It’s a normal first reaction – denial. My loved one must be simply making it seem like their hearing loss is more severe than it really is. She’s not old enough to need a hearing aid.
Maybe, the both of you have begun to kid around with each other about it. Your loved one always asks you to repeat yourself. You laugh about it as if it’s just a game. But it’s beginning to become less and less humorous. You question whether she’s just disregarding you or if she may actually be having some legit hearing trouble.
It’s time to be supportive and make certain your loved one receives the care they need to continue to live a happy, healthy, active lifestyle even into their senior years.
Here are 4 prevalent signals that somebody you know needs a hearing aid.
1. She’s more drained than normal particularly when you go out
You might believe it’s simply an indication of getting older. Your loved one used to have a lot more energy. You try to relate when she says that she’s not going out tonight.
Then she begins missing meetings with a hobby group, organization, or club that she’s always enjoyed, even when they meet virtually, and you start to realize 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 particularly true.
Additional energy is needed to hear and comprehend what people are saying when someone is coping with hearing problems. They often have to pull this energy from other brain functions such as memory, speaking, and moving.
This use of extra energy is actually exhausting the brain not strengthening it. In social situations, exhaustion will often seem to shut your loved one down.
Don’t assume you understand what she’s experiencing. Her feelings may be the result of a number of factors. But ask questions. Get to the base cause and recommend that she gets her hearing tested.
2. She watches the TV LOUD
This is frequently one of the first indications that you might identify in another person. They can’t seem to watch TV or listen to music at a healthy volume.
You go into the room, and it sounds like you’ve just entered a movie theater. You feel like you should have some popcorn, but it’s just your loved one blowing your ears out with the TV. You can even hear it from outside.
When you say that the TV is too loud, she may chuckle and turn it down. But actually, she turned closed captions on.
Maybe she’s embarrassed about it. If this is happening a lot, it might be time for you to suggest a hearing assessment.
3. She says, “What?”… a lot
It might not be a problem if you are in a really loud setting or she’s really focused on something. If it’s occurring more frequently than that, pay attention.
Similarly, take notice if she seems to have a lot of difficulty hearing when she’s on the phone.
Is she constantly annoyed because she thinks people are talking too low or muttering? Is she requesting that people repeat themselves? It’s time for a compassionate talk about the advantages of hearing aids.
4. You’re feeling a tension in the relationship
Couples argue two times as much when one of them has hearing loss, according to research. These arguments 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 somebody can’t hear. They get frustrated about their hearing loss. And their refusal to get help is stressful to others. This frequently results in people choosing to spend more time alone because of more hurt feelings.
This can cause irreversible harm to the relationship and the couple frequently doesn’t even recognize that hearing loss is the reason. Even moderate hearing loss can strain a relationship, so it pays to get it checked out.
Whether it’s a friend, sibling, or spouse, you can get new perspective on your relationships by getting a simple hearing test. Inspire your loved one to call for an appointment.
If someone has hearing loss, hearing aids can change their lives and most will state they would never go back. As a matter of fact, they regret they didn’t get them sooner. Their overall quality of life will be greatly enhanced.
It’s not a comfortable conversation to have. But when your loved one finally gets the help they require it will all have been worth it.
Call us today and let us help you with some ideas about how to address your loved one’s hearing loss!