It’s a common first reaction – denial. Surely, my loved one’s hearing loss isn’t as advanced as it seems. She’s too young to require a hearing aid.
Maybe, the two of you have begun to kid around with one another about it. Your loved one constantly asks you to repeat yourself. It’s just a game. You laugh about it. But it’s starting to become less and less funny. You’re starting to think that maybe your spouse, brother, or parent is either ignoring you or really having trouble hearing.
It’s time to be supportive and make certain your loved one receives the care they need to keep living a happy, healthy, active lifestyle well into their senior years.
If somebody you know needs hearing aids they will most likely be showing these 4 common symptoms.
1. She appears to be fatigued, especially in public
You may think it’s just an indication of getting older. Your loved one really doesn’t have as much energy as they used to. When she says she just doesn’t feel like going out tonight, you try to be patient.
You really begin to think that something isn’t right when she starts skipping meetings with clubs, organizations, and hobby groups she’s always loved. Loud noise seems to sap your loved one’s energy. This is especially true if they’re in a situation where there’s more than one discussion happening, or there’s a lot of background noise.
Extra energy is needed to hear and understand what people are saying when someone is coping with hearing problems. They frequently have to pull this energy from other functions in the brain like memory, talking, and moving.
This use of extra energy is actually exhausting the brain not strengthening it. In social situations, fatigue will often seem to shut your loved one down.
Don’t presume you know what she’s dealing with. Her feelings might be due to a number of factors. But ask questions. Get to the base cause and suggest that she gets her hearing tested.
2. She always cranks the TV up really loud
This is frequently one of the first indications that you might notice in another person. They can’t seem to watch TV or listen to music at a healthy volume.
Your living room sounds like a cinema. You instantly get the impulse to make some popcorn, except you realize that she’s just watching a reality show or documentary at a volume that almost blows your ears out. You can even hear it from outdoors.
She might turn it down when you tell her it’s too loud. But actually, she turned on closed captions.
Perhaps she’s embarrassed about it. It’s probably time for you to recommend a hearing test if this is a regular thing.
3. She says, “What?”… a lot
If you’re in a really loud setting like a concert or theater or she’s really concentrated on a movie, then it may be nothing. But you should be mindful if this is happening frequently.
Similarly, pay attention if she seems to have a lot of trouble hearing when she’s on the phone.
Is she constantly aggravated because she thinks people are speaking too quietly or mumbling? Does she regularly need people to repeat what they said? It’s time for a compassionate talk about the advantages of hearing aids.
4. Your relationship is feeling tense
Researchers have discovered that couples, where one has hearing loss, have around 50% more quarrels. They might argue about what one of them may or may not have said, the volume of the TV, or other misconceptions.
In general, there’s just more tension in a household when somebody can’t hear. They get aggravated about their hearing loss. And their refusal to seek out help is frustrating to others. This frequently leads to people choosing to spend more time alone due to more hurt feelings.
This can lead to irreversible harm to the relationship and the couple frequently doesn’t even realize that hearing loss is the cause. It’s important to get the proper help because even moderate hearing loss can strain relationships.
Whether it’s a friend, sibling, or partner, you can get new perspective on your relationships by getting a simple hearing test. Talk to your loved one about getting a hearing test.
People who recognize they need hearing aids and use them say they’d never go back. In fact, they regret they didn’t get them sooner. They feel happier, healthier, and more active.
It isn’t an easy discussion to have. But the difficulty of this conversation is worth it when your loved one finally finds the assistance they need.
Need more helpful ideas about how to handle your loved one’s hearing loss? Call us right away!
