It’s a normal first reaction – denial. My loved one must be simply making it seem like their hearing loss is more severe than it actually is. She’s too young to need a hearing aid.
It’s possible, the both of you have begun to joke around with one another about it. Your loved one constantly asks you to speak up. It’s only a game. You laugh about it. But it’s beginning to become less and less funny. You’re starting to believe that perhaps your partner, brother, or parent is either ignoring you or really having difficulty hearing.
It’s time to be supportive and make sure your loved one gets the care they need to keep living 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 seems fatigued, particularly in public
Perhaps you think that it just normally happens when you age. Your loved one really doesn’t have as much energy as they once did. When she says she just doesn’t feel like going out tonight, you try to be patient.
You really begin to think that something isn’t right when she begins skipping meetings with clubs, organizations, and hobby groups she’s always enjoyed. Loud noise seems to deplete your loved one’s energy. This is especially true if they are in a situation where there’s more than one discussion happening, or there’s a lot of background noise.
Individuals who are straining to hear put excess energy toward understanding people around them. As a result, energy is taken 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 settings.
If you’re not personally experiencing the same thing, don’t assume you can relate to what she’s dealing with. Her feelings might be attributable to a number of factors. In order to get to the root of the issue, ask her questions and advocate for a hearing exam.
2. She likes the TV LOUD
This is often one of the first signs that you might identify in another person. They can’t seem to watch TV or listen to music at a normal volume.
Your living room sounds like a cinema. You feel like you should make some popcorn, but it’s just your loved one blowing your ears out with the TV. Your neighbors can even hear it.
She may turn it down when you tell her it’s too loud. Then you realize that she just switched on the captions.
She might not want to acknowledge that she actually can’t hear the TV. If this is occurring a lot, it may be time for you to suggest a hearing assessment.
3. She often needs people to repeat themselves
If you’re in a really loud environment like a concert or theater or she’s really focused on a movie, then it may be nothing. But you should be mindful if this is happening often.
Also, if she’s straining to hear phone conversations you should pay attention.
Is she griping about people muttering or low-talking constantly? Is she requesting that people repeat themselves? It’s time for a compassionate talk about the advantages of hearing aids.
4. Your relationship is feeling tense
Couples argue twice as much when one of them is dealing with hearing loss, according to research. These arguments may center around TV volume, misconceptions, or what one claims the other person may or may not have said.
Overall, there’s just more tension in a household when somebody can’t hear. They get frustrated about their hearing loss. Others get upset when they won’t get help. This leads to lots of hurt feelings and decisions to spend more time apart or alone.
Many couples don’t realize that hearing loss is the cause, and this can damage their relationship irreparably. 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. Speak with your loved one about getting their hearing assessed.
Individuals who realize they need hearing aids and wear them say they’d never go back. In fact, they regret they waited so long to get them in the first place. Their overall quality of life will be greatly enhanced.
It can be a difficult talk to have. But the challenge of this conversation 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!