When communication begins to fade, so does the quality of our relationships. Hearing loss is often gradual and goes unnoticed day-to-day until over a period of years, it has reached the point where simple daily communication becomes work.
Constant Effort
It’s not always easy for people to accept their hearing loss and seek treatment. In fact, the majority people will wait seven or more years before seeking help from a hearing professional. During that time, the effort made to compensate for the effects of worsening hearing loss increases steadily along with stress levels.
Meaningful conversation gradually grinds to a complete halt.
Changing Social Behaviour
Decisions and behaviours start to change to accommodate hearing loss. For example, restaurants begin to be chosen for acoustics over cuisine thus severely limiting the number of places to choose from. Noisy social events such as birthday parties are no longer enjoyable to the noise levels. Often the person with hearing loss begins to feel isolated when in public because they are avoiding talking with people they once easily conversed with. Eventually they begin to cut their stay short either leaving their spouse on their own at the even or shortening their stay as well. Eventually as socializing becomes even more difficult, some couples begin to take their own vehicles knowing the one that can’t hear well will leave not long after arriving.
Entertainment also become a point of contention between couples where on suffers from untreated hearing loss. While movie theatres are often loud, the contrasting quiet moments and speech is lost resulting in constant promoting of “What was that?”. At home watching a simple television show ends up becoming a fight over the control of the volume.
The concept of a casual talk eventually becomes nothing more than a memory.
Conversation
To compensate for hearing loss people will often begin to learn to interpret facial expressions and even lip read to understand what’s being said. This means that the person with hearing loss must always be looking the speaker to have a chance to understand. In the case of profound hearing loss conversations often become a series of individual words shouted in hopes of being understood. The loss goes beyond failing to understand words and becomes a lack of understanding and empathy that is supported by intimate conversations between couples. The theme of isolation reappears.
Making the most of the relationships we have with the people we love is vital to our health and happiness.
Seek Help
There is a point where even the strongest relationship will suffer to the point of breaking. This doesn’t have to happen as the effects of hearing loss are reversed when treated. A complete hearing evaluation and test will identify what treatment is best and rule out medical intervention. The answer to hearing loss may be as simple as tuning a set of hearing aids to the precise needs of the individual.
To learn more about how a hearing test & evaluation can restore hearing, call us at (204) 788-1083 Monday to Friday between 9 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. or Saturday between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. Alternatively click contact us online.
