Hearing loss in elderly people happens in both ears and affects many over 60 years of age, which makes it the most common condition to affect those over 65. If your elderly parents have hearing loss and it's affecting their social life, then how do you talk about it with them?
The best way to bring up hearing loss
Before openly bringing up hearing loss with an elderly parent, gaining emotional control is essential. People often do not feel prepared to discuss the problem and can react badly when a family member suggests they have a problem. It is difficult to know when, as well as how, to effectively address the situation within the family. Your parent may also need ample time to fully understand the ramifications of having a hearing loss.
Keeping a positive attitude during difficult times will help everyone focus on solutions and motive them to seek help. The simple act of listening can help develop an understanding of how the condition affects them individually. Whilst there are some commonalities between experiences, we all interpret them in our own way.
The key to bringing up the subject of hearing loss with an elderly parent is to do so by identifying those parts of their lives that are subtly changing because of their hearing loss. Suggest that the solution to their problems is addressing their hearing loss. Often these situations include a slow decline in participation in social environments and conversations, and a gradual withdrawal from attendance due to difficulties encountered.
Another key is to try and address the unwillingness to acknowledge the problem. This is so often driven by the thought that the condition is a sign of ageing and in particular that it really only affects the very old. In fact, the on-set of hearing loss is very similar to the need for reading glasses, which is not perceived in the same way at all. The final part of the jigsaw is to obtain some independent and medical opinion in the form of a hearing test to define the degree or presence of hearing loss.
Hearing test
Precise determination of the level of hearing loss requires an audiometric evaluation by an accredited hearing specialist, called an audiologist. There are various types of tests including bone conduction, recruitment of loudness, screening, speech discrimination, objective audiometry and clinical audiometry. The audiogram is a painless, simple test that takes about 20 or 30 minutes. The audiologist plays a series of tones at different volumes to find the patients' hearing threshold.
If you're having difficulty persuading your parent to go for a hearing check with an audiologist then our free online test may help give them the push they need to acknowledge the problem.
And if a hearing loss is detected then there is help at hand....
Aids from Hearing Direct to help
Hearingdirect.com is the world's largest online hearing superstore that provides hearing aids for hard of hearing people. We make our digital hearing aids to precisely amplify sounds and deliver them to the ear. The home delivery process allows for a great product to be made at an affordable price.
Our hearing aids have an easily accessible battery and are discreet enough to hide behind the ear or in the ear itself. They provide high quality audio so that you can easily hear and understand sounds and conversations. Our simpler and therefore more affordable products have a pre-programmed amplification aiding mild to moderate hearing loss. Our other affordable hearing aids are programmable to an audiogram. You should easily find a solution to fit your parent's needs here.
About Hearing Direct
We are one of the world's leading hearing aid specialists. HearingDirect offers a wide range of affordable products, and information resources to help improve the quality of life for the hard of hearing. We sell:- Hearing aids,
- Batteries,
- Accessories such as earplugs,
- and amplified devices such as super loud alarm clocks and amplified phones.
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Author: Stuart Canterbury
Stuart joined the hearing aid industry just at the start of the digital revolution in the mid 1990s. He was part of a team that transformed one of the minor manufacturers in to a major player in both production and retail of high technology hearing aids. This journey included working on public / private programmes to accelerate the uptake of high technology hearing aids across a wide distribution. This passion for improving the value and access to good quality hearing lead to the foundation of HearingDirect. After almost a decade and hundreds of thousands of customers we are starting to establish online sales as a practical, cost-effective channel to provide great hearing to all those who need help.
