Scientists believe that around one in six Americans suffer from some type of hearing loss. Unfortunately, hearing loss is an issue that many Americans choose to ignore. They trick themselves into thinking ‘it’s not that bad or that their hearing will somehow magically improve on its own. Of course this is not the case so thankfully it's now easier than ever to find the proper hearing loss treatment.

Picture this scenario: a mother is driving a car with her mother sitting beside her in the passenger seat and her daughter seated behind her. The mother is losing her hearing in her right ear and the grandmother is hard of hearing in her left ear. The mother can't hear the grandmother speak, the grandmother can't understand the mother, and neither person upfront can hear the child in the backseat. That's three generations of women sitting within five feet of each other and even basic verbal communication is impossible!

The above situation is completely plausible. The mother may not want to admit she is losing her hearing and the grandmother may not be able to afford a hearing aid. While the resulting conversation is likely amusing to the girl in the back seat, ignoring hearing loss can be detrimental in the long run for all parties involved.

Thankfully there are a variety of hearing aids on the market so everyone suffering from hearing loss can find the proper hearing loss treatment. In the above situation, both parties would likely benefit from single ear hearing aids. The mother would probably like something smaller and more subtle so an ITC, or in-the-canal hearing aid would likely do the trick for her. Likewise, the grandmother would likely benefit from the volume and price of a full-shell or behind-the-ear hearing aid.
 
Hearing aid technology has increased immensely in the last forty years. Today's hearing aids are less cumbersome and more efficient than their clumsy predecessors. Living in denial is silly. It's easy to grow old with dignity with the proper hearing loss treatment.