Wow, you’ve got it right….our case has the other half of the story….he’s been sitting around for years compensating for his hearing loss. Finally gets the hearing aids and the TV can come down to a regular volume….problem is solved for him and turned over to me !! For years I complained the TV was too loud, now it’s at normal volume I discovered I can’t hear it so I’m asking the “keeper of the remote” to turn it up a bit please. Ain’t getting old fun😀😀
Love ya, Fred. I spent years getting my husband to get help for his poor hearing, but eventually he discovered (!) that it wasn't me, after all. So far, my ears are still working well, but it is only a matter of time until he starts to mutter softly............Been there, done that. Liz
Your story resonates with me Fred. I was accused of mumbling for years, and now my husband wears hearing aids. I still mumble just to annoy him. ..... Not really. Aging is a challenge but I'm lucky we are doing it together, so far, so good
Hi Fred. I had mild hearing loss which my wife constantly complained about but when I got Covid all that changed. I have lost 50% in my left ear and 70% in my right ear. The doctor says it is neurological damage. Have the hearing aids but they don’t really work for me. For some reason I still can’t hear much and it is frustrating.
The bonus is the Bluetooth connection with my iPhone. Now I can listen to whatever while I cook or clean but if the wife needs anything she has to text me.
I actually hate getting old. Losing my hearing is a real pain. And it has another terrible effect because I love to cook and I can’t hear the sizzling or boiling. I have almost flooded the kitchen twice by leaving the tap running and I don’t hear it.But walking outside the traffic is so loud! I bought noise canceling headphones for walking so I can listen to my phone.
Life is strange. But we have separate TVs in different bedrooms and my room, we live in a retirement home, the people on both sides are completely deaf so my tv doesn’t bother them at all. Anyway. we carry on.
I don't know anything about hearing aids but I do know the ears ability to hear sound isn't just volume but pitch or range the sound falls in.
My former job required hearing test periodically. It was the test by the third company they used I was told that in one ear, I could hear the lowest tone a human could hear. It was highs to low tones that was each individually tested to the point I could no longer detect. The other ear was tested in the same manner but a different outcome. That ear had difficulty at a certain pitch not just volume alone. Some people and my daughter is one who can hit that range when speech is rapid or excited. It is hearing jibber jabber to me. It happens mostly on the phone. When I ask to repeat something several times, she says put the phone to your good hear. Other times when asked to repeat, people don't realize it is repeated at a different tone not volume level and I hear them perfectly.
You may need to consult another professional for hearing aids. .
Just knowing I really was hearing what no one else did has been a positive.
Thank you for your comment. Unfortunately since the province paid for my hearing aids I can’t see anyone else. But you are right, there are certain things that I can hear like crinkling paper and the tone or pitch of it is disconcerting. Also have tinnitus so sounds are different to me. Bought a tv once and the sound was awful to me. No one else thought there was a problem but I bought a soundbar to help.
My gram taught me to use all my senses in cooking. She was taught by her brother in law who went to Europe for some war or other and ended up training as a chef in grand french hotels turn of the last century. Her food was sublime. Nose and skin(heat)helps with cooking moisture though it s another damn nuisance to learn the cues.
Female geezer here. Family noticed my hearing loss when I was 17. Specialist confirmed congenital hearing loss from birth. Family said, defensively, that there had never been hearing loss in OUR family. But that is what congenital can mean, not always of course. Sometimes it just means present from birth. Cause can be environmental or genetic. Apparently genetic hearing loss skips generations. Earlier generations had died young so weren't around to convince family. Somehow fami!y decided I was at fault, at birth. Sigh. Hearing aids... Yes. I remember the first time I heard my hair as I swung my head!
Thanks, Fred, I think a discussion like this is beneficial to a lot of people. I like to joke that hearing aids saved my marriage, but then he died on me anyway. I resisted going for a hearing test, surely he was mumbling. In those days I was riding a commuter VIA train to work. When announcements came over the loudspeakers I found them deafeningly painful, so surely nothing could be wrong with my hearing, right. My neighbour who often sat next to me told me he had exceptionally good hearing but he didn’t find the loudspeakers too loud at all.
Hit the wrong button - continuing: (turns out when you have hearing loss the tiny cilia in your ears have been coming off and the remaining ones have to work extra hard to hear anything). When I realized I could not understand a thing my daughter in law was saying one night as we looked through old photos - unless I knelt beside her with my head about a foot from hers - I booked a hearing test forthwith.
For me it was the lower range of tones I was not hearing, hence my husband’s deeper voice and hers now pitched lower than some women were lost to me. It is worth going to an audiologist who can make sure your new hearing aids bring out the sounds you are missing so that your hearing is more natural, not just louder.
