Rediscover the Fullness of Life in Sound

Shared by: Cheng Hsu-Yuan, Clinico Longtan Store branch

04 May, 2024

A Father’s Silent Struggles

My father first noticed hearing loss in his right ear at the age of 35. Over time, his hearing continued to decline, yet he never spoke of it to anyone—not even to my mother. To him, hearing loss felt like a deeply personal issue, something he should bear on his own without troubling his family.

For a long 38 years, he endured the frustration of muffled sound. As his condition worsened, his right ear could barely detect anything, and he relied almost entirely on his left ear to hear. Conversations became a struggle; a single sentence often had to be repeated three times before he could fully understand it.

The toll extended beyond daily communication. Once active in gatherings with friends and former colleagues, he began to withdraw. At reunions, he would pretend to follow conversations, but the truth was, he could barely keep up. Gradually, he stopped attending. The world without sound is a lonely one.

Why Hearing Aids?

My father still drives, but with more than 85% hearing loss in his right ear, the risks on the road grew concerning. Relying solely on one ear accelerates decline, and we worried that both ears might eventually lose function completely.

Hearing loss also drains mental energy. The brain works overtime to piece together fragments of speech, leading to fatigue and frustration. Research shows that untreated hearing loss is closely linked to dementia risk. Studies indicate:

• Mild hearing loss doubles dementia risk.
  
  

• Moderate loss triples the risk.
  
  

• Severe loss increases the risk by up to 5 times. 
  
  

As my father was already at a moderately severe stage, we knew it was time to act.

Support from Clinico Hearing Solution

At Clinico, the audiologist carefully reviewed my father’s case—analyzing his hearing needs, testing his thresholds, and letting him try different models before recommending the most suitable fit.

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At first, my father found the clarity of sound overwhelming—suddenly, every car horn and street noise felt too sharp. But with the patient guidance from his audiologist Ms. Lu, his audiologist, he gradually adjusted. From consultation to fitting and follow-up, she explained how to fine-tune the device for different situations and reassured him with monthly care and maintenance support

Rediscover Joy in Everyday Life

Two weeks after receiving his hearing aids, my father was happier than I had seen him in years. He noticed sounds he had long forgotten: the television no longer had to be turned up so loud, and conversations flowed with ease. Most of all, he felt joy in being able to truly connect again.

Ageing is inevitable, but how we experience it can be shaped. With the right care, ageing can be comfortable, graceful, and free. Helping my father wear hearing aids was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made for him—because it gave him back the simple happiness of sound.