Hi. I have a problem. My boyfriend has recently started to rapidly lose his hearing. After consulting a doctor, he was prescribed to wear a hearing aid. He categorically refuses to do this. He thinks that it does not correspond to his status. Tell me how can I convince him to take the doctor’s advice and buy a hearing aid?
Simply put, you can’t.
He has to come to the decision himself.
My wife told me I needed hearing aids.
I told her she was nuts.
I agreed to the aids on the condition I would try.
I decided I didn’t like them.
Stopped wearing them. Almost thru them away.
Six months later my tinnitus got the better of me.
Started to wear them and never looked back.
Patience.
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Welcome to the Forum.
Sadly, your problem is a frequent one… One argument modern HAs are really cool is that they double as Bluetooth audio devices. When standing in a supermarket line I just play some podcasts on my phone and they play in my ears (music works, too, ofc). My Phonaks are world champions for this functionality. Not sure this will be convincing enough, though… Perhaps you can try something along the lines that it is such a shame all the sweet words you whisper into his ears are lost in the ether…
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Welcome too!
The sad thing is that hearing aids affect the person diagnosed, and their family.
I read a book that really helped.
Title: Hear & Beyond
Live skilfully with hearing loss
Shari Eberts
Gael Hannan
It has helped me a lot. I’ve worn hearing aids for over 20 years.
If you’re interested, I was able to buy the book from amazon. It’s on my ipad.
It wasn’t expensive, and it changed my life.
DaveL
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I sympathize with your problem. My son thinks similarly. He is a teenager and he is afraid of any criticism from his environment. Teenagers are often cruel. We are still at the very beginning of our journey and our hearing has just begun to deteriorate. I was advised a modern solution - AirPods Pro 2 headphones. They have a hearing aid function. However, I understand that if the hearing deterioration progresses, then we will have to turn to more serious hearing aids.
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There isn’t a better time to get fitted with hearing aids than now, the future looks even brighter.
Costco is a better an affordable place to start from.
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I think eventually he will cave in when he realises how much he is struggling socially etc, so just let him process things and I think he will slowly come to terms and accept it.
As others have said, you can’t. However, you can tell him how his unwillingness to try makes you feel.
I can relate to that… its where I was forty years ago.
Perhaps have him make a list of all the reasons, he don’t want them.
Say if he can do that convincingly, you won’t bother him for a while as you absorb the list.
Meanwhile, you prepare a list to give him, of all the life saving benefits of being able to hear dangers, hear loved ones. salvage his hearing, delay hearing decay, keep his mind sharp… details - You got to break it all down to loads of details. Then you exchange lists. He will probably give you a list of seven reasons.
You should be able to give him a list of hundreds!
If not, he might just have a point.
Hi. As a blind hearing aid user, I have fought and fought against wearing them because they do not give me back anything like the hearing I once had. For years I’ve been messing about, trying every model under the sun. My hearing has been getting worse and worse. now it’s at the point where honestly not wearing them is just kind of stupid. It makes me feel stupid and I really struggle without them. I can do it but I miss things. My advice to you is to speak openly to your boyfriend, tell him that you find this difficult and that you only want the best for him. However, tell him that you understand he has to make this decision on his own. Forcing him will not help. If his hearing is going fast, eventually he will realise that he has to wear them because he just won’t be able to interact with other people.
The hard thing for you is going to be to stay strong whilst he’s going through that. My poor wife must be driven nuts sometimes by having to repeat stuff and I have to bite my tongue for her snapping at me. You can get there, but it will take time and kindness, from both of you.
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