aids with Excellent Speech Recognition Features
If you’ve been experiencing changes in your hearing ability, the first step toward improving both your hearing health and your relationships is to take a hearing exam. From the hearing exam, we’ll determine the configuration of your hearing loss and your current hearing abilities – and we’ll recommend the best course of treatment for you.
At Desert Valley Audiology, we offer many state-of-the-art hearing aids equipped with excellent speech recognition features. Many hearing aid manufacturers focus on this element in hearing aid design, as it is the most important aspect of hearing loss.
Starkey Hearing Technologies recently introduced the Muse, a Made for Life Hearing aid. Powered by Synergy, an incredibly fast processing platform, Muse hearing aids speed transition to help the brain quickly adapt to new sounds. With Acuity Directionality and Speech Shift, Muse improves speech audibility in difficult listening situations. Through wireless connection, Muse allows you to stream your phone calls directly to your hearing aids – so you can keep in touch long-distance with the ones you love.
Signia Primax is the latest offering from Sivantos Group, parent company to Siemens as well as other major hearing aid brands. The Primax has been clinically proven to reduce listening effort. With the feature SpeechMaster, Primax addresses the issue of speech recognition through three main facets: noise reduction, directionality, and steering amplification. SpeechMaster empowers Primax wearers to focus on specific speakers, with the technology to amplify speakers’ voices about that of challenging background noise.
New from Oticon is the Opn, one of the most advanced hearing instruments to date using Oticon’s trademark BrainHearing Technology. Opn provides wearers with significant cognitive benefits, including 20% less listening effort, 20% more capacity to remember, and most importantly, 30% better speech understanding. Oticon’s Opn is built upon an open platform, which means that unlike other hearing aids, it offers wearers a richer picture and fuller spectrum of sound, rather than suppressing some sounds and elevating others. As such, the brain is empowered to focus in noisy environments. Speech recognition is elevated through narrow directionality. Opn gives wearers sharper focus and better speech recall – and most importantly, less social isolation.
To learn about other hearing aids with speech recognition features, contact us at Desert Valley Audiology!