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Recognizing signs of hearing loss and when to get a hearing aid

September 18th, 2009

Some of the signs that your elderly loved one may be suffering from a loss of hearing include having to repeat yourself several times during a conversation. The person suffering from hearing loss will sometimes accuse the speaker of mumbling or not speaking loud enough, when they in fact, you are speaking in a normal tone.

Another sign of hearing loss may be that the person can’t seem to hear conversations on the telephone, even when the volume is turned to the loudest setting on the handset. A TV blaring is another sign, along with misunderstanding what another person is saying to them. You may notice the person agreeing to what they are listening to even though it’s an inappropriate response, merely because they don’t realize that they aren’t hearing you properly.

Mentioning that the person may need a hearing aide can be done in a manner so as not to hurt their feelings or make them feel inadequate. Let them know that you have noticed they seem to have a hard time hearing what is being said, and that you don’t want them to miss important parts of the conversations at family gatherings, etc. The topic of getting a hearing aide should be brought up in a compassionate, gentle manner and done with care.

Entry Filed under: Health