It’s a common first response – denial. Surely, my loved one’s hearing loss isn’t as bad as it seems. She’s not old enough for a hearing aid.
Maybe, the both of you have started to joke around with each other about it. Your loved one always asks you to speak up. You joke about it like it’s just a game. But it’s starting to become less and less humorous. You’re beginning to believe that maybe your spouse, sibling, or parent is either dismissing you or actually having trouble hearing.
You want your loved one to have a balanced, active, and happy life for many years so it’s likely time to be encouraging and help them find the appropriate help.
If somebody you know needs hearing aids they will most likely be exhibiting these 4 common signs.
1. She’s more tired than usual especially when you go out
You might think it’s simply an indication of aging. Your loved one used to have much more energy. When she says she isn’t feeling like going out tonight, you try to understand.
Then she begins missing meetings with a hobby group, organization, or club that she’s always loved, even when they get together virtually, and you start to realize something could be wrong. Loud noise seems to sap your loved one’s energy. If there is a lot of background noise, or if more than one conversation is taking place simultaneously, this is particularly true.
Additional energy is needed to hear and comprehend what people are saying when someone is dealing with hearing issues. As a result, energy is taken from other important brain functions like physical movement, memory, and talking.
Using this additional brainpower doesn’t strengthen the brain; it just makes it tired. Your loved one will frequently seem to shut down with exhaustion in social settings.
Don’t presume you know what she’s dealing with. Her feelings may be attributable to a number of factors. In order to get to the bottom of the issue, ask her questions and advocate for a hearing exam.
2. She always cranks the TV up too loud
This is often one of the first indications that you may perceive in another person. Whenever they play music or watch TV, they turn it up very loud.
Your living room sounds like a movie theater. You instantly 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.
She might turn it down when you tell her it’s too loud. But it turns out, she turned on closed captions.
Maybe she’s embarrassed about it. If this is occurring a lot, it might be time for you to recommend a hearing test.
3. She says, “What?”… a lot
It may not be a problem if you are in a very loud environment or she’s really zoned in on something. If it’s occurring more often than that, be aware.
Similarly, take notice if she seems to have a lot of difficulty hearing when she’s on the phone.
Is she complaining about people muttering or talking low constantly? Does she frequently need people to repeat what they said? If so, it’s time to have that loving conversation about how much better life is with hearing aids.
4. You’re feeling a rift in the relationship
Couples argue twice as much when one of them has hearing loss, according to research. These quarrels may center around TV volume, misconceptions, or what one says the other person did or didn’t say.
In general, there’s just more tension in a household when someone can’t hear. They get aggravated about their hearing loss. And their refusal to get help is stressful to others. This leads to lots of hurt feelings and decisions to spend more time apart or 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 spouse, 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 use them say they’d never go back. In fact, they regret they didn’t get them sooner. Their overall quality of life will be greatly improved.
It can be a challenging conversation to have. But the challenge of this conversation is worth it when your loved one finally gets 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!