The American retiree cannot imagine life not only without white teeth, but also without hearing what they say to him, without listening to Johnny Cash from old records and Dolly Parton live. And Polish? You know yourself … Because you listened / listened to lullabies that your grandma sang to you and fairy tales that your grandfather told you. Now they want to hear you but can’t. The laryngologist will tell you unceremoniously that this is normal, because 9 out of 10 hearing loss results from old age. The National Health Fund shrugs its shoulders, because there is no money to provide our grandmothers and grandparents with a decent life. It’s time for our rematch.
- In 9 out of 10 cases, hearing loss is a result of the aging of the body
- The vast majority of seniors are ashamed to admit to their families that they have hearing problems
- The best way to fight hearing loss is to put on a hearing aid. Unfortunately, it is associated with a considerable expense. Often times, money has to be put out of your pocket
As children, we listen to lullabies sung by grandma, fairy tales read and told by grandfather. As teenagers, we stop listening to them, because it’s often unwanted “put on a hat” or “what’s in school?”, “Do you have a boyfriend?”, “You are studying, your hair sticks in your eyes” and immortal “in my time it is …. “. We are tired of the “veteran” stories about what you wore, what you listened to, what you dreamed about in the times of grandmother’s and grandfather’s youth. Sometimes there are literally veteran stories, because the grandmothers or grandparents of those who are over 40 actually survived the war. We don’t want to hear about it, but Grandma and Grandpa always want to hear us. There comes a time when, although they try to turn into ears, when we speak, they do not hear us. Because they can’t.
The ENT doctor will unceremoniously tell you this is normal. In 9 out of 10 cases, hearing loss is a result of the aging of the body. It’s a natural process. The auditory cells in the ear cochlea are atrophied and the sensitivity to quiet sounds is lowered. There is a problem with understanding the speech of others, especially when you cannot see the interlocutor because you are talking to him on the phone. And the worst thing is understanding children’s speech – because it sounds high. Therefore, grandmother or grandfather cannot talk to your child, their grandson, and attempts lead to frustration on both sides.
However, grandmothers and grandparents do not complain, they do not complain that they cannot hear, and they rarely admit it. Maybe they are ashamed, but also often do not have such behaviors in their repertoire. And if any of them complain, it is rather about rheumatized knees and splitting in the cross, because joking about this has long been a customary subject of common jokes. So if they’re complaining, it’s the knees, not the hearing problem. Maybe they are ashamed or simply take it for granted, because for hundreds of years it was believed that old age was inextricably linked with deafness. Because it is. But it doesn’t have to be.
This is the time for our rematch. Because it does not have to be this way that our grandmothers and grandparents will not hear. Do we, when our eyesight deteriorates from using a computer or a smartphone, or after 40, sooner or later presbyopia appears, do we sit behind our arms, reconciled with our aging? Not. We buy glasses or lenses, accessories that are increasingly progressive. And when we have to pull out a tooth, we don’t accept it. We do not think that this is the natural first step to an artificial jaw. Immediately insert the implant, spending heavy money on it, and if necessary by making debits or taking a loan. Like Dorian Gray, we fiercely fight to keep youth. And like young gods, we believe that old age will never come, at least it will not come to us. And that there is no body part that cannot be repaired or replaced with a better one, e.g. made of titanium or platinum.
Old age is democratic – seniors in Sweden, the USA, Germany, and even in the earthly paradise – in Zanzibar – are hit by hearing loss.
Only that the German pensioner, unlike the Polish one, does not agree with it. And the American cannot imagine life not only without white teeth, but also without hearing what they say to him, without listening to Johnny Cash from old records and Dolly Parton live.
There is only one treatment for hearing loss. It’s about choosing the right hearing aid. It’s a cost. At least two thousand. This is often more than twice the size of the pension of most Polish retirees. It is a shame for the “welfare” state that does not reimburse seniors for hearing aids. People thanks to which they will really hear well, instead of embarrassing the eternal repetition of “listening?” and try to discreetly adjust the hearing aid. It’s also probably time for our rematch. For the fairy tales told by my grandmother and grandfather, for love, for taking care of our children.
Do you think you can’t afford it? Check how much you have recently spent in shopping malls on clothes, handbags, shoes. How much for a daily latte and wine with dinner?
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