You are not alone, hearing loss is common and more people have it than you might think. The World Health Organization estimates that 466 million people, over 5% of the world’s population, live with disabling hearing loss worldwide. Disabling hearing loss means that their hearing difficulty is severe enough that it interferes with how they function. If you include milder degrees of hearing loss, this number increases to a whopping 1.27 billion people across the globe who live with hearing loss. That is 1 in every 7 people!

Hearing loss is most prevalent in older people. The WHO estimates that 1 in 3 people over the age of 65 have disabling hearing loss. But that does not mean younger people are exempt from hearing loss. Young people (ages 18-35) are at a very high risk of hearing loss due to recreational activities. In fact, over 60% of childhood hearing loss is due to preventable causes.

Hearing Loss is Nothing To Be Ashamed Of

There is a real stigma associated with hearing loss which is both unfortunate and unnecessary. Some people are ashamed to have a hearing loss because they think their friends and family will see it as a sign of getting old. Or, perhaps, they start to feel less secure in social settings because they know they have difficulty hearing and following conversations and think people will perceive them as being rude when they don’t respond. Here are some tips to help you discuss your hearing loss with your family and friends.

Hearing Loss Is Not Your Fault

There are many reasons why people lose their hearing and in all likelihood, you are not to blame for your hearing loss. Some causes of hearing loss are:

• Aging
• Ménière’s disease
• Genetics
• Very loud noises that caused permanent damage to your hearing
• A physical head injury
• Otosclerosis

You Can Do Something About Your Hearing Loss

If you have hearing loss, then it’s quite likely that wearing a hearing aid would help you to hear better. Unfortunately, not everyone who can benefit from a hearing aid wears one. Current estimates by the WHO suggest that only 17% of people who could benefit from a hearing aid actually use one. That means that there may be many people with whom you engage daily who have a degree of hearing loss and are not wearing a hearing aid. This makes it difficult to know how to support them or be more sensitive to their needs unless they explicitly tell you that they have a hearing loss.

For some, the reason they hesitate to wear hearing aids is that hearing aids are traditionally known to be very expensive. However, technological developments have meant that hearing aids have evolved and the tech required to make wearing hearing aids a helpful and pleasant experience is a lot less expensive. 

Lexie Hearing offers a variety of affordable hearing aid options. Because we have cut out the middle man, use smart technology and have a team of Lexie Experts® that assist customers remotely, we are able to offer you an affordable, premium alternative to hearing care. We want you to be able to take control of your hearing.

You Are Not Alone

Hearing loss can be a very lonely experience and people with hearing loss often have depression and/or anxiety. We understand that which is why we developed a hearing care program that gives our customers the support, help, and information they need to navigate this season of life and to communicate openly with their friends and family. We know that the tools we developed will not only help you adjust to wearing hearing aids but also help you to engage with your support system in such a way that it can better support you. 

Our team of Lexie Experts® is devoted to your hearing health and wants you to know that you do not have to navigate hearing loss on your own. You can reach them by video or voice call, 7 days a week, from 9am – 8pm EST.