What Signs Can You Look for if You Think Your Loved One's Hearing is Going?
November 30, 2016
Home Care in Los Gatos CA
Gauging someone else's ability to hear is sometimes pretty difficult. This is especially true when the hearing loss is mild enough that it doesn't impact every situation your loved one is in. Try
looking for some of these signs.
Trouble Hearing People with High-pitched Voices
Often people who suffer from hearing loss tend to lose the higher end of the auditory spectrum first. That can mean that people with high-pitched voices, such as children and women, can be more difficult for your loved one to hear properly. Your loved one is more likely to interpret this as people with higher-pitched voices just don't speak up well enough.
Cranking up the Television or Radio
A loved one with hearing issues may not be able to understand the television or the radio at lower levels. That results in volumes that are extremely loud to other people who do not have trouble hearing. Eventually, a loved one who is engaging in this behavior is going to have to crank the TV or radio up even louder as she loses more of her hearing.
Being Uncertain Where a Sound Originates
A person with normal hearing automatically can determine where a sound originates from, but someone whose hearing is damaged may not be able to do this as well. This can mean that your loved one is often startled or has trouble discerning which person is talking.
Other People Can't Hear Your Elderly Loved One
Some loved ones who have hearing issues go the opposite direction, however. Instead of becoming personally louder, they worry that they're actually being too loud. Their solution is to start speaking much lower themselves because they honestly have no idea how loud they're speaking. Now other people are asking your loved one to speak up.
Your Elderly Loved One Starts to Avoid People
If your elderly loved one is extremely self-conscious about her hearing loss, she may start to avoid people gradually. This keeps her from feeling embarrassed about asking people to repeat themselves and she doesn't have to worry that she's irritating anyone. Unfortunately, isolating isn't healthy for your elderly loved one's mental health.
Work with your loved one's doctors and home care providers to develop workarounds and adapt to assistive devices that help your loved one cope with her hearing loss.