It’s a common first reaction – denial. Surely, my loved one’s hearing loss isn’t as advanced as it seems. She’s not old enough to need a hearing aid.
Maybe, it’s become a joke between the two of you. Your loved one always asks you to repeat yourself. You joke about it as if it’s just a game. But it’s beginning to become less and less funny. You wonder if she’s simply disregarding you or if she might actually be having some genuine hearing trouble.
It’s time to be supportive and make certain your loved one gets the care they need to continue to live a happy, healthy, active life well into their senior years.
Here are 4 common signals that someone you know needs a hearing aid.
1. She seems fatigued, particularly in public
Perhaps you believe that it just normally occurs when you age. Your loved one used to have much more energy. You try to relate when she says that she’s not going out tonight.
Then she begins skipping meetings with a hobby group, organization, or club that she’s always enjoyed, even when they get together virtually, and you begin to recognize something may be wrong. Loud noise seems to sap your loved one’s energy. If there is a lot of background noise, or if more than one conversation is taking place at the same time, this is especially true.
Additional energy is needed to hear and comprehend what people are saying when someone is coping with hearing problems. As a result, energy is taken from other important brain functions like physical movement, memory, and talking.
This use of extra energy is actually fatiguing the brain not strengthening it. Your loved one will frequently seem to shut down with exhaustion in social situations.
If you’re not personally experiencing the same thing, don’t presume you can relate to what she’s dealing with. Her feelings may be due to numerous factors. In order to get to the root of the issue, ask her questions and advocate for a hearing test.
2. She likes the TV LOUD
This is frequently one of the first signs that you may perceive in another person. Whenever they play music or watch TV, they turn it up really loud.
Your living room sounds like a movie theater. You feel like you should make some popcorn, but it’s just your loved one blowing your ears out with the TV. You can even hear it from outdoors.
When you say that the TV is too loud, she might chuckle and lower the volume. Then you realize that she just switched on the captions.
Maybe she’s ashamed about it. If this is occurring a lot, it may be time for you to suggest a hearing exam.
3. She says, “What?”… a lot
If you’re in a really loud setting like a concert or movie theater or she’s really concentrated on a movie, then it may be nothing. But you should be mindful if this is occurring often.
Similarly, pay attention if she seems to have a lot of trouble hearing when she’s on the phone.
Is she always aggravated because she thinks people are talking too quietly or mumbling? Does she regularly need people to repeat what they said? It’s time for a compassionate talk about the benefits of hearing aids.
4. Your relationship is feeling strained
Researchers have discovered that couples, where one is dealing with hearing loss, have about 50% more arguments. These quarrels might center around TV volume, misunderstandings, or what one claims the other person did or didn’t say.
Overall, there’s just more tension in a household when someone can’t hear. They get frustrated about their hearing loss. And their refusal to get help is stressful to others. This leads to lots of hurt feelings and decisions to spend more time apart or alone.
Many couples don’t recognize that hearing loss is the cause, and this can damage their relationship irreparably. It’s important to get the proper help because even moderate hearing loss can strain relationships.
Whether it’s a friend, sibling, or spouse, you can get new perspective on your relationships by simply getting a hearing test. Talk to your loved one about getting their hearing assessed.
People who recognize they need hearing aids and use them say they’d never go back. Typically, they wish they wouldn’t have waited so long. Their overall quality of life will be significantly enhanced.
It can be a challenging conversation to have. But the difficulty of this conversation is worth it when your loved one finally finds the assistance they need.
Call us right away and let us help you with some ideas about how to address your loved one’s hearing loss!