It’s a common first reaction – denial. My loved one must be simply making it seem as if their hearing loss is worse than it really is. She’s too young to require a hearing aid.
It’s possible, the two of you have begun to joke around with each other about it. She is always asking you to repeat what you said. You laugh about it as if it’s simply a game. But it’s beginning to become less and less funny. You’re starting to believe that perhaps your spouse, sibling, or parent is either ignoring you or really having difficulty hearing.
You want your loved one to have a healthy, energetic, and joyful life for years to come so it’s likely time to be encouraging and help them find the correct help.
Here are 4 common signs that somebody you know needs a hearing aid.
1. She appears to be fatigued, particularly in public
Perhaps you believe that it just normally happens when you get older. Your loved one really doesn’t have as much energy as they used to. You try to relate when she says that won’t be going out tonight.
You really begin to suspect that something isn’t right when she begins skipping meetings with clubs, organizations, and hobby groups she’s always enjoyed. Loud noise seems to drain your loved one’s energy. This is especially true if they’re in a situation where there is more than one conversation happening, or there’s lots of background noise.
Individuals who are struggling to hear put excessive energy toward understanding those around them. They often have to draw this energy from other functions in the brain like memory, talking, and moving.
This use of extra energy is actually exhausting the brain not strengthening it. Your loved one will often seem to shut down with fatigue in social situations.
If you aren’t personally experiencing the same thing, don’t presume you can relate to what she’s going through. It may be a mix of things. In order to get to the root of the issue, ask her questions and advocate for a hearing exam.
2. She always cranks the TV up too loud
Often, you will identify this symptom first. They can’t seem to watch TV or play music at a normal volume.
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 blows your ears out. Your neighbors are even able to hear it.
She might turn it down when you inform her it’s too loud. Then you notice that she just turned on the captions.
She may not want to admit that she actually can’t hear the TV. If this is occurring a lot, it might be time for you to recommend a hearing assessment.
3. She says, “What?”… a lot
If you’re in a really loud environment like a concert or movie theater or she’s really concentrated on a movie, then it might be nothing. If it’s occurring more frequently than that, be aware.
Likewise, pay attention if she seems to have a lot of difficulty hearing when she’s on the phone.
Is she complaining about people mumbling or talking low constantly? Is she asking people to repeat themselves? It’s time for a compassionate talk about the advantages of hearing aids.
4. You’re feeling a tension in the relationship
Researchers have found that couples, where one is dealing with hearing loss, have about 50% more arguments. They may argue about what one of them did or didn’t say, the volume of the TV, or other misconceptions.
Overall, there’s just more stress in a household when someone can’t hear. Their hearing loss is stressful. And their refusal to get help is frustrating to others. This brings about lots of hurt feelings and decisions to spend more time apart or alone.
This can lead to irreversible harm to the relationship and the couple frequently doesn’t even comprehend that hearing loss is the reason. It’s important to get the proper help because even moderate hearing loss can strain relationships.
Whether it’s a friend, sibling, or spouse, you can get new perspective on your relationships by simply getting a hearing test. Inspire your loved one to call for an appointment.
Individuals who realize they need hearing aids and wear them say they’d never go back. Normally, they wish they would have done it sooner. They feel happier, healthier, and more active.
It can be a challenging conversation to have. But the challenge of this discussion is worth it when your loved one finally finds the help they need.
Call us right away and let us help you with some ideas about how to address your loved one’s hearing loss!