If you have concerns about a friend or loved one, we have answers.

We meet an amazing amount of people who never knew they had a hearing problem, even if it was obvious to everyone around them!

Struggling to hear the TV

We hear from people each and every day who are concerned that someone they know is in denial about their hearing loss. You will probably know the obvious warning signs:

• Spending half your time telling them to turn the telly down
• Constantly having to repeat yourself
• Always being misunderstood
• Forever being told that you are mumbling

Slow deterioration

Hearing loss can happen so slowly and gradually that many people never notice it happening until it has become quite pronounced. On average a person will wait 15 years more after finding out about a hearing loss before they even do something about it. You’d never leave your eyesight or teeth for 15 years, so why leave out your hearing?
Well, there are several reasons for this:

1. Some people feel like hearing aids come with a stigma, and don’t want to be thought of as “disabled.”
2. Others are afraid that it is a badge of old age - "not just yet thank you!" 
3. That the undesirable whistling sounds of older hearing aids also apply to modern ones, and will cause them embarrassment.

You don't notice most people who wear hearing aids

Modern hearing aids are usually so small and discreet that many more people wear them than you might have thought. They don’t whistle these days either, and can be camouflaged in to the hairline or sit comfortably right down in the ear canal.

At Advance our broad range of customers have levels of hearing loss which range from profound to relatively mild, like finding it hard to hear voices in a cafe or restaurant. We look after people who stood too close to the speakers at rock concerts... thanks to us, they still go to rock concerts. Some of our customers come to us with damaged ears from their time in pubs, kitchens, building sites, factories, shops... even dentists' drills have been known to damage their hearing! Then there are those of us whose hearing has just naturally diminished since our late thirties or pregnancy. This is more common than you realise, perfectly natural and often treatable.

What should I do?

We passionately believe that hearing loss is a natural fact of life, and nothing to be ashamed of. Hearing loss is something that should be brought in to the open and talked about honestly. A problem shared is a problem halved. There aren’t many people who find wearing glasses to be a problem, but sometimes we still need a bit of a nudge before we go to the opticians.

If you know someone who seems to be losing their hearing then please have a chat with them and get them to complete our Hearing Self Check. Alternatively they can talk to us.

You are also welcome to talk to us yourself – just drop us a line, pop in or give us a call. We are here to help Ireland’s hearing.