All relationships require communication to flourish, and your strongest relationships are the ones with the best communication. Can you imagine maintaining these close connections if you aren’t able to communicate effectively? Living with untreated hearing loss robs you of your ability to converse easily. If you can’t hear your loved one speaking to you from across the room, struggle to follow conversations, or miss what’s said during a meeting at work, you’ll struggle to maintain the strong relationships that matters the most.
Do You Have Hearing Loss?
Have you noticed any changes in your hearing abilities, or had difficulty hearing in the past few months? If you think you may have hearing loss, you’re not alone. Nearly 48 million Americans of all ages have hearing loss, with seniors being the most affected. In fact, seniors over the age of 75 have a 50% chance of having a hearing loss. Watch for the common signs of hearing loss, including:
- Difficulty following conversations.
- Struggling to understand speech in places with a lot of background noise.
- Withdrawing from social situations as it becomes more difficult to hear.
- Frequently asking people to repeat themselves.
- Great difficulty hearing on the phone.
- Turning up the volume on the TV to very loud levels.
If you’ve noticed any of these signs of hearing loss, or if your loved ones have noticed that you’re not hearing clearly, you should schedule a hearing test as soon as possible, and look after your hearing health before it gets worse.
Who is Affected by Hearing Loss?
You may think that you’re the only one affected by your hearing loss, but that’s simply not true. When you have hearing loss, not only will you have a hard time hearing conversations and following what’s been said, you’ll also be a poor conversationalist. Your family has always loved talking to you, telling you stories about their day, or asking for your valuable advice. When you have hearing loss and can’t communicate clearly, your whole family suffers from the lack of communication, especially your spouse. Even friends and work colleagues are negatively impacted by your hearing loss and will miss the chance to have great conversations with you.
How Hearing Loss Affects Close Relationships
Not only will your hearing loss affect your relationships with your family and friends, your closest relationship, with your partner or spouse, will be affected the most. You may have taken this relationship for granted, or not realized how pivotal communication is in your closest relationship. However, if you can’t pick up on the subtle changes in tone of voice, can’t sense your loved one’s mood based on their inflection, or simply can’t hear what they’re saying, your close relationship will suffer due to this breakdown in communication. As your hearing loss gets worse, you’ll experience a buildup of frustration and anger between you and your partner, and you will both feel isolated. Not only that, but with poor communication and hearing loss you’ll have less shared activities, and struggle to find ways to connect.
A recent survey of 1,500 seniors in the UK found that nearly 70% of seniors with hearing loss struggled with daily conversations, and many felt isolated by this breakdown in communication. Meanwhile, 34% reported that hearing loss has been hugely detrimental in their intimate relationships, and their hearing loss led to a loss of relationships and even marriages.
Treating Hearing Loss
Treating your hearing loss will give you a richer, more fulfilled life as you share special moments with your loved ones, hear every word of conversations, and interact with the friends and family you love. The longer you live with untreated hearing loss the worse it becomes, and the more your close relationships and friendships will be affected. When you find the hearing aids that are right for your hearing loss and hearing needs, you’ll be able to enjoy effortless communication, and overcome the effects of hearing loss.
Hearing aids come in all shapes and sizes to match every hearing need and lifestyle, and you can find a perfect Behind the Ear device, or a small In the Canal device that will give you easy interactions with family, friends, and coworkers, strengthen relationships, and improve your overall quality of life.