Hearing Loss and Memory

Have you ever had a stopped up ear and feel "stupid" until it clears? We don't feel as "out there" and engaged when we can't hear. Yet older adults are deliberately tuning out to avoid nagging people and outside disruptions. Choosing silence [or reduced audio], they are people we both love and hate. They are co-workers, family members, and friends. They are selfish people who passively require us to repeat phrases and yell at them. We love them and hate them, as being around them is downright annoying. These same people are often referred to me or come at the urging of their family for memory testing. I ask them why they are not wearing a hearing aid. You would not believe the excuses! They are whiners who expect the Medicare Fairy to pay for their hearing aids. One woman told me that it is undignified for an older Southern lady to wear a hearing aid. They complain after my presentations..."You should learn to speak up, I had to move up front to hear you." The last time I had this complaint, I asked the gentleman this question: "Do you have a hearing loss?" He said he did. "Well, where are your hearing aids?" I asked him. "I don't wear them because they bother me," he replied. So I asked him, "I should yell? No, you should be wearing your hearing aids" and he sulked away. I doubt that anyone had ever challenged him on this. These same Whiners complain that they are worried about their memory losses [cognitive decline] and request testing. There is a price to pay for tuning out. Cognitive functioning IS decreased. Even when I point out that wearing hearing aids would improve cognitive functioning, the Whiners remain in their quiet bubble, looking for the Medicare Fairy to come to their rescue.