It’s a common first response – denial. My loved one must be just making it seem like their hearing loss is worse than it actually is. She’s too young to require a hearing aid.
Maybe, the both of you have started to kid around with one another about it. Your loved one constantly asks you to repeat yourself. It’s just a game. You laugh about it. But this game is getting old fast. You wonder if she’s just ignoring you or if she may actually be having some legit hearing trouble.
You want your loved one to have a healthy, active, and joyful life for many years so it’s probably time to be encouraging and help them seek out the correct help.
Here are 4 common indications that somebody you know needs a hearing aid.
1. She’s more drained than usual particularly when you go out
You may 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 be patient.
You really begin to think that something isn’t right when she starts skipping meetings with clubs, organizations, and hobby groups she’s always enjoyed. Your loved one’s energy seems to be exhausted by loud environments. If there is lots of background noise, or if more than one conversation is taking place simultaneously, this is especially true.
Additional energy is needed to hear and understand what people are saying when someone is coping with hearing problems. Consequently, energy is transferred from other essential brain functions like physical mobility, memory, and speaking.
Utilizing this extra brainpower doesn’t strengthen the brain; it just tires it out. In social situations, fatigue will often seem to shut your loved one down.
Don’t presume you know what she’s experiencing. 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 assessment.
2. She always turns the TV up too loud
This is often one of the first signs that you might perceive 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. You can even hear it from outside.
She might turn it down when you tell her it’s too loud. Then you realize that she just turned on the captions.
Maybe she’s ashamed about it. It’s likely time for you to suggest a hearing test if this is a regular thing.
3. She says, “What?”… a lot
If you’re in a really loud environment like a concert or theater or she’s really focused on a movie, then it might be nothing. If it’s occurring more often than that, be aware.
Likewise, take notice if she seems to have a lot of difficulty hearing when she’s on the phone.
Is she always frustrated because she thinks people are speaking too quietly or muttering? Is she asking people to repeat themselves? If so, it’s time to have that loving conversation about how much more enjoyable life is with hearing aids.
4. Your relationship is feeling tense
Couples argue two times as much when one of them has hearing loss, according to research. They might argue about what one of them did or didn’t say, the volume of the TV, or other misconceptions.
In general, there’s just more stress in a household when somebody can’t hear. They get frustrated about their hearing loss. Others get frustrated when they won’t go in for help. This leads to lots of hurt feelings and decisions to spend more time apart and alone.
This can lead to permanent damage to the relationship and the couple often 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 spouse, you can get new perspective on your relationships by getting a simple hearing test. Speak with your loved one about getting a hearing test.
People who discover they need hearing aids and use them say they’d never go back. Normally, they wish they would have done it sooner. Their general quality of life will be significantly improved.
It can be a difficult talk to have. But when your loved one finally finds the help they require it will all have been worth it.
Call us right away and let us help you with some ideas about how to tackle your loved one’s hearing loss!