…I urge you to get the very best hearing aids within your means.

If someone is totally or partially deaf, of course, loved ones will need to learn sign language or whatever else is needed to communicate. If everything has been done that can be done, then others will need to work to around the hearing loss as best they can.

I have known some women to get teary and sensitive at the thought of having some hearing deficiencies. I don’t know if it is due to dismay at the reality of a body that is beginning to lose its functions or if they sense a bit of a stigma associated with hearing aids, or what.

But when you obviously can’t hear well and you don’t want to investigate hearing aids, it makes your family feel that you don’t care to hear them.

It’s not enough to just ask people to speak up. If you think you would feel conspicuous with a hearing aid, think how much more conspicuous it is to have people practically shouting in order for you to hear them, or to give an answer that makes it obvious that you didn’t hear what was said.

Also, sometimes people with hearing problems cut themselves off from opportunities or social interaction because of difficulty hearing. Why do so when their are solutions at hand?

No, this post isn’t about my mother-in-law. She has worn a hearing aid for decades and has accepted that she needs one. She does tend to get to a comfortable status quo, though, and doesn’t want to change anything, even if it would mean improvement in hearing and in comfort. She also doesn’t like to spend money. True, hearing aids aren’t cheap, but they are a worthy investment.

No, this post is more general, in response to people I have known or accounts I have read. If someone is suggesting that you might want to check into hearing aids, or into getting new ones, you’ve probably already been missing out on conversations and interactions without realizing it. Take the suggestion and look at it not as a reason for sorrow or shame, but rather as an opportunity to improve your quality of life and theirs. Your loved ones want to communicate with you. And they want you to want to communicate with them.