I understand, because we were out to dinner with our daughter and her family and I walked off without my hearing aids. It was so good to see my grandchildren but it was embarrassing not to be able to answer back with my usual wisdom and banter when I couldn’t understand what they conversation was about.
I just tried to listen as best I could, but it would have been so fulfilling for me if I had not forgotten my hearing aids. I can hear low tones just fine but my loss is in the high-pitched tones which makes it impossible to understand a lot of words – especially in the higher tones of child voices – in a noisy restaurant.
I tried not to show it but it was so frustrating and I had no one to blame but myself. Forgetting those two little electronic devices made me miserable. I am so interested in my grandchildren’s activities and each one of them has a very busy schedule; I want to be a part of their lives.
An untreated hearing loss takes away your ability to communicate, especially with close family and friends. When you miss what is said, you start withdrawing and not participating. You have to just sit there like a bump on a log, nodding your head agreeing, smiling like you know what is being said. You feel like you wished you hadn’t gone at all.
If this is true for me I KNOW it’s true for every person who has a hearing loss like I have.
I am only in my 60’s and I have a lot of my dreams and music still inside of me that I want to come out. Without the ability to simply hear what is being said and to communicate effectively, my dreams are in jeopardy. I realized how easy it was for me to go home and put my hearing aids on to correct my hearing. What about the tens of thousands of people who experience this every day with no relief? Their dreams and music may never come out.
Don’t let the music die within you. These little digital devices we can fit you with are so easy and simple to wear. All you have to do is remember to put them on! After my experience I vowed that I would never again leave the house with my hearing aids left on the bathroom counter. Life is so much better when I can hear the music.