Listening Again: the sound of staying engaged.

Hearing loss is sneaky – it doesn’t announce itself; it slowly shrinks your world without asking permission.

I’ve always trusted my body – it shows up for me every day. I exercise, teach yoga, bike, and hike – feel younger than my years, and I live like someone much younger – so this adjustment felt out of sync with who I know myself to be.

When I finally got hearing aids, I felt a surprise liberation and joy – like the quiet struggles I’d been compensating for finally had a name. I had grown tired of asking my friends and family to repeat themselves, embarrassed when I didn’t understand everything they said, and fearful that they were tired of my inability to hear. I become profoundly aware of how many conversations I’d half-missed, smiles I’d faked, moments I’d nodded through.

Getting hearing aids felt like crossing an invisible line I swore I wasn’t near yet. And yet… putting them on was a relief, too. The world came back sharper, fuller, more connected. I heard birds again, the sound of wind in the trees, the whispers of grandchildren, and the end of sentences. Hearing is a texture of life – the quiet beauty of being fully tuned in.

Hearing loss is not an absolute sign of decline or dementia. While 1 in 3 people over the age of 65 develops hearing loss, there are many causes, and there is no definitive link between hearing loss and dementia. Not only do people with untreated hearing loss tend to isolate, but hearing loss also causes parts of the brain to work harder. Neither of these actions bodes well for overall health. So, for me, hearing aids are about staying engaged and taking care of myself.

I no longer work so hard to hear and participate in life. I acknowledged my hearing loss and admitted I needed help to hear. Kind of like putting on glasses to see better. In every other way, I feel strong and capable. There’s humility and agency in this chapter of life, and I chose not to fade quietly. If anything, hearing aids didn’t make me feel older – they reminded me how much I still want to participate.

I didn’t lose myself – I found myself again – listening.

Carrie