Hearing loss ain’t funny as some might think on this thread. Been there most of my life.
I’ve had hearing aids for years (got’em in 1979), but I don’t wear them. They are the old type that fit in the ear, but are volume enhancement. Drive me crazy as my problem is pitch. One ear different from the other. The volume hearing aids make my hearing problem louder.
We live in rural area, and I don’t communicate with anyone but my wife, and she has a Lucille Ball type of voice that breaks the sound barrier :)
Someday I might go to Costco, get another hearing test, and try the new computerized hearing aids. They can be set to match the pitch situation I have. Only reason I haven’t is another old fart like me said his were OK in the beginning, but within a few months he was leaving them at home, cuz they weren’t worth wearing.
Til that day I remain an aggravating old guy people have to yell at.
No- it damn well isn't. It robs you of a chunk of your life.
I went to an audiologist, who administered a hearing test and did the molds. A week later they had been built for me, I went back to the audiologist and with the hearing aids in my ears, was wirelessly connected to her computer. The digital audiogram from the week before was matched to a 'tuning' and uploaded to my hearing aids while I sat there, wearing them. She asked me if I wanted any part of the profile changed, and I had her turn up the volume a little in a couple of frequencies.
My aids accommodate 4 profiles, swithchable at the touch of a single tiny button on the in-ear hearing aids. I have one mode that is close to my pre-loss hearing, two 'bionic' modes, and one that I call 'STFU Mode' where they're almost earplugs, which I use in really noisy environments. When I change modes, the aid that I pushed the button on tells the aid in the other ear to also switch to the same mode.
I had an old set from years ago, these are a million times better.