WEDERMARK, GERMANY — A new study commissioned by Sennheiser has found that wearing assistive hearing devices are considered socially embarrassing by 1 in 3 people aged 45 to 70, whereas only 1 in 10 people feel the same way about wearing glasses. The study surveyed 2,500 respondents aged between 45 and 70, from the US, UK, Germany, France, and Australia.
On March 3, the World Health Organization (WHO) will mark World Hearing Day and highlight the importance of integrating ear and hearing care. Ear and hearing problems are remarkably common with approximately 1 in 5 people living with some form of hearing loss worldwide. * The World Health Organization warns that by 2030, nearly 630 million people worldwide will have a hearing disability. By 2050, that could jump to 900 million. Currently, 15% of American adults aged 18 and older report some trouble with their hearing. ** Untreated hearing loss in midlife remains the largest modifiable risk factor for dementia.
Sadly, stigma remains one of the biggest issues preventing hearing device adoption worldwide
To address this issue of situational hearing challenges, Sennheiser recently launched Conversation Clear Plus. The true wireless earbuds are designed to enhance the voice of the person the user is looking at while reducing background volumes from other people and things. The product aims to improve the experience of those with hearing loss, encourage them to seek help, and remove the social stigma associated with wearing assistive hearing devices in public or with friends.
“We conducted this survey to draw attention to the social stigma of wearing assisted hearing devices in public or with friends. We also want to highlight just how common certain hearing challenges are and hope that these results can help to start conversations and bring more awareness to make this stigma a thing of the past.”
–Sonova Consumer Hearing GVP, Martin Grieder
Sennheiser hopes that the results of the survey will raise awareness of the issue and start conversations about the social stigma of wearing assistive hearing devices. The study also found that 36% of 45 to 70-year-olds struggle to hear conversations in loud environments such as restaurants, and 39% have pretended to hear someone in a conversation but couldn’t due to background noise. By bringing awareness to this issue, Sennheiser hopes to improve the experience of those with hearing loss and encourage them to seek help sooner rather than later.
About the Sennheiser brand
We live and breathe audio. We are driven by the passion to create audio solutions that make a difference. Building the future of audio and bringing remarkable sound experiences to our customers – this is what the Sennheiser brand has represented for more than 75 years. While professional audio solutions such as microphones, meeting solutions, streaming technologies and monitoring systems are part of the business of Sennheiser electronic GmbH & Co. KG, the business with consumer devices such as headphones, soundbars and speech-enhanced hearables is operated by Sonova Holding AG under the license of Sennheiser.
About Sonova Consumer Hearing
Sonova Consumer Hearing offers premium headphones and hearables – primarily in the true wireless segment – as well as audiophile headphones, enhanced consumer hearing solutions and soundbars under the Sennheiser brand. The business is part of The Sonova Group, a global leader in innovative hearing care solutions with headquarters in Switzerland and 17,000 employees worldwide.
Source: Sennheiser
As a hearing aid wearer for some 12 years I am on my third set of aids and sorry to say it has been one terrible ride . I have to date spent over 14 to 15 thousand dollars and I’ve found dealing with people in this industry is akin to dealing with a used car salesman . That would be most particularly the hearing aid producers , I fortunately have a great audiologist not to say as much for others I’ve encountered
I hope to live long enough for the medical field to reveal another method to help those of us who bear this cross and not have to be depended on these antiquities .