Hearing loss affects not only the ones experiencing it but also the ones around them such as family members and friends. Physically, the inability to hear certain sounds or voices can put people at risk and even in danger. Emotionally, family members and friends are left feeling frustrated and even sad at what their loved one is experiencing.
The Challenge of Addressing Hearing Loss
Many times, your first reaction may be to try to help but you don’t know how to do so. Maybe you aren’t sure how to address the issue or when you do your loved one denies the problem or resists getting treatment.
Most people who are experiencing hearing loss wait 5-7 years before they actually seek help. For family members, this waiting period can leave you exhausted, frustrated, and even angry. You may get tired of having to talk louder and repeat what you say. You may feel as though your loved one is isolating him/her self, which may cause you to miss out on fun social opportunities. In your mind, the problem is obvious, so why aren’t they getting help?
Give Some Understanding: While these feelings are very common, you have to understand what it’s like from their point of view. Those who have hearing loss may not necessarily realize it because they often “cannot hear what they cannot hear”; they may not recognize what they are missing. It’s easy for you, as someone with normal hearing, to see what all the person is missing but to them they aren’t as aware of the degree of problem because don’t have your awareness.
Bring Their Attention To It: In being helpful we often raise our voices and repeat what we say, thinking this is what our loved one needs. In reality it could be making the situation worse by overly accommodating – by being their actual living, breathing hearing aid. When we repeat at every instance they don’t need to improve their hearing.
Perhaps the biggest role you can play is to help them recognize when they are missing something, mentioning when you have to talk louder to “help” them hear. Just a soft mention of “Just too let you know, I’m repeating a lot for you today.” or “Do you notice that you’ve asked for several repeats today”. Giving these gentle reminders over time will make it much more difficult for them to deny the problem.
Approach with Compassion
In dealing with those who having hearing loss, it is important to always express compassion and love. Hearing loss can be embarrassing for those experiencing it. As previously discussed, many times people aren’t ready to accept it, and you must respect that. Don’t just explode one day and have a full-blown conversation all at once about how they need to get help. The conversation might require small steps over months or even years.
Instead of focusing on the negative aspects and how frustrated you feel, try talking to your loved one about the impact their hearing loss has on your relationship. Share with them the stories, conversations, and experiences they are missing.
Encourage a Baseline Hearing Exam: Avoid suggesting that they “get a hearing aid”; nothing will push them into denial faster than jumping to the solution. Instead gently suggest that they simply get “a baseline” hearing exam, “just to so you know where you are”. This suggestion simply expresses your support for them and the concern to more objectively identify the problem. Offer to schedule the appoint, then to attend it – or not attend it – based on their feelings about it. Most of all, just remind them that they have nothing to lose but so much to gain from visiting an audiologist – specifically Carolina Hearing Doctors.
Hearing Tests in North Carolina
If you think you are dealing with hearing loss, it’s time to seek professional help with an audiologist.
Schedule a consultation with our trusted audiologists in North Carolina today! We provide comprehensive hearing tests to start your journey to better hearing.
You can find our audiologists in Winston-Salem,NC and Clemmons, NC.