EJ recently came to the Zephyrhills office of Gardner Audiology as a referral from his union. His wife had been complaining he was constantly asking her to repeat herself and the volume was up on the television. While he did admit to some difficulty understanding, he felt it was primarily because others talked to him from another room and they often “mumbled.” He had hearing aid coverage as a benefit of his retirement and he came in to be fitted to keep peace in the family!
EJ was fitted with Starkey 3 Series i30 receiver in the canal hearing aids. One week, post fit, he and his wife returned and he had a big smile on his face. He asked for a minor adjustment and had a few questions to be answered. Both he and his wife were very pleased with how well he was hearing and the volume is down on the television. When asked if people were still mumbling he laughed and said NO!
People mumbling is a very common complaint from a hearing impaired person. Family members feel that this is an excuse and are frustrated and often resentful. The hearing impaired person is only hearing part of the words and that is why it sounds like a mumble. Hearing aids bring thresholds up, allowing most sounds to be audible, making speech clearer. We always have a good laugh about how people stop mumbling once hearing aids are being worn!
