Self Esteem and Hearing Loss – Those Close To You
Picture a happy couple enjoying an intimate dinner and light conversation with each other. They are content, discussing their day at work, the kids, the house or simple neighborhood news. They hear everything each other is saying and there is no sign of anyone being irritated or mad at anyone else. Now picture the happy couple a few weeks or months after one of them begins to experience hearing loss. They are not so happy anymore. The husband, or wife, has to repeat almost everything he or she says constantly. There is less conversation, less laughing, less smiling and an uncomfortable silence hovers over the scene.
How close can you be to another person when you miss out on much of what they are saying? You don’t feel you can tell them you missed what they said; they are already irritated by having to repeat themselves constantly. Why add to the irritation? If you’ve been married for a very long time you can generally assume what your spouse is saying. However, even in long term relationships, it does not take very long before a spouse starts second guessing what is actually being said. How irritating is it when your spouse asked you to take out the garbage and you went and parked the car in the garage? It would not take much time at all before this inappropriate behavior caused your spouse to become resentful and angry.
Part of what happens when a spouse or close relative starts to lose their hearing is a pulling away from others. There is a need to avoid situations that require full hearing and accurate reactions. Social situations, such as dinners or parties, require conversing with others in a noisy environment. As hearing loss begins and then progresses, the ability to hear clearly in these noisy environments diminishes. In social situations, those with full hearing expect everyone to clearly hear and understand what they are saying. When someone answers a question inappropriately, others frown upon them and wonder if they are losing their mental stability. Unfortunately, with untreated hearing loss, conversations are not clearly heard and inappropriate answers are often a consequence.
Many people with hearing loss withdraw from those they are close to first, hiding from situations that require personal communication. Hearing aids allow people with hearing loss to stop withdrawing and start communicating effectively. You will understand when your spouse is talking to you, regardless of the presence of ambient noise in the room. You can again enjoy going to a restaurant to eat and still be able to talk to your spouse across the table. Being able to accurately understand what the waiter is asking you is a big side benefit.
Hearing aids are often the best tool for improving hearing in patients with different levels of hearing loss. Hearing aids are made to fit, partially or completely, inside the ear canal. Modern digital hearing aids funnel sound through a microphone, translate the sound into a digital signal and amplify the sound so the ear can hear more clearly. Digital hearing aids, because they accurately translate incoming sound waves, amplify only the sounds the patient needs to hear and avoids amplifying ambient noise. This is helpful, as conversations often take place in locations with ambient noise or in noisy surroundings.
Only a hearing health professional can diagnose the presence of hearing loss and its cause. Simple, effective tests are available to accurately examine a patient’s level of hearing and to prescribe necessary treatment in order for the patient to cope with hearing loss. In most cases of hearing loss, some type of hearing aid will be prescribed for the patient. Today’s modern digital hearing aids are very effective at improving the level of hearing in patients with hearing loss. Early and effective diagnosis and treatment can bring peace of mind to both the patient and their family. Peace of mind can lead to higher self-esteem and healthier relationships with family and friends. No one should wait to contact a hearing professional, they should schedule an appointment at the first sign of hearing loss.
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