A recent study conducted by Phonak’s Hear the World initiative reveals that people with hearing loss enjoy a better relationship with their family and friends and take more pleasure in communal activities as a result of wearing a hearing aid.
The study, titled “Hearing is Living," was conducted by zehnvier, an independent Swiss market research and strategy consulting firm, which questioned more than 4,300 people in Germany, France, Switzerland, Great Britain, and the United States.
The key findings of the study:
- 73% of the people with hearing loss who were surveyed report their relationship with their family improved since they started wearing a hearing aid.
- 78% claim that their hearing aids have a positive effect on their relationship with friends and make communal activities more enjoyable again.
- 41% of the hearing aid users surveyed who suffer from moderate to severe hearing loss indicated that they have a large circle of friends.
- By contrast, only 27% of the people who have the same degree of hearing loss, but do not wear a hearing aid, agreed that they have a large circle of friends.
In addition to the positive effects for users, the researchers found that family members also benefited from realatives’ use of hearing aids: 41% of the relatives surveyed stated that their own lives have improved when their family member got a hearing aid. In addition, 62% of the hearing aid users surveyed report that since they started wearing a hearing aid, their hearing loss is no longer an issue among their family and friends, and 86% feel that their friends accept them just as they are.
A free copy of the full study is available through emailing a request to [email protected].
SOURCE: Hear the World
