Summer is always bustling on the North Shore of Chicago, with activities to keep people of all different interests and age brackets entertained day or night. However, if you have hearing loss, you may worry that a night out might be more difficult for you than it is for those with normal hearing.
Hearing Loss Risk Increases with Age
Though anyone can develop hearing loss, it does become more common as you age. The National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD) states that,
“About 2% of adults aged 45 to 54 have disabling hearing loss. The rate increases to 8.5% for adults aged 55 to 64. Nearly 25% of those aged 65 to 74 and 50% of those who are 75 and older have disabling hearing loss.”
If you are 50 or older, schedule an appointment to have your hearing evaluated to catch any potential hearing loss at its earliest stages. Regardless of age, if you’ve noticed changes in your hearing, it’s important to schedule a hearing test as well.
Your audiologist can interpret your results and, if hearing loss is discovered, work with you to find hearing aids that best meet your needs and allow you to continue to enjoy all the activities you love.
Activities Made Better with Hearing Aids
Once you find the right pair of hearing aids and get acclimated to using them, you can begin to fully enjoy a night out in ways you couldn’t when your hearing loss was left untreated. Activities made better by hearing aids include:
- Dinner out. Whether you head into Downtown Chicago or stay a little closer to home and enjoy a meal at Abigail’s American Bistro, dining out with hearing aids makes it easier to tune out the background noise and focus your attention on those you’re dining with.
- Going to the movies. Regardless of whether you want to see the newest superhero blockbuster or check out an independent film festival, many movie theaters offer hearing loop systems which, if you have a hearing aid with telecoil, allow you to stream audio from the film directly into your device.
- Visiting a museum. Many museums offer nighttime events and also have loop systems. If they don’t, or if your hearing aids don’t have a telecoil, you can still enjoy the displays if they offer accommodations like headsets, neck loops or printed material to help follow along.
- Sporting events. Regardless of if you root for the Cubs or the White Sox, we can all agree that taking in an evening baseball game on a beautiful summer night is a uniquely enjoyable experience. Many stadiums offer hearing loop systems, handheld caption devices or stadium caption displays to help those with hearing loss catch every minute of the game.
To learn more about what hearing aids can do for you, call North Shore Audio-Vestibular Lab and schedule an appointment today.