A recurring topic among hearing care professionals is why those with a hearing loss wait for an average of seven years before they seek help. Vanity and the fear of appearing “weak” are the reasons that appear most frequently.

Jenni Ahtiainen is the founder of Deafmetal. (www.deafmetal.com ) Hearing loss runs in her family. She did not receive her first hearing aids until she was in her 40s. Being in the beauty and fashion industry, she arrived home wearing alien devices which did not fit her self-image.

“… I just took them behind my ears, and I put them on the table, and I started to think, “I’m being totally honest now. I’ve been a designer for 15 years. It was only logical for me as a jewelry designer to just do something around them so that they would  ...