In his newest blog written exclusively for Starkey, Justin Osmond—who was born with a severe-to-profound hearing loss and has been wearing hearing aids since he was two years old—talks about the many life joys he would lose out on if he didn’t wear hearing aids.
I’ve always believed that closeness is a matter of communication. Communication is a matter of understanding. And understanding is a matter of being able to hear.
I believe that hearing is a critical component in helping to stimulate our brain and cognitive pathways. I also understand if someone’s hearing loss has absolutely no residual hearing at all, then a hearing device probably wouldn’t be very helpful. However, I feel there are many other different ways to help stimulate our cognitive parameters and still develop a very healthy lifestyle.
Having said that, I do believe that if I didn’t have an early intervention when I was very young to wear hearing devices, there would be a very long list of things, experiences, lessons, mementos, and memories I would have missed out on.
Here are a few of the many that come to mind:
Cognitive development progression
The newborn hearing screening they do today was not available in the 1970s when I was born. Thus, I wasn’t diagnosed with a severe-to-profound hearing loss until I was almost two years old. This means I was two years behind my peers in my early cognitive development. That’s why my parents made the decision to immediately:
- Get me some hardware hearing devices.
- Sign me up for an intense speech-language therapy program, which I did for over 13 years.
As a result of these critical decisions that my parents had to make early on, I can now SPEAK with PASSION; HEAR with CONVICTION; and UNDERSTAND with CONFIDENCE.
Participation in phone conversations
As I mentioned earlier, communication is key to being able to better understand one another. Thus, daily phone calls used to be a daily dose of anxiety for me. I used to always struggle to hear and understand phone conversations. I would constantly miss out on what the topic or theme was even about—and this generated feelings of isolation, disconnection, frustration, and hopelessness.
I relied on analog technology back in the day—but now, with the best state-of-the-art AI technology, all those negative feelings of “missing out” on phone calls are completely gone!
Music and family achievements
Being born into a world-renowned musical family, I would have missed out on not only music in general, but also my family’s music—that went gold and platinum and hit the top of the Billboard charts worldwide through the ‘70s and ‘80s. My dad (Merrill Osmond) was known not only as the lead singer of the Osmonds, but also the producer and writer of many of their No. 1 hit records. I wouldn’t have heard any of it or enjoyed it alongside my family.
Quality time with family
One of my favorite things to do is enjoy family dinner conversations. I love my wife and my children more than anything in the world, and to spend quality time with them is of the utmost importance in my busy schedule. To be able to communicate, hear, and understand them at the dinner table—whether at home or a restaurant—brings joy, happiness, and love that I don’t experience anywhere else.
Workplace communication
My line of work requires many in-person and virtual group meetings to discuss business strategies. These types of meetings require a lot of mental exertion on my part to focus on what is being said and communicated, and this puts a lot of pressure on me to make sure I’m on the same page as everyone else. I now use what Starkey calls a Table Mic.
I place this microphone in the middle of the conference table, or I sync it in with my virtual meetings. To say this has made a difference is an understatement. It has made ALL the difference. The quality of being able to understand everyone in the meeting is undeniable. Each person’s voice, when they speak, is streamed right into both of my hearing aids—as though they are speaking right in front of me.
Outdoor sports
My new favorite sport is the fastest growing sport in America—Pickleball. I love this game, and it’s become quite addictive. For those who don’t know about this social and competitive sport, you have to mention what the score is before each team serves. So, it’s critical that I hear and know what the score is to monitor the game. I sweat like crazy but because I have waterproof hearing devices, I never have to worry about having to take my devices out and play on a mute Pickleball court.
Playing a musical instrument
I’ve played the violin ever since I was six years old. With analog technology back in the day, it was difficult for me to hear and get the exact note right without going sharp or flat. Today, advanced technology has allowed my intonation to be much better and I’m able to find that “sweet spot” as I play along with a music track or an orchestra.
I also use the Table Mic when I stream the music track to my ears. It replaces having to wear in-ear monitors which many musicians and entertainers wear in today’s music industry. Truly a game-changer!
Family movie nights
Another occasion and tradition that I love doing with my family is going out for movie nights. There’s nothing more frustrating than watching a new movie that came to the theaters and not being able to understand the plot. I’ve struggled with this most of my life, but now the new hearing technology has changed everything. It truly bridges the gap and connects those who are deaf and hard-of-hearing to all the films in the theater.
Singalongs with furry friends
I have two dogs that I love very much, and we “sing” together—or bark away the tunes that only dogs and humans understand.
These are just a few of the many things that I now enjoy because of Starkey. I still miss out at times, but it’s nothing like it was when I was growing up. I am now able to HEAR better, LIVE better, and not miss out on life’s precious sounds!
You can follow Justin Osmond on Facebook at JAOsmond; on Instagram at justin_osmond; on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/justinosmond/ or at his website www.justinosmond.com