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 two of you have begun to kid around with one another about it. Your loved one constantly asks you to repeat yourself. It’s just a game. You joke about it. But it’s beginning to become less and less funny. You wonder if she’s just ignoring you or if she might actually be having some legit hearing trouble.
It’s time to be supportive and make sure your loved one receives the care they need to keep living a happy, healthy, active lifestyle well into their older age.
If someone you know needs hearing aids they will probably be showing these 4 common symptoms.
1. She appears to be fatigued, particularly in public
You may believe it’s just an indication of aging. Your loved one really doesn’t have as much energy as they used to. When she says she just doesn’t feel like going out tonight, you try to be patient.
Then she starts skipping meetings with a hobby group, organization, or club that she’s always loved, even when they get together virtually, and you begin to recognize something could be wrong. Your loved one’s energy seems to be drained by loud environments. This is especially true if they’re in a situation where there is more than one discussion going on, or there’s lots of background noise.
People who are straining to hear put excess energy toward understanding people around them. They frequently have to draw this energy from other functions in the brain like memory, speaking, 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 exhaustion in social situations.
Don’t presume you understand what she’s dealing with. Her feelings may be the result of a number of factors. But ask questions. Get to the base cause and suggest that she gets her hearing tested.
2. She always cranks the TV up too loud
This is frequently one of the first indications that you might perceive in another person. They can’t seem to watch TV or listen to music at a normal volume.
You go into the room, and it sounds like you’ve just entered a theater. You feel like you should make some popcorn, but it’s just your loved one blowing your ears out with the TV. Your neighbors can even hear it.
When you say that the TV is too loud, she might chuckle and turn it down. Then you realize 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 may be time for you to recommend a hearing exam.
3. She says, “What?”… a lot
It may not be a problem if you are in a really loud environment or she’s really focused on something. But you should pay closer attention if this is occurring frequently.
Furthermore, if she’s struggling to hear phone conversations you should take note.
Is she griping 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 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 around 50% more quarrels. These arguments might be about TV volume, misunderstandings, or what one says the other person did or didn’t say.
Overall, there’s just more tension in a household when somebody can’t hear. Their hearing loss is stressful. Others get frustrated when they won’t get help. This often leads to people choosing to spend more time apart due to more hurt feelings.
Many couples don’t realize that hearing loss is the cause, and this can harm their relationship irreparably. It’s important to get the proper help because even moderate hearing loss can strain relationships.
Whether it’s a friend, sibling, or partner, you can get new perspective on your relationships by simply getting a hearing test. Talk to your loved one about getting a hearing test.
People who discover they need hearing aids and use them say they’d never go back. As a matter of fact, they regret they didn’t get them sooner. They feel healthier, happier, and more energetic.
It can be a challenging talk to have. But the difficulty of this conversation is worth it when your loved one finally finds the assistance they need.
Call us right away and let us help you with some ideas about how to address your loved one’s hearing loss!