11-03-2025
Think hearing aids are embarrassing? Canadians are dispelling the stigma: 'Wouldn't it be sad to miss out on so much in your life?'
When Sharon Osborne and her husband, Don, retired in 2011 they decided that in addition to getting regular dental checkups and eye exams, they would have their hearing tested every year. 'I thought it was a good idea,' Osborne told Yahoo Canada. 'Our hearing is important.'
By the time Osborne was in her 70s, she noticed she was missing the beginning of words. When her grandchildren were speaking to her, for example, she was unclear whether they were saying 'time' or 'dime' or 'sign' or 'lime.' 'Sometimes I have to get them to actually spell the word out for me,' said Osborne, who resides in Whitchurch-Stouffville, Ont.
She also had trouble hearing her husband, who she has been with since they were teenagers. 'I thought he wasn't talking loud enough,' she said. Sometimes, Don would have to repeat himself three times, but Osborne still couldn't hear what he said. Eventually, Osborne's regular hearing test showed a gradual decline over a period of years. It was time to get hearing aids, which she said has made a tremendous difference.
'Some people kind of fight it. They might think it's embarrassing to have hearing aids,' Osborne said. 'But wouldn't it be sad to miss out on so much in your life?'
In her retirement community, she has made a point to advocate for hearing aids among her peers.
Recently, her husband got a pair of hearing aids, too. 'We've totally noticed the difference,' Osborne said. 'The communication is there again.'
While Osborne was proactive with annual hearing check ups and got hearing aids as soon as it was deemed necessary, her situation is not that common. According to Statistics Canada, 78 per cent of Canadians over the age of 60 have hearing loss, and 38 per cent of all Canadian adults have hearing loss of some kind. However, a 2018 study from the University of Alberta found about 80 per cent of Canadians who know they need hearing aids are not using them.
Research has also shown people with hearing loss are more likely to experience mental health conditions, like depression and anxiety, compared to those without hearing loss.
March is Hearing Awareness Month. In an effort to better understand the link between hearing loss, mental health, and cognitive decline, Yahoo Canada spoke to Michèle Dostaler, an audiologist and audiology team leader for Signia at WS Audiology Canada. Below, Dostaler offers tips about how people can stay on top of their hearing health.
Hearing loss can happen in a few ways, but Dostaler said the most prevalent cause is age-related hearing loss. 'Much like how people start to need reader glasses as they age, at a certain point in our lives, we all start to lose our hearing,' she said.
Common signs of hearing loss include a need for repetition or a need for more volume on the TV. Those with hearing loss may also have difficulty following conversations in noisy or low-light environments. 'A lot of us lip read without really being aware of it,' Dostaler said. 'In low light, it's harder for people to hear."
Hearing loss is linked to mental health declines. In fact, according to the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders, about 18 per cent of adults with moderate or worse hearing loss have depression, which is higher than the 8 per cent of adults with depression in general.
Dostaler sees this in real life: 'We see people start to isolate or withdraw from activities that we used to enjoy that would involve listening tasks, like meeting up with friends for coffee or family gatherings,' she said. 'There may be a hesitancy to ask for repetition, or feel like you're missing out on the joke, or that you're misinterpreting the context of conversations.'
Dostaler said people become reluctant to go out and socialize because the cognitive load to listen carefully causes fatigue. It can cause people with hearing loss to feel isolated, which can lead to mental health issues like depression.
Many Canadians resist getting their hearing checked due to the stigma associated with hearing loss. 'People are worried about looking like they're aging, but it's more than that,' Dostaler said. 'When we are struggling to hear, it makes us look like we're less competent.' Younger people face this struggle, too: 'Younger people are afraid that they will look like they don't have as much authority in the workplace if they are perceived as having a disability.'
Hearing protection, like using foam plugs at loud concerts, is a good start, but Dostaler said it's important to insert earplugs properly and let it fully expand in our ear. Another tip is to choose environments that are not too noisy in the first place.
'It's exhausting for the brain to have to work so hard to try to decipher a message when there's a lot of competing information,' she said.
And, if you have been exposed to a noisy environment, like on an airplane or a busy restaurant, Dostaler recommends seeking adequate rest afterwards.
A hearing test is the first step to take control of your hearing health. While the World Health Organization recommends people start getting their hearing screened at age 50, other experts say you can start as young as 30 to get a baseline reference on your file. This can later be used to compare hearing decline over time, or detect early signs of hearing loss.
Those who suspect signs of hearing loss could first try out an online hearing test, which Dostaler says can help give you a better understanding of your hearing health. However, seeing a professional audiologist at a hearing clinic will provide a more comprehensive picture of hearing health.
Finally, if hearing aids are recommended, don't hesitate to give them a try. 'The longer we wait to try hearing aids, the harder it is for the brain to adapt to the sound,' Dostaler said. 'As we start disengaging from the world, sadly... we become more resistant to picking up new information later on.'
Using hearing aids is good for long-term health outcomes, too. Compared to those without hearing loss, nearly double the amount of people with mild hearing loss are at risk to develop dementia. That risk is tripled for those with moderate hearing loss, says Dostaler. 'By wearing hearing aids, we are able to lessen the cognitive load… and keep those cognitive facilities intact,' she said.
Hearing aid technology has come a long way in the last couple of decades. Not only are systems designed to restore hearing to as natural as possible, their design has evolved to look more sleek and discreet.
