Sponsored: What Did You Say? I Didn’t Hear You

I participated in a campaign on behalf of Mom Central Consulting for Etymotic. I received a product to facilitate my review and a promotional item as a thank you for participating

How many times have you or someone in your family said that? I know Fabgrandpa is saying it me all the time, and he gets irritated at me when it happens all day long.  I know I am not as young as I used to be, but the idea that I might need some help with hearing everyday things never really crossed my mind.

It’s not surprising to me, though. My father started losing his hearing when he was in his late fifties, and bought a set of hearing aids that he kept in a drawer. My grandfather had hearing loss as well. I worked as a telephone operator for about eight years, and wore those clunky, heavy, headphones like those that you see in the Lily Tomlin skits about the operator. They played havoc with my ears, and I had yeast infections in them for years even after I left that job.

When I was asked to try the Bean Quiet Sound Amplifiers, which were developed by Etymotic Research Inc., I said I would, but really did not expect them to be very helpful for me. I thought that just because Fabgrandpa mumbles is no reason for ME to need a device that would help me hear quiet sounds.

The box came in the mail, and I let it sit there for a while before I opened it up. I am usually quite eager to open up packages that I get for reviews, but this one, well, to be honest, it just made me feel old. However, when I finally did get them out, and put them in my ears, it was amazing  what I could hear. I was sitting at the dining room table, and I could hear the crickets outside the door in the yard. I could hear what the actors were saying in the movie playing in the living room. And I could hear clearly what Fabgrandpa was saying to me.  The package had everything needed to start using the Bean, including batteries and several sets of inserts so that you can find the one that feels most comfortable in your ears.

Are you like me? Do you not think you need something like this, but you have trouble with these situations:

1. You often ask others to repeat themselves or ask “what?” frequently

2. You need to watch people’s faces carefully when they speak and often comment that people mumble

3. You turn up the radio or TV louder than others

4. You avoid or withdraw from social situation bcause of difficulty following conversations

5. You have difficulty with the following:

• Hearing women’s and children’s voices
• Understanding speech in noisy situations; e.g., restaurants, classrooms or meeting rooms
• Hearing in worship services, lectures and larger venues
• Following a conversation, particularly when more than one person speaks

I’m glad that MomCentral and Etymotic asked me to try these out. I think they will really make a difference in my life, and let me hear the people I love most when they speak to me.