Denial is a common first reaction. Of course, my loved one’s hearing loss isn’t as advanced as it seems. She’s too young to need a hearing aid.
It’s possible, the both of you have started to joke around with each other about it. She is always requesting that you repeat what you said. It’s only a game. You laugh about it. But this game is getting old fast. You’re starting to think that maybe your partner, sibling, or parent is either dismissing you or actually having trouble hearing.
It’s time to be supportive and make sure your loved one receives the care they need to keep living a happy, healthy, active life even into their senior years.
Here are 4 common signs that someone you know needs a hearing aid.
1. She appears to be exhausted, particularly in public
You might believe it’s just a sign of aging. Your loved one used to have much more energy. When she says she just doesn’t feel like going out tonight, you try to understand.
Then she starts skipping meetings with a hobby group, organization, or club that she’s always enjoyed, even when they meet virtually, and you start to recognize something could be wrong. Your loved one’s energy seems to be drained by loud settings. This is particularly true if they’re in a situation where there is more than one discussion happening, or there’s a lot of background noise.
Additional energy is needed to hear and understand what people are saying when somebody is coping with hearing issues. They often have to pull this energy from other functions in the brain like memory, speaking, and moving.
Using this additional brainpower doesn’t strengthen the brain; it just makes it tired. In social settings, fatigue will often seem to shut your loved one down.
Don’t assume you know what she’s dealing with. It may be a mix of things. But ask questions. Get to the root cause and suggest that she gets her hearing tested.
2. She always turns the TV up too loud
This is often one of the first indications that you might identify in another person. Whenever they listen to music or watch TV, they turn it up really loud.
Your living room sounds like a cinema. You instantly get the impulse 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. You can even hear it from outdoors.
When you suggest that the TV is too loud, she may chuckle and lower the volume. Then you realize that she just switched on the captions.
She might not want to acknowledge that she actually can’t hear the TV. It’s probably time for you to suggest a hearing exam if this is a frequent thing.
3. She says, “What?”… a lot
It might not be an issue if you are in a really loud setting or she’s really focused on something. If it’s happening more often than that, pay attention.
Similarly, pay attention if she seems to have a lot of trouble hearing when she’s on the phone.
Is she always annoyed because she thinks people are speaking 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. Your relationship is feeling tense
Researchers have revealed that couples, where one has hearing loss, have about 50% more quarrels. These quarrels may center around TV volume, misconceptions, or what one claims the other person may or may not have said.
When somebody isn’t able to hear, there will be a lot more stress in a household. They get aggravated about their hearing loss. Others get frustrated when they won’t get help. This leads to lots of hurt feelings and decisions to spend more time apart and alone.
This can lead to permanent harm to the relationship and the couple frequently doesn’t even recognize that hearing loss is the cause. 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. Encourage your loved one to schedule an appointment.
Individuals who discover they need hearing aids and use them say they’d never go back. As a matter of 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 conversation to have. But when your loved one finally finds the help they need it will all have been worth it.
Call us today and let us help you with some ideas about how to address your loved one’s hearing loss!