It’s a common first response – denial. Of course, my loved one’s hearing loss isn’t as advanced as it seems. She’s not old enough to need a hearing aid.
Perhaps, it’s become a joke between the two of you. She is always requesting that you repeat what you said. It’s just a game. You laugh about it. But it’s starting to become less and less humorous. You question whether she’s just disregarding you or if she might actually be having some genuine hearing trouble.
You want your loved one to have a balanced, energetic, and joyful life for years to come so it’s probably time to be encouraging and help them seek out the appropriate help.
If somebody you know needs hearing aids they will most likely be exhibiting these 4 common signs.
1. She seems exhausted, especially in public
Maybe you think that it just normally occurs when you age. Your loved one used to have a lot more energy. When she says she just doesn’t feel like going out tonight, you try to understand.
Then she begins skipping meetings with a hobby group, organization, or club that she’s always loved, even when they get together virtually, and you begin to realize something could be wrong. Your loved one’s energy seems to be drained by loud environments. If there is lots of background noise, or if more than one conversation is taking place at the same time, this is especially true.
Extra energy is required to hear and comprehend what people are saying when somebody is dealing with hearing issues. As a result, energy is transferred from other important brain functions like physical mobility, memory, and talking.
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.
If you’re not personally experiencing the same thing, don’t presume you can relate to what she’s dealing with. It may be a combination of things. In order to get to the root of the problem, ask her questions and advocate for a hearing assessment.
2. She always cranks the TV up really loud
Often, you will notice this symptom first. They can’t seem to watch TV or play music at a healthy 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 outside.
When you say that the TV is too loud, she may chuckle and turn it down. But actually, she turned on closed captions.
Perhaps she’s ashamed about it. It’s probably time for you to recommend a hearing exam if this is a regular thing.
3. She often needs people to repeat themselves
It might not be a problem if you are in a really loud setting or she’s really focused on something. But you should be mindful if this is occurring often.
Also, if she’s straining to hear phone conversations you should pay attention.
Is she griping about people mumbling or talking low constantly? Is she requesting that people repeat themselves? If so, it’s time to have that loving discussion about how much more enjoyable life is with hearing aids.
4. You’re feeling a tension in the relationship
Couples argue twice 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.
When somebody can’t hear, there will be a lot more tension in a household. Their hearing loss is stressful. Others get upset when they won’t get help. This brings about lots of hurt feelings and decisions to spend more time apart or alone.
This can cause permanent damage to the relationship and the couple often doesn’t even recognize 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 simply getting a hearing test. Talk to your loved one about getting a hearing test.
If someone has hearing loss, hearing aids can improve their lives and most will state they would never go back. In fact, they regret they waited so long to get them in the first place. They feel healthier, happier, and more active.
It can be a challenging conversation to have. But the difficulty of this discussion is worth it when your loved one finally finds the assistance they need.
Call us today and let us help you with some ideas about how to tackle your loved one’s hearing loss!
