(Written by guest blogger Kerry Ames)
In my social/family circles, there are those who need hearing aids yet refuse to do the least thing to get them. Of the seven I can name, all are male. Every one. Each has a rehearsed list of excuses ranging from "it's not so bad," to "they don't help," to "too expensive." They all have hearing problems and can handle the expense painlessly. It all comes down to male pride and vanity and the rejection of the idea that age has diminished them in this way. One had urged his father for over a decade to get them (no luck there), now will not get them himself.
My father-in-law got hearing aids and has never used them. We stayed at the hearing test we had to drag him to and saw that he could repeat only 20% of the test words correctly. What, then, is he understanding when we converse? What portion is he comprehending correctly? He is especially deaf to his daughter's (my wife) vocal range so she has to amplify to a yell and that makes her sound cross (and, by the time he finally gets what she is saying, she IS). Neither is comfortable with this, but it won't change.
Men, if you need hearing assistance, we live in an age where help is effective and abundant. Avail yourselves! I said, "Get those hearing aids!"
