When Not To Buy Hearing Aids

Yes, as a full time hearing aid practitioner (one who fits, sells, and services hearing aids), I will admit it.  There are times when a person should NOT buy hearing aids.  Two times, in particular, come to mind. The first is just because you have a hearing loss.  Yes, you heard me right. Just because there are  sounds that you don't hear properly is not the reason that you need hearing aids.  It's the reason you might eventually end up choosing to get hearing aids, but in and of itself, it's not the reason.

The other time that you should not get hearing aids is just because somebody else wants you to. You might have a spouse or a friend who says, "You can't hear anything. You're deaf. Go get your ears checked. You need hearing aids."  

While they may be right that you don’t hear very well, they are not necessarily correct that you should just go buy hearing aids. You might think this sounds strange coming from somebody who helps people hear better with hearing aids on a daily basis.

Here’s my point.  The time to buy hearing aids is when YOU WANT to hear better.  

You need to have a personal reason to hear more.  It might be that you want to hear more easily.It might be that you don’t want to ask people to repeat so much.  It might be that you want to feel more relaxed and have more energy.

It may be that you want life to sound rich and alive.It might be that you want to be more connected to your friends and loved ones.  It might even be that you want to make communicating easier for your loved ones.

But, bottom line, it’s got to be something that you want!

For some people it does take time for what others want to become what you want.

This is where our hearing aid test drive is really important. It helps you to evaluate what you really want and when you want it.

Many people, when they try hearing aids for the first time, are amazed at how much more they're hearing, and it helps encourage them to move forward with the process.  

But occasionally there is someone who says, "I'm still not sure if I’m ready."  And that’s okay!.  In these situations we develop a plan to work on better communication through other methods and stay in touch through annual hearing tests! As so often happens in life, things change.  

Something can eventually tips the scales in a person’s life to make their hearing loss something that they WANT to improve.  At this point they're willing to put in the work and the effort to begin the process of hearing better.

Our job at Nanaimo Hearing Clinic is to support each person wherever they are on this journey to better hearing and communication.