I learned how to put closed captions on my TV. With my 4th set of modern hearing aids I have a Bluetooth connection to my devices and listen to podcasts all day long (turns out they have closed captions too! for the times you just can’t make out what someone said). Also I have a device so that I connect with my TV via Bluetooth and listen to everything directly through my hearing aids with the volume turned off yet! Music channels which had sounded awful with my old hearing aids now sounds glorious. There are all kinds of settings you can use and gizmos and programs on your phone app to change the way and what you hear. Don’t hesitate. Get a hearing test and start living your best life.
That s really good news. I ve been dreading going for testing and am clearly out of date with technology. Thank you for sharing this info. Patrick( my dog) says Cheers! he s tired of always being on duty.
The first time you wear hearing aids, the sounds of a dog’s toenails clicking on a tile floor, or air rushing by your car window or coming through a ventilation duct, etc. can be somewhat daunting, but hang in there: your ears are just getting used to hearing again. Your audiologist may have you back for adjustments. Testing is usually free and once you are fitted, all future maintenance and follow up visits are free.
Great analysis,Fred. You ve really captured the slippery slope into Old, whatever s the first body part to go.
I don t have a wife or even a husband, just a dog who does tell me what he decides I need to hear. Repeatedly until I get it. Whether it s a treat for himself or something past time I m supposed to be doing, he s relentless. It s been working out well but I know I m losing decibels. One of these days I ll get it checked. So many other things ahead of it.
But just be aware, with aging the first biggie is just the thin edge of the wedge.
The concern of monitoring a tumour is not something to take lightly and can’t relate to that - but 😂 the rest this house absolutely relates to! I have been blamed for years /yup supposedly I mumble or speak quietly just to be annoying . He needs the TV volume louder than I can tolerate (at times) depends how cranky I am by 7pm. He has recently been diagnosed with tinnitus , no cure for it and am glad I was at the appointment with him to learn just how awful this impairment is. So he is getting a break..TV as loud as he wants it and using the tools the doctor suggested. I feel so bad for him but am monitoring his use of this 😉
I’m assuming the picture is of you Fred. I absolutely love it. Being able to put that picture in my head as I read or listen, is actually such a gift. You have an amazing warm and open face - think it likely says a lot about your heart. 💓 And so it’s my birthday today. I have received only a few gifts, most not physical in any sense. That’s just fine with me - long past “needing” gifts as such. The ones that that came my way, are small and loving. The unexpected ones are treasures. The physical ones are small, and meaningful, and the nonphysical ones are as well. This article with your face attached is one of those. I am thankful. 🫶
Thank you so much Fred! Keep this up and you’ll have me teary I’m afraid. But they’re be thankful tears. Your comments are one of my special gifts for my birthday, and I thank you. I am still going to assume that what I saw in that AI generated picture is reflective of the person I feel I’ve come to know. Be well. Take care. 😊
Wow, you’ve got it right….our case has the other half of the story….he’s been sitting around for years compensating for his hearing loss. Finally gets the hearing aids and the TV can come down to a regular volume….problem is solved for him and turned over to me !! For years I complained the TV was too loud, now it’s at normal volume I discovered I can’t hear it so I’m asking the “keeper of the remote” to turn it up a bit please. Ain’t getting old fun😀😀
😂 That's exactly how it works Lyn.
You solve one hearing problem and accidentally discover another.
Aging has a wicked sense of humour.
Wishing you both many more years of negotiating the remote! 🍁
Hahaha, your ears were adjusting to HIS high volumes!!!!
Love ya, Fred. I spent years getting my husband to get help for his poor hearing, but eventually he discovered (!) that it wasn't me, after all. So far, my ears are still working well, but it is only a matter of time until he starts to mutter softly............Been there, done that. Liz
😂 Thanks, Liz.
I think hearing loss comes with a "transfer clause."
Once one spouse gets hearing aids, the other starts wondering if they're next.
Glad your husband finally joined Team Reality... and yes, you may want to start practicing your mumbling now! 🍁
Hahaha
A super lesson!
Glad the tumour is not at issue at present & the annual monitoring has started 👍
Thanks, Deirdre.
I appreciate that.
So far the annual reports have all been, "No changes," and that's exactly the news I like hearing. 😊🍁
Good to hear
Hahaha - I get accused of mumbling all the time, yet my dad still refuses to get a hearing test. He’ll be 92 in August - a true old geezer.
😂 Barb, I think every family has that debate.
Tell your dad he's officially earned "Geezer" status at 92...
but a hearing test might make life a little easier for everyone around him! 🍁
Haha, tell him about Geezer!!!
