Hearing loss is often gradual, which can make it easy to adapt to but also difficult to detect.
Something we see fairly often in our clinic is Auditory Deprivation. This is a condition that occurs in those with hearing loss, where the brain loses the ability to interpret words and speech signals due to lack of stimulation over a period of time.
When those with hearing loss choose not to treat the loss with hearing aids, we can see a decrease in speech recognition abilities. This is because the hearing nerve has not been receiving adequate stimulation, which causes it to become deprived, less functional and weakened over time.
Don’t neglect your hearing. Keep the hearing nerves stimulated and don’t deprive them.
The sooner you treat your hearing loss, the better. Call your Audiologist when you first suspect hearing loss.