Hearing loss can sometimes be hard to identify, as each patient deals with it differently. Even though 15% of Americans experience a hearing loss, many patients wait too long and cause irreparable damage.
Hearing loss presents itself very gradually most of the time. Due to this, your loved one will have significant time to adapt and keep their problems concealed from you and everyone else. Only once the problem becomes unbearable do they seek help. Professional audiologists can still help these patients, but it’s much more advantageous to identify a problem early on and receive professional treatment at that point. Check out these first signs of hearing loss for those who think they see a problem develop. If any of them sound familiar, then please contact Holland Hearing Center immediately.
Top 5 Signs Your Loved One May
Have A Hearing Loss
for talking on the telephone. This is especially noticeable if they hold the
speakerphone up to their ear.
- They take a passive approach to conversations. This means often sitting quietly
and occasionally nodding their head. It leaves you unsure whether or not they are
actually hearing and understanding the conversation being had. - Their TV is blaring and often louder than what others think is comfortable to
listen to. One in eight people in the United States ages 12 years or older has a
hearing loss in both ears. - Not too eager to go out and do things like they once used to. This could be
due to the struggle it takes to piece together conversations when in the
presence of background noise. making up excuses is very common to
avoid these types of situations. - They often look to you or other loved ones to repeat what others have said
that they missed. Having a translator helps in the short term but will only worsen
their hearing and add to the frustration of those around them.
Test Their Hearing To Find Out If
They Needs A Hearing Assessment
Here are a few suggestions you could try to see if a hearing assessment would
benefit your loved one.
While in the same room, ask a question as you turn the other way.
from them so they can’t pick up on your facial cues.Whisper to them from 10 ft. away. You can gradually get louder
and louder to see what volume you catch there attention at.Go to a low-noise restaurant and ask a question while holding the menu up in
front of your mouth. This is similar to the first test, but this will also have background
noise. It has to be a question unrelated to the food or the restaurant, so they can’t fib
their way around the question if they only hear some of it.
How To Encourage Your Loved
One To Get A Test
Recruit Back-Up Assistance – We all have a person or people in our lives that we
listen to. Your loved one may be comfortable brushing you off but has a childhood
friend that may be able to talk some sense into them.
Examples Of Success – Sharing success stories of colleagues you know whose lives
have improved from seeking help may persuade them. Please let us know if you need
help with this, as we have thousands of success stories to share.
Stop Making The Problem Worse – Every time you repeat yourself or turn up the TV,
you are enabling. Doing these things by nature is helping but only in the short term.
Over time, your loved one will experience more problems. About 28.8 million U.S.
adults could benefit from using hearing aids.
Lead By Example – Educate yourself on procedures and processes associated
with improving overall healthcare. While you’re taking your loved one to get a hearing
assessment, why not get one yourself?
The Benefits Of Getting
A Hearing Assessment
Monitoring your hearing can prevent many long-term issues and, at the very least,
will improve your day-to-day life.
The long-term effects stem from neglect and, in most cases, can be prevented.
More severe issues can even affect other areas of health, including cognitive functions,
dementia, and even early onset of Alzheimer’s disease.
Addressing hearing problems early on will ensure a higher success rate at a minimal
cost. The longer a problem has had a chance to set in, the harder it becomes to treat
and live with. Among adults ages 70 and older with a hearing loss who could benefit
from hearing aids, fewer than one in three has ever used them.
The easiest way to avoid this pitfall is to have assessments done early. However, if you have
never had a test done before, it’s never too late to start. The sooner your audiologist knows
of your issues, the sooner they can get to work on improving your loved one’s hearing and
their life.
