Denial is a common first response. My loved one must be just making it seem like their hearing loss is more severe than it really is. She’s not old enough for a hearing aid.
Maybe, the two of you have started to joke around with one another about it. Your loved one always asks you to repeat yourself. You laugh about it as if it’s just a game. But it’s starting to become less and less funny. You’re starting to think that maybe your spouse, brother, or parent is either dismissing you or really having trouble hearing.
It’s time to be supportive and make sure your loved one gets the care they need to continue to live a happy, healthy, active lifestyle even into their older age.
Here are 4 prevalent signs that someone you know needs a hearing aid.
1. She’s more tired than normal particularly when you go out
Perhaps you think that it just ordinarily happens when you age. 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 understand.
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 start to realize something could be wrong. Your loved one’s energy seems to be depleted by loud environments. This is particularly true if they’re in a situation where there is more than one conversation going on, or there’s lots of background noise.
Individuals who are straining to hear put excess energy toward understanding those around them. As a result, energy is taken from other essential brain functions like physical movement, memory, and speaking.
Utilizing this additional brainpower doesn’t strengthen the brain; it just tires it out. In social settings, exhaustion will often seem to shut your loved one down.
If you aren’t going through the same thing, don’t assume you can relate to what she’s dealing with. It may be a combination of things. In order to get to the bottom of the problem, ask her questions and advocate for a hearing assessment.
2. She likes the TV LOUD
This is frequently one of the first signs that you may perceive in another person. Whenever they listen to music or watch TV, they turn it up very loud.
Your living room sounds like a cinema. You suddenly get the urge to make some popcorn, except you realize that she’s just watching a reality show or documentary at a volume that almost makes you cringe. Your neighbors are even able to hear it.
When you say that the TV is too loud, she may laugh and turn it down. Then you notice that she just switched on the captions.
Perhaps she’s ashamed about it. If this is happening a lot, it may be time for you to suggest a hearing assessment.
3. She often needs people to repeat what they said
It might not be a problem if you are in a very loud setting or she’s really focused on something. If it’s occurring more frequently than that, be aware.
Similarly, pay attention if she seems to have a lot of difficulty hearing when she’s using the phone.
Is she constantly aggravated because she thinks people are talking too quietly or mumbling? Does she regularly need people to repeat what they said? If so, it’s time to have that loving chat about how much more enjoyable life is with hearing aids.
4. You’re feeling a rift in the relationship
Researchers have found that couples, where one has hearing loss, have around 50% more quarrels. These arguments may be about TV volume, misunderstandings, or what one says the other person did or didn’t say.
Overall, there’s just more stress in a household when someone can’t hear. They get frustrated about their hearing loss. Others get frustrated when they won’t go in for help. This brings about lots of hurt feelings and decisions to spend more time apart or alone.
Many couples don’t recognize that hearing loss is the cause, and this can harm their relationship irreparably. Even moderate hearing loss can strain a relationship, so it pays to get it checked out.
Whether it’s a friend, sibling, or spouse, you can get new perspective on your relationships by getting a simple hearing test. Inspire your loved one to call for an appointment.
If someone has hearing loss, hearing aids can change 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 challenging conversation to have. But the difficulty of this conversation is worth it when your loved one finally gets the help they need.
Call us today and let us help you with some ideas about how to address your loved one’s hearing loss!
