Asking Eric: Do these strangers really need to ask about my device?

Dear Eric: I lost my hearing in one ear, and my nephew who’s an audiologist suggested a cochlear device might help get some of my hearing back. It was a successful surgery.

The device helps me be able to hear along with a hearing aid in my other ear. I wear my hair a little longer than I would normally to try to cover it.

The issue I have is adults I don’t know coming up to me and bluntly asking, “What is that?”

I don’t mind explaining what a cochlear device is, but I was...