It starts small. Your loved one has trouble hearing you from the other room. They start to misunderstand your words. You notice them zoning out or losing the conversational thread in groups of people. At home, the TV keeps getting louder and louder.
When a doctor first suggests hearing aids, patients often resist. “I can still hear – I’m talking to you right now.” Although discourse has changed in recent years, hearing loss is still heavily stigmatized. Harmful stereotypes lead patients to believe that hearing aids are unsightly or only for the elderly.
A loved one with hearing loss may expect isolation and rejection from using hearing aids, but the opposite is true – hearing aids actually help impaired folks engage better with their family and friends. Fortunately, there are several ways to overcome these outdated ideas and help a loved one do what is best for their health and well-being.
Understand How Hearing Loss Compromises Your Loved One’s Quality of Life
Hearing aids offer life-changing support to people with all levels of hearing loss. Since hearing acuity often diminishes over a long period of time, the effects can be hard to notice until they are severe. The following symptoms could indicate reduced hearing acuity:
- Trouble hearing people in a noisy room
- Difficulty making out consonants
- Turning up the TV or radio often
- Avoiding loud social settings
If you notice sudden hearing loss symptoms, it’s important to seek medical assistance immediately, as this can be a sign of a more serious condition. If hearing loss occurs over time, encourage your loved one to speak with their healthcare provider about their options.
Left unchecked, untreated hearing loss can compromise the patient’s quality of life and leads to feelings of exclusion, isolation, and depression. As your loved one’s hearing deteriorates, they may be unable to fulfill obligations or engage in activities they once enjoyed.
Approach the Discussion with Empathy and Compassion
Empathy can help you get through to a distressed and frustrated loved one. Identify the ways hearing loss affects their daily lives and find real examples of ways assistive devices can make their life easier.
Hearing Loss Compromises Work Performance and Career Advancement
Work becomes harder for people with hearing loss. They may not hear important instructions or details, negatively affecting their work performance. Co-workers or management might feel ignored or disrespected when the hearing-impaired person simply doesn’t hear them.
The cumulative effects of hearing loss on your loved one’s job performance could prevent them from achieving career goals such as raises and promotions. They might even lose their job or change careers because they can no longer meet certain requirements.
Social Activities and Family Gatherings are Less Enjoyable With Hearing Loss
Social activities, especially in loud or busy settings, become more difficult to enjoy for someone with hearing loss. They get tired of asking people to repeat themselves in loud settings. It is harder to follow discussions among multiple parties. In some cases, they may stop going to parties, restaurants, or social gatherings because they feel excluded or stressed out.
If your loved one has hearing loss, they might receive negative feedback from family members like “you never listen” or “what’s wrong with your ears?”. Even well-intended comments can sting, and your loved one with hearing loss may withdraw from family gatherings to avoid these interactions.
Moderate to Severe Hearing Loss Leads to Negative Health Outcomes
From a physical perspective, a recent Johns Hopkins study found a correlation between brain atrophy and hearing loss. Isolated patients with hearing loss engage less with others, making them more likely to develop dementia.
Untreated hearing loss could even place the impaired person and others in danger. A hearing impaired loved one cannot identify sounds like emergency vehicle sirens, smoke alarms, or even the doorbell. This can prevent them from recognizing and acting quickly in an emergency.
By understanding the ways that hearing impairment affects your loved one, you can approach the hearing aid discussion with kindness and empathy.
Get Help From a Professional Audiologist
If you have a friend or family member who struggles with hearing loss, encourage them to consult with an audiologist. Since not all hearing loss requires hearing aids, you can wait to have that discussion until you have an expert opinion.
Advice from a knowledgeable audiologist can do a lot to ease your loved one’s fears about hearing aids. With simple answers and honest assessment, the doctor can help your loved one accept the benefits of certain treatments or assistive devices.
Simply getting your loved one to the audiologist for a test is a great first step toward securing the hearing assistance they need.
Show Your Loved One the Latest Hearing Aid Designs
Part of the stigma surrounding hearing aids comes from the perception that they are large, bulky instruments. This couldn’t be further from the truth. Manufacturers of modern hearing aids use the latest technology to minimize hearing aid visibility. Thin, wires and miniaturized hardware make hearing aids practically invisible.
Modern Behind-the-Ear Hearing Aids
The latest over-the-ear hearing aids feature a small speaker or wire receiver which fits comfortably in the ear canal. The speaker or receiver connects to a small microphone and amplifier apparatus hidden behind the ear. The connecting wires are thin and mold easily to the outer ear. When worn, these over-the-ear models are barely visible.
Invisible In-the-Canal and Completely-in-Canal Hearing Aids
For those who prefer in-the-canal (ITC) hearing aids without the exterior wires or microphone, there are models as small as the tip of your finger. These ITC hearing aids rest snugly in the ear canal, invisible to the casual observer. Completely-in-canal hearing aids are even smaller and fit further in the ear canal for minimal visibility.
Molded In-the-Ear Hearing Aids
In-the-ear (ITE) hearing aids feature hard plastic molded to the shape of the outer ear. They are available in colors that match the flesh tone of the user’s ear, which reduces their visibility.
Technological Advancements in Hearing Aid Designs
Modern hearing aids offer additional technological advantages over older models. Users no longer have to fiddle with tiny volume controls. Everything is adjustable through an easy smartphone interface or accessible buttons on the hearing aids themselves. Some models let you take phone calls or listen to music, just like you would with a Bluetooth speaker.
Ask an audiology specialist to walk your loved one through the different types of hearing aids and their benefits. Seeing and handling more modern hearing aids can help to alleviate their fear and discomfort and make them more willing to take the next step.
Help Your Loved One Secure Financial Assistance for Hearing Aids
One of the most common reasons people refuse to get hearing aids is cost. It is a common misconception that hearing aids are unaffordable. If your loved one is deterred by the price of a hearing aid, you can help set their mind at ease by researching financing options.
Insurance coverage will often cover some or all of hearing aid costs. Some state and federal programs provide financial assistance for hearing aid purchases. Even without insurance coverage for hearing aids, many companies and doctor’s offices offer leasing, financing programs, discounts, and payment plans.
Be sure to discuss the financial options with your loved one’s audiologist. They will have experience assisting patients in a wide range of financial situations, and will often have access to other resources for hearing-impaired individuals facing financial difficulties.
Contact a Local Audiologist to Help Your Loved One Consider Hearing Aids
For more information on how to help your loved one consider hearing aids, reach out to an audiologist in your area. A knowledgeable team of audiology specialists can provide guidance to help you find the right solution for your hearing-impaired loved one.