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The loss of your hearing can make maintaining relationships more difficult, it isolates individuals and leads to much confusion and frustration. If you see friends and family struggling with the condition, it’s important not to overlook the issue, you should instead encourage them to manage it by taking a hearing test as quickly as possible.
It’s not easy however to convince a person with hearing loss to take a hearing test, especially if they don’t think they have hearing loss themselves. If you are too insistent, you might make them harden their resolve. It’s a delicate subject for some because many people equate hearing loss with getting older. It is therefore important that any attempt to address your loved one’s hearing loss issue be handled with care.
Here are some tips on encouraging a friend to do a hearing test.
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Pick your location carefully
It is crucial to remember that hearing loss makes it harder to communicate with others. Speech recognition is tough for many with untreated hearing loss, particularly when the discussion occurs in a noisy situation. A quiet spot without music or ambient noise is much more conducive to talking about something as intimate and personal as hearing loss.
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Talk about your own experience
Experts suggest that our language matters when we talk about something as delicate as this. Your statements should therefore be framed from your own personal perspective, with liberal use of first-person pronouns. You could say something like: “If I have to repeat myself often, it’s frustrating for me.” This makes it less likely for your loved one to feel like they are being attacked and encourages them to be conscious of how frustrating it is for you when you are trying to communicate with them.
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Listen and ask questions
Allow them the chance to talk about how they are hearing differently than how they used to and listen to their concerns and frustrations. Ask open-ended questions about their experience how they manage when they are in troublesome situations. By encouraging them to talk more than you, you increase the possibility of them getting round to your way of thinking by themselves.
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Talk about safety
It could also be an idea to talk about the safety implications of your loved one’s hearing loss. Help them understand that it’s not just your conversations that are affected by hearing loss, but also their ability to hear important sounds in the home. You might also tell them about your concern that they may get into an accident when they are out and about. If they are responsible for younger children, this could also be dangerous as their hearing loss could affect their ability to protect the children when out.
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Talk about the benefits
The sooner your loved one treats their hearing loss, the sooner they will reap the benefits. Treatment of hearing loss increases your loved one’s ability to communicate with friends, family, co-workers, grandchildren, the postman, absolutely anyone that they may encounter on their day-to-day life. It helps reduce social isolation and promotes improved cognitive health. This improves quality of life and leads to less stress and anxiety.
It’s important for your loved one to know this information. But only when they are ready to receive it.
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Lend your hand
Tell your loved one that you are on hand to help them. At this point, you can tell them you’re willing to join them for a consultation with a hearing practitioner. Though it may be intimidating, let them know that that they are not alone and you are there to help them whenever they need it.
That’s all the advice we have. Even if everything goes well in your conversation with your loved one, it may only be the beginning. Don’t expect them to agree to see a hearing specialist immediately following the conversation. But hopefully you will have given them something to think about. Who knows, they may end up doing their own research and booking a hearing consolation by themselves.
Hearing Consultants, Inc.
Treating of hearing loss is a big step for a person to take. While it’s always a sensitive topic to broach, it can be life-changing for the individual once treatment is sought. Once you successfully convince your loved one to check their hearing, we are on hand to take it from there. When they are ready, tell them to schedule an appointment with Hearing Consultants, Inc. We’re here to help!