My oldest son (64) is getting set up at the VA tomorrow (Mon) for a set of hearing aids...
I’ve always suspected that he likes being hard of hearing, so he can selectively ignore stuff said to him...
That’s not quite the way it works.
When my dad was in his 60’s back in the day, there would be 5-7 people sitting around the dinner table all chatting away but dad remained mute. He didn’t talk. After dinner, he would talk one on one pretty easily. I always wondered about that until my hearing started to go bad in my 60’s. What I’ve noticed is that in one on one conversations with or without hearing aids —I can follow the conversation fairly well. But at a crowded table with many people talking—I understand almost nothing. Now I know why my dad was mute. He could not tell what anyone was saying. It was all just a hubub in the ears.
Now hearing aids have a setting for a crowded room so you can hear the person sitting right next to you over the noise.
“I’ve always suspected that he likes being hard of hearing, so he can selectively ignore stuff said to him...”
That was something of a benefit for me, before I broke down and got the hearing aids. But when the band called on me to join them in a finale, and I missed the call from just feet away from a speaker, I decided to get the help.
When I first went to an audiologist I was accompanied by my wife.
After testing my hearing, he turned to my wife and told her, “If he acts like he cannot hear you, he’s telling the truth. His hearing is severely impaired at the same frequency as your voice.”
I pulled out my wallet and handed him $50. I said, “A deals a deal.”