You don’t realize how important your hearing is to your safety until it's gone. At work, what happens if you can’t hear the forklift moving down the aisle? Remember, it only beeps when it’s reversing. Same for trucks that could speed down your street at any time. What happens if you can’t hear the shout-out warnings of co-workers, family or people on the street?

Hearing Loss and Fire Alarms

You would think that everyone could hear a smoke detector, but that’s not true. Studies have found that even those with mild to moderate hearing loss may not be woken by many smoke detectors, because of the high frequency of the alarm. For those with hearing loss, low-frequency alarm sounds work best. There are smoke detectors that have low-frequency alarms for just that reason.

Hearing Loss and Environmental Dangers

Fire isn’t the only danger. When you're crossing the street, you rely on your hearing to hear oncoming cars, car horns, and people shouting out to you. If you are near or in a construction zone, you need to hear if people are yelling at you to get out of the way, or calling out because you are walking into a danger zone.

Avoidable Accidents Caused By Hearing Loss

Some dangers or accidents may not be life-threatening, but something you'd still rather not have to deal with. Like if you are backing out of a parking space, and you don’t hear the soft horn of the car you are backing out towards. It could cause a minor fender bender - no one was hurt, but it could have been avoided.

Keep Yourself and Your Loved Ones Safe

Being able to hear is essential not just for your safety, but for the safety of those around you. The ones you are closest to need you to be able to hear so that you can protect both them and yourself, and the ability to hear both soft and loud sounds is important in being able to provide that protection.

Visit An Audiologist Today

So what should you do? First, go get your hearing tested by an audiologist. An audiologist will be able to tell you what level you’re hearing at, and whether or not you need a hearing aid. If you do need a hearing aid, the audiologist will be able to recommend the type of hearing aid most appropriate for your ears and your lifestyle.