What is it about hearing loss?

[RoseRodent]

I was reminded of this strage anomaly the other day when another hearing aid user said it too. Why is it that people seem to have so much trouble believing you when you say you don't hear very well? You ask for something to be repeated, you say sorry I didn't get that I am hearing impaired/deaf/hard of hearing/insert preferred description. You point to your hearing aids, and at this point generally people say I didn't realise you meant hard of hearing as in, you know, that you are actually not able to hear. What did you think I meant?! I've never seen this with anything else, if you tell someone you can't see or can't walk or whatever they tend to get that, why not with hearing?

[Hask12]

I think in general people just don't understand the complexities of hearing loss. People also aren't very observant, so when you finally point out the hearing aids to them they then don't understand why you still can't hear. Ever had a person tell you that you need to turn those things up?

[RoseRodent]

Originally Posted by Hask12

Ever had a person tell you that you need to turn those things up?

Oh god, yes, forgot about that, I tend to discount conversations with those people as just being idiots.

Once when I was working in a new school my hearing aids were away for retuning. I told them I had a hearing loss and the adjustments I'd need to help with the work, but they did nothing. A few days later my aids came back and I went to work with them in and the woman said "oh gosh, I didn't realise when you said you had a hearing loss that you meant you had hearing aids, I though you were just..." What I wouldn't give to have forced her to finish that sentence, but she was my boss after all.

[jdtruly]

I believe many people think hearing aids work like glasses for vision. While glasses for most folks do their job excellently for most problems, hearing aids are AIDS, not "corrective" like lenses.

Maybe an explanation they can comprehend would be "even with my HAs I don't have "20/20" hearing"

[Raudrive]

This is a cute thread. The 20/20 comment is good. I have been asked if the aids are on by a smart ... uncle.

My son dips tobacco and when he gets a lip full he mumbles. He can not understand that it is hard for me to understand him during these times.

Now that I have aids people expect me to have perfect hearing. It is good but not that good.

[kretsh]

Often time I tell people that I am a lipreader. Saying hearing impaired, wear hearing aids, deaf just doesn't "cut it". Most react properly and face me before they begin to speak. Although some think I can read their lips from the back of their heads....