Common Questions About Hearing Loss (Part 1)
Can hearing aids help me?
Many people that have nerve hearing loss, hearing loss in one ear, and/or high frequency hearing loss have been told by doctors and others that hearing aids would not help them. With the advanced technology available today, there are VERY few people who cannot be helped with amplification. Hearing aid technology has advanced greatly in the past few years. Call for an appointment today and schedule a hearing test to see if you can be helped with your hearing loss.
I’ve been told that hearing aids don’t really help. What do you think?
It is unusual in this day and age that a hearing aid would not improve someone’s ability to hear. With the advancement in technology and the improvement in hearing aid programming software, we can usually provide improved sound quality for most people. You do need to keep in mind though that a hearing aid is only an aid – not a cure. Realistic expectations are important. You may never hear perfectly again due to damage in the ears.
What do I do if someone is denying their hearing problem?
Denial of a hearing loss occurs for several reasons and can be very frustrating to friends and family members. Hearing loss often occurs very slowly over many years, and the individual is not aware of the sounds and words that they are missing. Some people are apprehensive about how to learn to use and take care of hearing aids. Others may be embarrassed. Do not give up on you hearing impaired loved one or friend. Use these suggestions to help in your communication with them.
- Speak face to face. Do not talk to someone with your back turned or from another room. Visual cues from you lip movements and facial expressions give valuable information to someone who is hearing impaired.
- Before speaking, attract the listener's attention by calling their name, tapping them lightly on the arm or shoulder, or catching their line of vision.
- Make sure your face is in the light and not in a shadow.
- Do not speak while smoking or chewing. This makes it more difficult to understand and impossible to read your lips.
- Do not cover your face with a newspaper or your hand.
- Try to reduce background noise when conversing.
- Move closer to the person when speaking in a noisy environment.
- Speak at a natural pace. It may be difficult for someone to put all the information together if the speech is too quick.
- Rather than repeating a misunderstood word over and over, try rephrasing the word. Some words are just too difficult to lip read or be heard.
- Let the person know you are changing topics, so they will know what subject is being discussed.
- Remember hearing aids have limits. Do not expect the hearing impaired to hear as good or even better than you may in adverse listening environments.
- Suggest to go with this person to our office for a hearing test.
|
|