Does someone you love need hearing aids? Are you tired of repeating, yelling and then having them say YOU’RE the one mumbling? Hearing loss can be frustrating – as someone who has hearing loss and loves multiple people with hearing loss, I know the situation well. Before I share some ideas for talking about hearing loss with loved ones, there are a few things to keep in mind:
- The person with hearing loss is struggling. No matter where they are in their hearing loss journey, if someone you love is showing signs of hearing loss, they are struggling. Hearing loss impacts basic parts of life that most people have been able to do for decades – and having a hard time with these things is emotionally challenging.
- Many people have negative associations with hearing loss and hearing aids. These devices have changed an almost unfathomable amount in the last 30 years. Most people don’t know that they now come with Bluetooth®, background noise reduction, an app on your smartphone and much more!
- Hearing aids are expensive. Even with health insurance coverage, most prescription hearing aids still cost thousands of dollars, a fact that scares many people off from even considering buying them.
With those three things in mind, be sure to approach your conversation from a place of care and kindness. You won’t change anyone’s mind in one conversation, but if you keep at it and use some of the information provided here, I think you may find success.
Let’s start with positive reasons to consider hearing aids.
First - Hearing Loss is Treatable with Hearing Aids
Many people who realize they have hearing loss don’t think it can be helped or don’t think hearing aids will help them. This isn’t true – hearing aids can help most people with most levels of hearing loss live better and fuller lives. There are so many types of devices with various levels of technology and customization that almost everyone can find better hearing with a hearing aid.
Hearing Aids May Benefit Your Mental Health
Hearing loss commonly causes people to withdraw from social activities. This is because hearing others and participating in conversation becomes more difficult and frustrating (for both the person with hearing loss and those they are conversing with). Over time, it is easy to pass on social gatherings because they aren’t as fun as they used to be. Many people don’t even realize this is because of hearing loss.
It should come as no surprise that this withdrawal from activities often leads to mental health struggles, including loneliness and depression. In fact, one study found that people with untreated hearing loss were 20-24% less likely to participate in social activities.1
Modern hearing aids offer more clarity of speech than ever before and if someone you care about is withdrawing from their favorite activities, trying hearing aids should be on their to-do list.
Hearing Aids May Ease Loneliness
A 2025 article2 from the ACHIEVE clinical trial suggests that hearing aids play a part in helping older adults stay social. The research found that seniors who had hearing treatment had more social relationships than those who did not. They also enjoyed more varied and higher-quality social interactions.
Other research has shown that loneliness3 is associated with depression, cardiovascular disease and premature mortality. If hearing aids can make staying social easier, why not encourage our loved ones to give them a try?
Those are my favorite research-based points about why hearing aids are helpful, especially for our parents and grandparents as they age. But hearing loss and the feelings it brings are not always logical. Here are some points to make when someone you love argues with you about why they don’t want hearing aids (even if they need them).
Hearing Aids Will Make Me Look Old
Nothing makes you look old like leaning in, putting your hand behind your ear and making the “what?!” face when someone is trying to tell you something important. Or turning the television up so loud that no one in the room can have a conversation or talk about the show that’s on.
Jokes aside, today’s hearing aids are tiny and more discreet than ever. Celebrities like Steve Martin and the Golden Bachelor wear their hearing aids with pride. Most importantly, hearing aids let you stay in the conversation, which keeps you young. You can get them in a variety of colors – no old-fashioned beige hearing aids here – I personally recommend a sleek silver pair for a high-tech look (especially for our dads who have silver hair).
I Don’t Need to Hear Everything/I’m Fine/I’m Happy Staying Home
Humans are naturally social creatures, so if someone you love tells you that they’re “fine” withdrawing from their favorite activities and not seeing their friends, approach them with kindness. Ask them to really think about what they’re missing and how they feel about it. Offer to go with them to get a hearing test so they can demo what hearing aids look and sound like with you.
Hearing Aids Cost Too Much
This is a tough one – you may or may not know your loved one’s financial situation and you may or may not be able to help them pay for hearing aids. Keep in mind that HearingLife offers a full range of hearing aid price points starting at around $2,500 a pair. We also have special offers throughout the year and work with CareCredit for interest-free financing. Hearing aids are usually eligible for FSA (flexible spending account) money and HSA (health savings account) dollars.
In addition to options for price and payment, it’s important to know that most people who buy hearing aids wish they’d done it years sooner. The longer you wait, the less time you get to enjoy everything you’re missing out on now.
At the end of the day, we can’t control our parents or grandparents and the decisions they make about their hearing. In my own case, I was able to influence my parents and uncles by wearing hearing aids myself – but not everyone needs them in their 30’s!
I recommend sharing information and accompanying them on a hearing test appointment, and I hope you’ll make that appointment at HearingLife soon.
Sources
1. The National Council on Aging, The Consequences of Untreated Hearing Loss in Older Persons, May 1999. https://www.ncoa.org/wp-content/uploads/NCOA-Study-1999.pdf
2. https://www.hearingtracker.com/news/can-hearing-aids-ease-loneliness-new-analysis-of-landmark-achieve-study-says-yes?utm_source=hearingtracker.com&utm_medium=newsletter
3. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3874845/
