Hearing aids are a game-changer for anyone with hearing loss. They make it easier to concentrate at work, enjoy listening to your favorite songs, and have engaging conversations with friends while out to dinner at Sear House Grill.
While overall, hearing aid use has grown in recent years, there are still many people who would benefit from using them who currently do not.
Recent Hearing Aid Trends Among Older Adults
A study published in 2022 compared data regarding hearing use from the National Health Aging and Trends Study in 2011, 2015 and 2018, respectively. They found that overall, hearing aid use went up among older individuals. Specifically, the proportion of participants 70 years and older who wore hearing aids rose from 15% in 2011 to 16.9% in 2015 and 18.5% in 2018.
However, the increase in hearing aid use was not proportional across various demographics. The study also found that:
- Black Americans experienced a smaller increase in hearing aid usage than white Americans, with Black women having the lowest increase at just 5.8%.
- Hearing aid usage in white men rose the most, at 28.7% in the same time period.
- Older adults living at less than 100% of the federal poverty level experienced a decrease in proportion of hearing aid ownership and use from 2011-2018.
- Older adults living at 200% of more above the poverty line saw an increase in hearing aid use.
Access to hearing health is essential to the wellbeing of all older adults. Coming up with solutions to counteract the social, financial and stigma-based barriers that keep people from seeking treatment is important to making sure everyone who needs them can benefit from hearing aids.
How Hearing Aids Can Better Your Life
Access to hearing aids can improve so many aspects of your life, including:
- Social life. Hearing loss makes it harder to communicate with others. Using hearing aids makes it easier to stay connected with your loved ones, enjoy social events and get-togethers, and form new friendships.
- Work life. Hearing aids can increase your confidence in the workplace, make it easier to follow along during meetings with clients and coworkers, and let you focus on the task at hand without worrying your hearing loss is holding you back.
- Health. Compared to people who leave their hearing loss untreated, people with hearing aids experience lower levels of anxiety and depression, decreased balance issues, and lower their risk of developing cognitive decline and dementia.
For more information or to find the right pair of hearing aids for you, call Speech & Hearing Associates today.