Coming to terms with hearing loss can be a scary, isolating thing. It’s important to know that you’re not alone, and there are many hearing loss resources online that can make life with hearing loss so much easier. Hearing loss blogs, forums, communities, and websites with tons of information about hearing loss can help you understand your hearing loss and seek the right treatments for you!
Hearing loss resource #1: Official organizations
There are several important national organizations that provide lots of information for people with hearing loss. The Hearing Loss Association of America (HLAA) is a key leader in supporting and advocating for people with hearing loss and other hearing issues. The HLAA website is chock-full of accurate information about hearing loss and hearing aids, as well as important information regarding insurance and paying for hearing loss treatments.
This site is a good place to start your journey and start to gather some broad information about hearing loss. In addition, the HLAA has local chapters in many states, which could connect you to the larger hearing loss community!
Hearing loss resource #2: Blogs
Once you’ve understood the basics of hearing loss, you probably want to get down to more in-depth information. Blogs are the place to go. Blogs (short for web-logs) are informational websites with regularly updated posts about a specific topic. Sometimes they can even be like a public journal entry.
There are many different hearing loss blogs out there that can provide information on all things hearing loss and each entry focuses on a specific topic. For instance, in our own blog we’ve discussed everything from causes of hearing loss to how to protect your hearing during a concert to famous people with hearing loss to how to clean your hearing aids. And that’s just the beginning!
Other hearing aid blogs we like are: Living with Hearing Loss, Hearing Link, and Action on Hearing Loss
Hearing loss resource #3: Consumer review sites
Okay, you’ve gotten all your information about hearing loss and now you want to treat it. Hearing aids are the most popular treatment for hearing loss, but the world of hearing aids can be intimidating to navigate. Third-party websites that post honest reviews about consumer products (including hearing aids!) can be a great resource if you’re looking to buy them.
Check out sites like Consumer Reports, which independently rates hearing aids and shares which models are the best deal for their price. You can also browse hearing aid forums like this one and see what real people are saying about their hearing aids. These forums are also a good place to ask fellow hearing aid users for help with your devices if something is wrong!
Hearing loss resource #4: Online communities
Hearing loss is not an easy thing to come to terms with, regardless of how old you are. For many people, it’s extremely helpful and empowering to meet and talk to other people with hearing loss—and a lot of that interactions now occur online. Deaf and Hard of Hearing is an online community where people with various degrees of hearing loss can come together and share their experiences. There’s a weekly chat every Wednesday where participants can talk with each other and discuss life with hearing loss—or other things! Online communities and forums are great resources to get firsthand information about living with hearing loss.
Hearing loss doesn't have to be frightening. There are tons of hearing loss resources online that can help you understand hearing loss, discover what types of treatments are out there, and maybe make some new friends along the way!
