Watching someone struggle with hearing loss is heartbreaking, but it's time to act when it's someone you love. But how? Are you confident you can help someone navigate their new normal? To set the stage, let's start with some context.
As we age, we're more likely to encounter a range of challenges to our health. Disorders that increase with age include diabetes, heart disease, osteoporosis, cancer, mental-health difficulties, and, our specialty, hearing loss.
Data from the National Institutes of Health clearly indicates the relationship between age to hearing loss in American adults. For example
- 8% of adults 40-49 years old have hearing loss
- 23% of adults 50-59 years old have hearing loss
- 39% of adults 60-69 years old have hearing loss
- 50% of adults over 75 years old have hearing loss
Ways to help someone adjust to hearing loss
While every circumstance is unique, you might find the following tips helpful.
The first tip is early detection. It's the key to effectively managing hearing loss — because, left untreated, hearing loss could significantly impact health and relationships. The Big Four health consequences are social isolation, falls, cognitive decline, and dementia.
As we've seen, the age trend for hearing loss makes a case for annual hearing screenings. But don't just encourage your loved one to schedule a screening; Join them! Scheduling your hearing screening with theirs demonstrates your commitment to hearing health. As everyone knows, showing is far more powerful than telling.
Gently raise awareness and confidence
When discussing hearing loss with a loved one, the following seven talking points will help you frame the conversation.
- The most common type of hearing loss happens over time with age and noise exposure (noisy work, loud recreation).
- Hearing screenings provide peace of mind by reducing the anxiety of not knowing.
- People treated earlier with hearing aids adjust to them more quickly and benefit most.
- Today, prescription hearing aids are small and create clear sound even when there's lots of background noise. They're comfortable to wear, easy to use, and many are rechargeable.
- Show the way. Get your hearing screened together.
- You potentially gain a lot by seeing an audiologist — reducing the risk of social isolation, falls, cognitive decline, and preserving relationships. There's nothing to lose.
- Always provide gentle, consistent support.
Tips for better communication
- Directly face the person you’re talking to.
- Speak at a moderate pace.
- Don’t talk to them with something in your mouth.
- Avoid sunlight or glare, which makes it more difficult for them to lip read.
- If they can’t understand what you’re saying, rephrase the sentence. Hand gestures can help too.
Take action together
Hearing screenings are free, take only 15 minutes, and are painless. If your audiologist measures hearing loss, you'll learn the type, the amount of hearing loss, and the best treatment options.
If you're in our service area, call to schedule hearing screenings for you and your loved one.
Crest Hill: 630-633-5060 | Palos Hills: 708-599-9500
