The annual dog costume contest was beginning at my block party. I popped out of my house without my hearing aids and cheered on the winners, a husky dressed as a bumble bee and a labradoodle in a wizard’s robe.
Afterward, I chatted with a few friends until one admitted she could barely hear me. I live in a quiet world, and without my hearing aids in, I tend to be even more soft-spoken. It was a good reminder that I needed to wear my hearing aids.
I’m not the only one who needs a reminder. The vast majority of people who could benefit from hearing aids do not use them. It’s a behavior that public health officials want to reverse.
Studies have found that hearing aids help slow cognitive decline. These findings come at a time when public health officials are calling hearing loss in older people a global health issue that needs addressing.
