How to Talk to a Loved One About Hearing Loss

Hearing loss is a family affair. It affects not only the individual who has it. Spouses, children, grandchildren, and even friends can be affected negatively. People around the person with hearing loss may feel sad, frustrated, or angry, as they have to continually repeat the same things.

In a worst-case scenario, hearing loss can be dangerous. A person with hearing loss may not hear honking horns, cars, smoke alarms, or cries for help–putting themselves and others in harm’s way.

We know it’s difficult to talk to a loved one about hearing loss. Deep down, you know you need to have the conversation to convince them to seek help. But it’s difficult. Let’s discuss how you can talk to your family member about hearing loss.

Realizing There Is A Problem

Some familiar signs of hearing loss that you or your loved ones may notice:

• Asking people to repeat what they’ve said.
• Problems listening to conversations in loud locations.
• Issues recognizing higher-pitched sounds, like children’s voices.
• Complaining about others’ mumbling.
• Struggling to pay attention when being spoken to from another room or behind their back.
• Inability to easily contribute socially or professionally.

Be A Good Listener

“Every good conversation starts with good listening.” Well stated by inspirational speaker Tom Haak, because helping a loved one truly begins with a good productive conversation. It’s difficult to talk to someone close about dealing with their hearing loss. It’s a very personal thing to have a part of you begin to fade.

Sharing your feelings and being a good listener goes a long way to understanding the pain and awkwardness of diminished hearing. These are the first steps toward finding a resolution for their hearing loss, a solution that will help them not only physically but mentally as well.

Our identity can feel tied to our perceptions of the world, how we see it, feel it, and hear it. Hearing loss may feel like part of their identity is gone when it occurs. They may want to hide from the feelings of shame or stigma that may arise. Talking out the situation will help a person zero in on their problem and take the steps toward a resolution.

A hearing aid is often the remedy and can put the control back into the hands of your loved one. Improving their hearing will help them regain their connection with others and the world around them they miss. Left for too long without remedy, hearing loss can lead to various physical (equilibrium) and mental health difficulties. A loss of confidence, an onset of depression, and even dementia can be tied to hearing loss, adding more obstacles to getting healthy.

Seeing someone you love struggle with hearing loss is troublesome. With a variety of ways to help, the first and likely most important one is just to sit down and talk with them. Being a good listener, they need to talk it out, express their feelings, and find solutions.

Plan It Out

Before sitting down with or calling your loved one, spend some time putting your thoughts together and recognizing potential hurdles which could slow or derail the process. If you aren’t already close to this person, this type of two-way openness has the potential to draw you closer.

Once the dialogue begins and nerves and emotions get involved, it can be easy for thoughts to get lost. So preparing well in advance will make you an even better listener and confidant. This could be a very hard conversation, so having a plan should make a vast difference.

Set Some Goals

Part of your planning should be to set some goals for the conversation. This will help provide focus, plus a beginning, middle, and end to the talk. Sharing how you are feeling at the onset will show you care and help take down any barriers your loved one might have about their hearing loss. Showing you care enough to sit and talk about this sensitive subject says a lot. Start there.

Be Patient

Depending on how long your loved one has been dealing with hearing loss, it may take over one conversation for them to move forward. Your job is to remain patient and be a steady presence for them until they feel strong enough and confident enough to take the next step. Continue to be a good listener and let them share what they will.

Your mere presence should assure your loved one that they don’t have to suffer alone with their hearing loss. Moving forward at their pace for help is vital for successful treatment.
Offer to be with them as they seek professional hearing assistance. Nothing is more reassuring than having a friend or loved one along when experiencing an unfamiliar course correction.

Recapping How You Can Help

• Make time to speak with your loved one about their hearing loss.
• When they ask you to repeat yourself, carefully remind them this is because of their hearing loss.
• Urge them to find a hearing professional to answer their concerns and get their hearing tested.
• Offer to help a loved one make an appointment and attend it with them.
• Encourage them along the way by reminding them how much is to gain by seeking help for their hearing loss.

Next Step

Once you’ve talked to your loved one, the next step is to find a hearing professional who can help them restore as much of their hearing as possible. Contact us here at Hearing Associates of Las Vegas if you don’t know where to start.

We even offer virtual care if transportation or social distancing is a concern. A patient can now use a phone or computer to connect with their hearing care professional, making various services available to the patient from the comfort of their home.

Help a loved one reverse their hearing loss. Contact us today to see how we can help.