Isn’t “technology” an intimidating word? But, it’s part of our world now, from hybrid cars to Bluetooth connectivity and even the remote control for your television.
Recently, I’ve been talking with a lot of my Senior patients regarding new technology in hearing aids. Although I know new technology has its benefits, is smarter, and is able to improve speech quality better than in the past, I often wonder if my patients understand how much new technology can help. A lot of discussion starts with, “Well, I’m already “blankety blank” years old and don’t know how much time I have left, so I’m not sure about getting hearing aids.” That’s a very understandable statement, and my response is always the same: Getting hearing aids is about quality of life, about communicating with family, especially in “the last few years”.
A surprising fact is that many people have the newest smartphones, so I wonder if they “only have a few years left”, why did they buy the newest smartphone technology? The answer: it makes life easier, and they can stay connected with people they love. Isn’t that how hearing aids help us, too? If you do the math, over a five year period monthly cell phone bills, new upgrades, and data plans typically all add up to be more than the cost of a pair of hearing aids.
So it’s not the cost, it’s the negative stereotype that follows hearing aids that causes people to hesitate on purchasing hearing aids. I want to help people to start thinking about hearing aids as the tool to communicating with their grandson, to being able to talk to their sister in another state through the phone, and catching the punchline of the joke when they’re with their friends, or even hearing their loved one whisper “I love you.”
It’s not about technology, or cost, or brand, it’s about connecting with your world and the people in it.
Written by: Dr. Amy Welman
Editor: Dale Hansen, Practice Administrator
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