Overcoming Hearing Aid Fears: The Road to Better Hearing

Approximately 10 percent of Americans (and nearly one-third of people age seventy and older) have some degree of hearing loss that, if left untreated, causes frustration, isolation, and depression. A hearing aid is a simple tool to improve careers, relationships, and self-esteem, and to provide independence and security. Yet of the nearly thirty million people with a hearing impairment, only about 20 percent choose to use one. This is true despite the fact that technological advances have enabled hearing aids to address a greater range of hearing losses, while making them smaller, better designed, and easier to use than those of the past. Overcoming Hearing Aid Fears can help readers take that first step to a better life. Audiologist John M. Burkey addresses common fears, concerns, and misconceptions about this topic. He provides practical information about hearing aid styles, options, and costs. His experience in caring for more than 50,000 patients will help people with hearing loss address their concerns. The book also helps family and friends understand why a loved one might resist getting a hearing aid, and offers tips on counseling. Audiologists will find this text an important educational tool in advising their own patients.