We are now all used to wearing face masks as a necessity in curtailing the spread of Covid -19. However for the hard of hearing, especially those with high frequency age related hearing loss, the wearing of masks has made hearing clear speech even more arduous.
As we age and lose the ability to hear high frequency speech ( unvoiced soft consonants such as f, s, th sounds), we rely more and more on watching a person’s lips and facial expression to help us ascertain exactly what they are saying. This becomes an almost sub conscious act which creeps up on us over the years and we hardly notice our gradual increased reliance on watching a person’s lips and face to hear….until it is taken away.
Now with the mandatory wearing of masks in so many public places we can no longer rely on the eyes to help us hear, and the extrapolation of speech is much more difficult. More and more people over 70 are realising that they are indeed struggling not to hear volume or sound, but to hear speech clearly. The f, s, th, t, ch, sounds are being missed and the result is often frustration and embarrassment.
Hearing aids are by no means just for people who can’t hear sound. They are for those who can’t always hear CLEARLY. There is a big difference.
We are proud to be helping people who in this age of mask wearing have realised that a discreet hearing aid can make all the difference to their quality of life. We have fitted record numbers of hearing aids in Congleton, Glossop and Poynton in the last few months. These people will find the benefits of their small unobtrusive hearing aids will benefit them long after the masks are gone!