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Here's some great information about hearing loss form Dr. Paul Dybala Ph.D., President and Editor-in-chief of Healthy Hearing:

If you don't treat hearing loss, or only get one hearing aid when two are recommended, will your hearing loss get worse?

The National Council on Aging released a study in 1999 on 2,300 individuals with hearing loss who were over the age of 50. The overall results were "... those with untreated hearing loss were more likely to report depression, anxiety, and paranoia and were less likely to participate in organized social activities, compared to those who wear hearing aids."

When I was fitting hearing aids, people did not come into my office because they were not hearing well, they came in because their hearing loss was affecting their life. Why spend the next several years compromised by hearing problems when you can easily get help? Hearing aids don't return your hearing to normal, but they do help you hear better, and more importantly, improve the quality of your life.

There is research indicating that the "use it or lose it" principle may apply to our ears as well. Delaying the use of hearing aids, which essentially deprives the ears of auditory stimuli at normal levels, can lead to a degradation of word recognition. In other words, an ear that hasn't been stimulated due to untreated hearing loss loses some of its ability to understand. Fortunately, this same research indicates that this degradation may be reversible in some cases with hearing aids, demonstrating again the positive affects of hearing aids.

Are you postponing hearing aids due to financial issues? There are discounted hearing aids and even refurbished hearing aids, factory conditioned to like-new condition for a fraction of the cost of brand new hearing aids.

Are you postponing hearing aids for cosmetic reasons? Many new hearing aid styles have emerged in recent years for people who are concerned with cosmetics. Models such as the iHear Pro fit inside the ear and are nearly invisible. It's unlikely anyone will know you're wearing them unless you tell them.