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I bet you did not know that many former presidents have used hearing aids to rehabilitate their hearing.  It’s true!  Presidents Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford, Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan, George Bush Senior, and Bill Clinton all wore (or currently wear) hearing aids.

President Reagan announcing to the world that he was correcting his hearing problem was a pivotal moment in hearing health history.  At the time, he was, no doubt, the most powerful man on the planet, and he was admitting he had a hearing loss and seeking the proper treatment to correct it.  That was the first time a message so significant had been sent that it is normal to have hearing loss and it is acceptable to do something about it.

Random Facts About Reagan

Born: February 6, 1911

Notable offices held:

President of the United States (1981-1989)
Governor of California (1967-1975)
President of the Screen Actors Guild (1959-1960)

Died: June 5, 2004

Cause of death: He died from pneumonia that was complicated by Alzheimer’s disease.

Did you know?

-Reagan acted in films in the late 1930s to early 1940s before serving in the U.S. Army during World War II (he didn’t serve overseas).

-Reagan is the only U.S. president to have been divorced. As governor of California, he signed the first no-fault divorce legislation in the U.S. called the Family Law Act.

-On March 30, 1981, Reagan and three others were shot by John Hinckley, Jr. as part of a presidential assassination attempt. The bullet broke one of Reagan’s ribs, punctured a lung, and caused serious internal bleeding. He underwent emergency surgery and was hospitalized for two weeks.

-Ronald Reagan was the first U.S. president to wear hearing aids while in office to help with his difficulty hearing high-pitched sounds. He first wore one in his right ear; in 1985 he wore another in his left ear.

“We can’t help everyone, but everyone can help someone.”