Denial is a typical first reaction. Of course, my loved one’s hearing loss isn’t as advanced as it seems. She’s too young to need a hearing aid.
Maybe, the both of you have started to kid around with one another about it. She is always asking you to repeat what you said. You laugh about it as if it’s just a game. But it’s starting to become less and less funny. You question whether she’s simply disregarding you or if she might actually be having some legit hearing trouble.
It’s time to be supportive and make sure your loved one receives the care they need to continue to live a happy, healthy, active lifestyle well into their older age.
If somebody you know needs hearing aids they will probably be showing these 4 common symptoms.
1. She’s more drained than usual especially when you go out
Perhaps you think that it just normally occurs when you age. Your loved one really doesn’t have as much energy as they used to. 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 loved, even when they meet virtually, and you start 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 happening at the same time, this is particularly true.
Extra energy is required to hear and understand what people are saying when somebody is struggling with hearing problems. They often have to pull this energy from other brain functions like memory, speaking, and moving.
Using this extra brainpower doesn’t strengthen the brain; it just makes it tired. Your loved one will often seem to shut down with fatigue in social settings.
Don’t assume you know what she’s dealing with. It may be a combination of things. In order to get to the bottom of the issue, ask her questions and advocate for a hearing test.
2. She always turns the TV up too loud
Often, you will notice this symptom first. They can’t seem to watch TV or listen to music at a normal volume.
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.
She might turn it down when you inform her it’s too loud. But actually, she turned closed captions on.
Maybe she’s ashamed about it. It’s probably time for you to recommend a hearing assessment if this is a regular thing.
3. She frequently needs people to repeat themselves
If you’re in a really loud environment like a concert or movie theater or she’s really concentrated on a movie, then it might be nothing. If it’s occurring more frequently than that, pay attention.
Likewise, take notice if she seems to have a lot of difficulty hearing when she’s using the phone.
Is she constantly annoyed because she thinks people are talking too low or mumbling? Does she frequently need people to repeat what they said? If so, it’s time to have that loving discussion about how much more enjoyable life is with hearing aids.
4. Your relationship is feeling strained
Researchers have discovered that couples, where one has hearing loss, have about 50% more arguments. These arguments may be about TV volume, misunderstandings, or what one claims the other person did or didn’t say.
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 deciding to spend more time apart due to more hurt feelings.
This can lead to permanent harm to the relationship and the couple often doesn’t even comprehend that hearing loss is the reason. 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 getting a simple hearing test. Speak with your loved one about getting their hearing assessed.
If somebody has hearing loss, hearing aids can improve 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 isn’t a comfortable discussion to have. But the difficulty of this conversation is worth it when your loved one finally gets the help they need.
Need more practical ideas about how to address your loved one’s hearing loss? Call us today!