Hearing

aids are remarkable devices. These small electronic

instruments can make the difference between hearing and

not hearing. They can allow a person to continue working,

make communication with family and friends easier, or

help a child learn how to speak.

Just how

helpful are hearing aids? A study of nearly 200 adults

found that hearing aids are "very successful

treatments for reversing the social, emotional and

communication dysfunction caused by hearing

impairments."

Most of the

people involved in the study had mild or moderate hearing

loss, and none had ever used hearing aids. Nearly all the

individuals reported that their hearing loss was causing

problems in their daily lives.

The

researchers evaluated the effects of hearing loss on each

person's quality of life. They used four questionnaires,

such as the Self-Evaluation of Life Function and the

Hearing Handicap Inventory.

The

questionnaires asked about the person's daily activities,

ability to hear in different settings and feelings and

attitudes about hearing problems. The investigators found

that "marked social, emotional and communication

difficulties are caused by hearing loss...even in cases

of (only) mild to moderate loss."

Half of the

individuals were then fit with hearing aids. Six weeks

later, questionnaires were again used to study the

effects of hearing loss on each person's daily life.

Those

results indicated "large quality of life

improvements in the areas of communication and social

function" in those individuals who received hearing

aids, but not in those who did not. Everyone in the study

was subsequently fit with hearing aids.

Based on

the results of this study, the researchers concluded that

"hearing aids represent a relatively inexpensive

therapy for the amount of benefit gained."

The finding

that hearing aids provided considerable help are, of

course, no surprise to us. We also know that the problems

caused by hearing loss can be frustrating, even when

hearing aids are providing important benefits. Everyone

we know would like their hearing aids to help even more

- but it's also important to remember just how much

hearing aids actually do help.

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