It’s a common first reaction – denial. My loved one must be just making it seem like their hearing loss is worse than it actually is. She’s not old enough to need a hearing aid.
Maybe, the two of you have begun to kid around with one another about it. Your loved one always asks you to speak up. You laugh about it as if it’s simply a game. But this game is getting old fast. You’re starting to think that perhaps your spouse, brother, or parent is either dismissing you or actually having trouble hearing.
You want your loved one to have a healthy, active, and happy life for years to come so it’s probably time to be supportive and help them seek out the appropriate help.
If someone you know needs hearing aids they will most likely be showing these 4 prevalent signs.
1. She’s more drained than normal particularly when you go out
You may think it’s simply an indication of aging. Your loved one used to have much more energy. When she says she isn’t feeling like going out tonight, you try to be patient.
Then she begins missing meetings with a hobby group, organization, or club that she’s always loved, even when they meet virtually, and you begin to recognize something could be wrong. Loud noise seems to drain your loved one’s energy. If there is a lot of background noise, or if more than one conversation is happening simultaneously, this is especially true.
Individuals who are straining to hear put excess energy toward understanding those around them. As a result, energy is transferred from other essential brain functions like physical mobility, memory, and speaking.
This use of additional energy is actually exhausting the brain not strengthening it. Your loved one will frequently seem to shut down with exhaustion in social situations.
Don’t assume you know what she’s experiencing. It may be a mix of things. But ask questions. Get to the root cause and recommend that she get a hearing test.
2. She likes the TV LOUD
Often, 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 cinema. You feel like you should have some popcorn, but it’s just your loved one blowing your ears out with the TV. Your neighbors can even hear it.
When you say that the TV is too loud, she may laugh and lower the volume. 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 recommend a hearing assessment.
3. She often needs people to repeat themselves
It may not be a problem if you are in a very loud setting or she’s really focused on something. If it’s happening more frequently than that, pay attention.
Furthermore, if she’s struggling to hear phone conversations you should take note.
Is she always aggravated because she thinks people are talking too quietly or muttering? Is she asking people to repeat themselves? It’s time for a compassionate chat about the benefits of hearing aids.
4. Your relationship is feeling strained
Researchers have found that couples, where one has hearing loss, have about 50% more quarrels. These quarrels might be about TV volume, misconceptions, or what one says the other person did or didn’t say.
When someone isn’t able to hear, there will be a lot more stress in a household. They get aggravated about their hearing loss. And their refusal to seek out help is stressful to others. This brings about lots of hurt feelings and decisions to spend more time apart or alone.
This can cause irreversible damage to the relationship and the couple often doesn’t even realize 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 partner, you can get new perspective on your relationships by simply getting a hearing test. Speak with your loved one about getting their hearing assessed.
If somebody has hearing loss, hearing aids can change their lives and most will state they would never go back. Normally, they wish they would have done it sooner. They feel healthier, happier, and more energetic.
It isn’t a comfortable discussion to have. But when your loved one finally gets the help they need it will all have been worth it.
Call us right away and let us help you with some ideas about how to address your loved one’s hearing loss!