The chances of having to deal with hearing loss goes up as we get older. Millions are managing some degree of hearing loss. Unfortunately, people dealing with hearing loss often wait seven years after the first symptoms appear before finding help.
Many older adults choose to disregard their hearing loss, which can negatively impact their social lives. Warning signs include constantly asking friends and family members to repeat what they have said more loudly and slowly, as well as retreating from social circumstances because they find it difficult to communicate effectively.
You know your hearing is important.
We’re empowered by our ability to hear. Our hearing lets us communicate with our loved ones, get out with our friends, and go to your job. It also keeps us safe and in tune with the outside world. Even your ability to relax is affected by your hearing. Sadly, we often take it for granted that we’ll always be able to hear.
So when your hearing diminishes, and if you’re like most individuals, it will, you’ll feel it emotionally and physically. It has an impact on your overall quality of life. Isolation is also a big risk with hearing loss
For these reasons, it’s important to identify the early signs of hearing loss so prospective treatment options can be explored. Most forms of hearing loss, thankfully, can be treated. You need to schedule an appointment with a hearing professional if you find yourself disheartened about missing important conversations. Doing so will help you determine if your type and degree of hearing loss can be successfully managed with hearing aids.
For those who have age-related hearing loss, research has shown that wearing hearing aids has many benefits, including improvements in the ability to hear in social situations and communicating with others. Interacting with friends, family, and co-workers becomes a lot easier for adults who suffer from hearing loss when they use hearing aids.
Mental health problems including loss of memory, depression, failing mental cognition, and even the occurrence of Alzheimer’s have been connected to hearing loss in studies done by Johns Hopkins University. Managing hearing conditions helps to prevent these health concerns.
Communication is a major part of personal relationships, particularly with family and friends Hearing loss can lead to miscommunication, frustration, and estrangement between friends and family members.
Hearing loss also creates safety concerns. There are essential warning sounds that occur in your life like alarms, horns, sirens, and the sound of traffic approaching which you need to be able to hear. Hearing aids will help keep you safer by allowing you to hear these sounds.
Hearing loss can have an adverse effect on your income. If you are experiencing hearing loss and are a member of the labor force, it can cause frustration, overlooked details, and inevitably reduce your ability to earn. The use of hearing aids can help.
Family members can be helpful to an older adult with hearing impairment, but it’s also important that the person with hearing loss takes the initiative. If hearing loss is an issue for you, it’s time to return to hearing all of those significant sounds in your life by taking a hearing assessment and committing to treatment (like using your hearing aid regularly). Knowing that you are not alone can be very uplifting. You can avoid feeling separated and return to socializing with your loved ones with a little assistance from a hearing professional, hearing aids, and your family and friends.