Denial is a common first response. Surely, my loved one’s hearing loss isn’t as bad as it seems. She’s not old enough to need a hearing aid.
Perhaps, it’s become a joke between the two of you. Your loved one constantly asks you to speak up. It’s only a game. You laugh about it. But this game is getting old fast. You’re beginning to believe that perhaps your spouse, brother, or parent is either dismissing you or really having trouble hearing.
You want your loved one to have a balanced, energetic, and joyful life for many years so it’s likely time to be supportive and help them seek out the correct help.
Here are 4 prevalent signals that somebody you know needs a hearing aid.
1. She appears to be fatigued, particularly in public
You may believe it’s simply a sign of aging. Your loved one used to have much more energy. You try to relate when she says that won’t be going out tonight.
Then she starts missing 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. Your loved one’s energy seems to be drained by loud settings. This is especially true if they are in a situation where there is more than one conversation going on, or there’s lots of background noise.
Additional energy is required to hear and comprehend what people are saying when somebody is dealing with hearing problems. They often have to draw this energy from other functions in the brain like memory, talking, and moving.
This use of additional energy is actually fatiguing the brain not strengthening it. In social settings, exhaustion will often seem to shut your loved one down.
Don’t assume you understand what she’s experiencing. Her feelings may be due to a number of factors. But ask questions. Get to the underlying cause and suggest that she gets her hearing tested.
2. She likes the TV LOUD
Frequently, you will notice this symptom first. Whenever they listen to music or watch TV, they turn it up very loud.
Your living room sounds like a movie theater. You instantly get the impulse to make some popcorn, except you find that she’s just watching a reality show or documentary at a volume that almost blows your ears out. Your neighbors can even hear it.
When you say that the TV is too loud, she may chuckle and lower the volume. Then you realize that she just switched on the captions.
She might not want to acknowledge that she really can’t hear the TV. It’s likely time for you to recommend a hearing assessment if this is a regular thing.
3. She frequently needs people to repeat themselves
It might not be a problem if you are in a really loud setting or she’s really zoned in on something. But you should be mindful if this is happening frequently.
Similarly, pay attention if she seems to have a lot of difficulty hearing when she’s on the phone.
Is she complaining about people muttering or low-talking constantly? Is she asking people to repeat themselves? If so, it’s time to have that loving chat about how much better life is with hearing aids.
4. Your relationship is feeling strained
Researchers have discovered that couples, where one has hearing loss, have around 50% more arguments. They might argue about what one of them may or may not have said, the volume of the TV, or other misconceptions.
Overall, there’s just more stress in a household when somebody can’t hear. Their hearing loss is stressful. And their refusal to seek out help is stressful to others. This frequently leads to people deciding to spend more time apart because of more hurt feelings.
This can cause permanent 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.
Simply getting a hearing exam can give you a totally new perspective on your relationship, whether you’re dealing with a spouse, sister, or dear friend. Speak with your loved one about getting a hearing test.
If somebody has hearing loss, hearing aids can improve their lives and most will say they would never go back. As a matter of fact, they regret they didn’t get them sooner. They feel happier, healthier, and more active.
It can be a difficult talk to have. But the difficulty of this conversation is worth it when your loved one finally gets the assistance they need.
Call us right away and let us help you with some ideas about how to tackle your loved one’s hearing loss!