How do you know if you or a loved one is suffering from hearing loss?
It's been said that the best way to make a hearing loss obvious is to do nothing about it. Many people are hesitant to seek help due to concerns about appearance or the judgment of others, but it is also true that your hearing loss tends to be much more noticeable than hearing aids. Below are some common signs that you or a loved one may be struggling with hearing loss:
- Listening to TV or radio at very high volume levels
- Inappropriate conversational responses
- Taking control of conversations
- Avoiding conversations
- Social isolation and avoidance of activities that used to be enjoyable
- Trouble hearing and understanding on the telephone
- Complaining that others mumble or speak softly
- Frequently asking others to repeat themselves
- Denial of hearing loss and an unwillingness to have a hearing assessment
Most often, it is the people around the individual with a hearing loss that first notice notice the difficulty in communication. Many times the individual with the loss is unaware of how much they are missing or how often the people around them have to speak up or repeat, as it is not always comfortable or appropriate to point out. The individual many times believes strongly that it is a lack of good communication skills of the people that they are conversing with that is the culprit. Although many people do mumble and speak softly, that is rarely the sole cause of the difficulty. Hearing help is truly a gift to both the person who is hard-of-hearing, as well as to everyone around them.
One of our Hearing Aid Dispensers would be happy to perform a Hearing Test to determine if you have a hearing loss and if you would benefit from the use of hearing aids. We are here to make sure that you are well-informed about your hearing and your options for hearing help. We will provide you with our professional opinions and recommendations, then the rest it up to you. We are here to serve your hearing needs and to support whatever decision you are ready to make.