Your story resonates with me Fred. I was accused of mumbling for years, and now my husband wears hearing aids. I still mumble just to annoy him. ..... Not really. Aging is a challenge but I'm lucky we are doing it together, so far, so good
😂 Audrey, I love that!
Growing older together is a pretty good deal... even if one of you occasionally "mumbles" just to keep the other on their toes.
Wishing you both many more good years together. 🍁
Thank you Fred
Hi Fred. I had mild hearing loss which my wife constantly complained about but when I got Covid all that changed. I have lost 50% in my left ear and 70% in my right ear. The doctor says it is neurological damage. Have the hearing aids but they don’t really work for me. For some reason I still can’t hear much and it is frustrating.
The bonus is the Bluetooth connection with my iPhone. Now I can listen to whatever while I cook or clean but if the wife needs anything she has to text me.
I actually hate getting old. Losing my hearing is a real pain. And it has another terrible effect because I love to cook and I can’t hear the sizzling or boiling. I have almost flooded the kitchen twice by leaving the tap running and I don’t hear it.But walking outside the traffic is so loud! I bought noise canceling headphones for walking so I can listen to my phone.
Life is strange. But we have separate TVs in different bedrooms and my room, we live in a retirement home, the people on both sides are completely deaf so my tv doesn’t bother them at all. Anyway. we carry on.
Thanks for sharing that, Shelagh.
Yours is a good reminder that not all hearing loss is the same, and hearing aids aren't a miracle for everyone.
I'm sorry you've had such a rough road with it.
I did have to smile at your Bluetooth solution though... "text me if you need me" is wonderfully practical.
Wishing you all the best, and may your next meal never boil over. 😊🍁
I don't know anything about hearing aids but I do know the ears ability to hear sound isn't just volume but pitch or range the sound falls in.
My former job required hearing test periodically. It was the test by the third company they used I was told that in one ear, I could hear the lowest tone a human could hear. It was highs to low tones that was each individually tested to the point I could no longer detect. The other ear was tested in the same manner but a different outcome. That ear had difficulty at a certain pitch not just volume alone. Some people and my daughter is one who can hit that range when speech is rapid or excited. It is hearing jibber jabber to me. It happens mostly on the phone. When I ask to repeat something several times, she says put the phone to your good hear. Other times when asked to repeat, people don't realize it is repeated at a different tone not volume level and I hear them perfectly.
You may need to consult another professional for hearing aids. .
Just knowing I really was hearing what no one else did has been a positive.
Thanks, M. That's exactly right.
Hearing loss isn't just about volume...
it's often certain frequencies that disappear first, which is why speech can sound clear one moment and like gibberish the next.
Thanks for sharing your experience. 🍁
Thank you for your comment. Unfortunately since the province paid for my hearing aids I can’t see anyone else. But you are right, there are certain things that I can hear like crinkling paper and the tone or pitch of it is disconcerting. Also have tinnitus so sounds are different to me. Bought a tv once and the sound was awful to me. No one else thought there was a problem but I bought a soundbar to help.
My gram taught me to use all my senses in cooking. She was taught by her brother in law who went to Europe for some war or other and ended up training as a chef in grand french hotels turn of the last century. Her food was sublime. Nose and skin(heat)helps with cooking moisture though it s another damn nuisance to learn the cues.
Thanks, Fred!
Female geezer here. Family noticed my hearing loss when I was 17. Specialist confirmed congenital hearing loss from birth. Family said, defensively, that there had never been hearing loss in OUR family. But that is what congenital can mean, not always of course. Sometimes it just means present from birth. Cause can be environmental or genetic. Apparently genetic hearing loss skips generations. Earlier generations had died young so weren't around to convince family. Somehow fami!y decided I was at fault, at birth. Sigh. Hearing aids... Yes. I remember the first time I heard my hair as I swung my head!
Thanks for sharing that, Ditty.
"I heard my hair" made me smile... I remember those little sounds you don't realize you've been missing.
Amazing how our brains adapt.
I'm glad you finally got the answers, even if they came much later than they should have. 🍁
Thank you! I love your substack.
At fault at birth??? Babies are not at fault ever, unless you're 50, then maybe haha
Thanks, Fred, I think a discussion like this is beneficial to a lot of people. I like to joke that hearing aids saved my marriage, but then he died on me anyway. I resisted going for a hearing test, surely he was mumbling. In those days I was riding a commuter VIA train to work. When announcements came over the loudspeakers I found them deafeningly painful, so surely nothing could be wrong with my hearing, right. My neighbour who often sat next to me told me he had exceptionally good hearing but he didn’t find the loudspeakers too loud at all.
Hit the wrong button - continuing: (turns out when you have hearing loss the tiny cilia in your ears have been coming off and the remaining ones have to work extra hard to hear anything). When I realized I could not understand a thing my daughter in law was saying one night as we looked through old photos - unless I knelt beside her with my head about a foot from hers - I booked a hearing test forthwith.
