3. Appearance and Deeper Concerns

There are dozens of misconceptions about hearing aids:

• “They make you look old.”
• “They cause ear infections.”
• “They increase hearing loss.”
• “I can’t afford one.”

This misinformation impairs a person’s quality of life by discouraging them from pursuing help. Technological advances have enabled hearing aids to address a greater range of hearing losses, while making them smaller, better designed, and easier to use than those of the past. More people than ever can benefit from a hearing aid, yet of the nearly thirty million people with a hearing impairment, only about 20 percent choose to use one.

In Overcoming Hearing Aid Fears, audiologist John M. Burkey addresses common fears, concerns, and misconceptions about hearing aids to help readers decide whether these devices will prove useful. Using an informal, anecdotal style informed by years of clinical practice, Burkey provides practical information about hearing aid styles, options, and costs. His expertise and experience in caring for more than 50,000 patients will help people with hearing loss address their personal concerns. The book also helps friends and family understand why a loved one might resist getting a hearing aid, and offers tips on counseling. Audiologists will find this text an important educational tool in advising their own patients.

Approximately 10 percent of Americans (and nearly one-third of people age seventy and older) have some degree of hearing loss that, if left untreated, causes frustration, isolation, and depression. A hearing aid is a simple tool to improve careers, relationships, and self-esteem, and to provide independence and security. Overcoming Hearing Aid Fears can help readers take that first step to a better life.