It’s a common first reaction – denial. My loved one must be just making it seem as if their hearing loss is more severe than it really is. She’s too young to require a hearing aid.
Perhaps, it’s become a joke between both of you. Your loved one constantly asks you to speak up. You joke about it as if it’s simply a game. But it’s starting to become less and less humorous. You’re beginning to think that maybe your partner, brother, or parent is either ignoring you or really having trouble hearing.
You want your loved one to have a balanced, energetic, and joyful life for many years so it’s likely time to be supportive and help them find the correct help.
Here are 4 common signals that someone you know needs a hearing aid.
1. She’s more drained than normal especially when you go out
Maybe you think that it just ordinarily happens when you get older. Your loved one used to have much more energy. You try to understand when she says that won’t be going out tonight.
Then she starts skipping meetings with a hobby group, organization, or club that she’s always enjoyed, even when they get together virtually, and you start to recognize something may be wrong. Loud noise seems to sap 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 lots of background noise.
Individuals who are straining to hear put excess energy toward understanding people around them. They frequently have to draw this energy from other brain functions such as memory, speaking, and moving.
This use of additional energy is actually exhausting the brain not strengthening it. 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 combination of things. But ask questions. Get to the root cause and recommend that she gets her hearing tested.
2. She always turns the TV up really loud
Frequently, you will identify this symptom first. Whenever they listen to music or watch TV, they turn it up very loud.
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.
When you say that the TV is too loud, she might laugh and lower the volume. Then you realize that she just turned on the captions.
Perhaps she’s ashamed about it. If this is occurring a lot, it may be time for you to recommend a hearing exam.
3. She says, “What?”… a lot
If you’re in a really loud setting like a concert or theater or she’s really focused on a movie, then it might be nothing. If it’s happening more frequently than that, pay attention.
Furthermore, if she’s straining to hear phone calls you should take note.
Is she complaining about people mumbling or talking low constantly? Does she frequently need people to repeat what they said? It’s time for a compassionate chat about the benefits of hearing aids.
4. You’re feeling a tension in the relationship
Couples argue two times as much when one of them has hearing loss, according to research. These quarrels might center around TV volume, misunderstandings, 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 aggravated about their hearing loss. Others get upset when they won’t go in for help. This often leads to people deciding to spend more time apart because of more hurt feelings.
Many couples don’t realize that hearing loss is the trigger, and this can damage their relationship irreparably. 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. Talk to your loved one about getting their hearing assessed.
Individuals who realize they need hearing aids and wear them say they’d never go back. Typically, they wish they wouldn’t have waited so long. They feel happier, healthier, and more energetic.
It isn’t an easy discussion to have. But the difficulty of this conversation 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 tackle your loved one’s hearing loss!