For me it was the lower range of tones I was not hearing, hence my husband’s deeper voice and hers now pitched lower than some women were lost to me. It is worth going to an audiologist who can make sure your new hearing aids bring out the sounds you are missing so that your hearing is more natural, not just louder.
I learned how to put closed captions on my TV. With my 4th set of modern hearing aids I have a Bluetooth connection to my devices and listen to podcasts all day long (turns out they have closed captions too! for the times you just can’t make out what someone said). Also I have a device so that I connect with my TV via Bluetooth and listen to everything directly through my hearing aids with the volume turned off yet! Music channels which had sounded awful with my old hearing aids now sounds glorious. There are all kinds of settings you can use and gizmos and programs on your phone app to change the way and what you hear. Don’t hesitate. Get a hearing test and start living your best life.
Beverley, thank you for taking the time to share all of that.
I think your comment will help a lot of people who are quietly struggling.
Hearing aids have come a long way, and your advice about seeing a good audiologist is spot on.
And I love your final message... don't hesitate... get a hearing test and start living your best life. 🍁
That s really good news. I ve been dreading going for testing and am clearly out of date with technology. Thank you for sharing this info. Patrick( my dog) says Cheers! he s tired of always being on duty.
And it may shock you just how rudely loud Patrick is when lapping from his water dish! Ha ha
The first time you wear hearing aids, the sounds of a dog’s toenails clicking on a tile floor, or air rushing by your car window or coming through a ventilation duct, etc. can be somewhat daunting, but hang in there: your ears are just getting used to hearing again. Your audiologist may have you back for adjustments. Testing is usually free and once you are fitted, all future maintenance and follow up visits are free.
Great analysis,Fred. You ve really captured the slippery slope into Old, whatever s the first body part to go.
I don t have a wife or even a husband, just a dog who does tell me what he decides I need to hear. Repeatedly until I get it. Whether it s a treat for himself or something past time I m supposed to be doing, he s relentless. It s been working out well but I know I m losing decibels. One of these days I ll get it checked. So many other things ahead of it.
But just be aware, with aging the first biggie is just the thin edge of the wedge.
The trick is just keep moving.
😊 Exactly, Bev.
We can't stop the clock, but we can keep moving and deal with things one at a time.
And dogs are remarkably patient... until they're hungry! 🍁
Haha, sorta like people when we get hungry! haha
Thanks for a great read, Fred. I can read the article perfectly fine with glasses. I’m not as confident listening to the auditory version…
From Ontario, continue to age “gracefully”.
The concern of monitoring a tumour is not something to take lightly and can’t relate to that - but 😂 the rest this house absolutely relates to! I have been blamed for years /yup supposedly I mumble or speak quietly just to be annoying . He needs the TV volume louder than I can tolerate (at times) depends how cranky I am by 7pm. He has recently been diagnosed with tinnitus , no cure for it and am glad I was at the appointment with him to learn just how awful this impairment is. So he is getting a break..TV as loud as he wants it and using the tools the doctor suggested. I feel so bad for him but am monitoring his use of this 😉
😂 Shelley, your husband is a lucky man.
Tinnitus is no joke, and having someone who understands makes a huge difference.
I hope the doctor's suggestions help.
And yes... maybe keep one hand quietly on the TV remote, just in case. 🍁
I’m assuming the picture is of you Fred. I absolutely love it. Being able to put that picture in my head as I read or listen, is actually such a gift. You have an amazing warm and open face - think it likely says a lot about your heart. 💓 And so it’s my birthday today. I have received only a few gifts, most not physical in any sense. That’s just fine with me - long past “needing” gifts as such. The ones that that came my way, are small and loving. The unexpected ones are treasures. The physical ones are small, and meaningful, and the nonphysical ones are as well. This article with your face attached is one of those. I am thankful. 🫶
Patricia, first of all... Happy Birthday! 🥳
I hope it's been filled with those small, meaningful moments that often end up being the best gifts.
And I have to confess... that isn't actually me in the picture.
It's an AI-generated illustration that captured the spirit of the story more than my face. 😊
Your kind words touched me anyway, and I'm grateful the article found you on your birthday.
That's a gift for me too. 🍁
Thank you so much Fred! Keep this up and you’ll have me teary I’m afraid. But they’re be thankful tears. Your comments are one of my special gifts for my birthday, and I thank you. I am still going to assume that what I saw in that AI generated picture is reflective of the person I feel I’ve come to know. Be well. Take care. 😊
GREAT issue Fred! Even better lesson, sometimes a spouse CAN be right! Who knew? hahaha