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Summary:

You can help make a difference. Did you know that involving loved ones in the journey to better hearing health is one of the greatest tools at the disposal of a person with hearing loss? Education, understanding and acceptance are the critical elements to a successful hearing health plan. At DigiCare we strongly recommend and urge that a family member or trusted friend participate in this important process from the very first visit to DigiCare. Your input and support help shed light on the particular details of your loved one’s hearing loss. In many ways, you yourself may also be suffering as a result of your loved one’s hearing loss — missed connections, big and small misunderstandings, the lost subtleties of close interaction. At DigiCare, we’re here to help you and your loved one enhance the rich sounds of life - everyday.

Learn About:

Hearing Loss Facts

  • Fact: Approximately 36 million American adults suffer from some form of hearing loss — that’s 17% of our entire adult population
  • Fact: By age 65, one out of three people has a hearing loss
  • Fact: By age 85, that number grows to one out of two people suffering from a hearing loss
  • Fact: Men are more likely to experience hearing loss than women
  • Fact: According to the National Institutes of Health, hearing loss is the third most common health problem in America after arthritis and heart disease.
  • Fact: Hearing loss is invisible and insidious, developing so slowly in many cases that it is almost transparent to the sufferer

Hearing loss is common and can be caused by:

  • Noise. This knows as Noise Induced Hearing Loss (NIHL). Prolonged exposure to high-intensity noise and sudden blasts can cause permanent damage to our delicate ears over time or abruptly. Military exposure, mega-sporting events, loud music and concerts, large and small machinery, airport noise – each can cause NIHL and tinnitus. Prevention through protection is critical at all ages.
  • Aging
  • Diseases of the Ear
  • Heredity
  • Frequently prescribed medications
  • Excessive ear wax
  • Bacterial or viral infections
  • Exposure to ototoxic chemicals
  • Common medical illnesses such as diabetes, heart conditions and stroke

How to Identify Hearing Loss. Symptoms and Consequences

Common Symptoms

Does someone you know …

  • Feel that others mumble when they speak?
  • Have trouble hearing someone talking from behind?
  • Have difficulty understanding on the telephone?
  • Find it challenging or feel self conscious communicating in group situations?
  • Experience ringing, roaring or a hissing noise in the ears?
  • Miss a doorbell or phone ring?
  • Turn up the TV or radio volume to a level at which others complain?
  • Often ask others to repeat what they are saying?
  • Have trouble understanding the voices of women and small children?
  • Have past or present exposure to loud noise at work, during social events or as the result of a particular hobby?

Consider these scenarios:

Does someone you know …

  • Have apprehension about going to noisy parties or restaurants?
  • Feel embarrassed to talk openly about not being able to hear?
  • Avoid previously enjoyable activities because joining in now seems challenging?
  • Have concerns about revealing a hearing loss to coworkers or work supervisors?
  • Feel a strain at family holidays with so many people talking at once?

If you answered yes to a number of these questions, a hearing loss may indeed be present.

Consequences:

Hearing problems can make it difficult to understand and follow a doctor’s recommendations, to hear doorbells and alarms, to effectively communicate on the telephone and to respond to signals and warnings.

At any age, a hearing loss can make it challenging to enjoy talking with friends and family and can frequently lead to:

  • Isolation
  • Stress and anxiety
  • Insecurity and defensiveness
  • Anger, frustration & withdrawal
  • Even depression

Next Steps. What You Can Do to Help

The most important thing you can do if you suspect a hearing loss in a family member or friend is to encourage him or her to schedule a comprehensive hearing test and evaluation. At DigiCare, our hearing tests are always free and simple to schedule by phone or email.

The DigiCare Hearing Test and Evaluation will determine the following:

  • If there is a hearing loss and in which ear
  • What type and degree of hearing loss is present
  • If there is fluid in the middle ear or if wax is present in the ear canal
  • What might be causing the hearing loss
  • If hearing instruments might be a helpful solution

Note: Helping your loved one with his or her hearing health is our utmost priority. Our DigiCare Auditory Rehabilitation Counsellors can and will refer your friend or family member to a medical specialist should the need arise.

In the Meantime: Working Together & Useful Coping Strategies

  • Face the person as directly as possible when speaking avoiding food and gum chewing and smoking while talking. At a restaurant, ask to be seated at a round table rather than a rectangular one to better see each others faces while talking.
  • Avoid communicating with loud and distracting background noise present, including the TV and music.
  • Speak clearly, avoiding shouting and over-emphasis.
  • Re-phrase sentences when repeating ideas. High frequency hearing loss is common. Many times, a person with a hearing problem hears low-pitch vowels more easily than high-pitch consonants. The result to a person with a hearing loss is words and sentences that sound muffled and mumbled. By rephrasing sentences, you are literally giving the person with a high-frequency hearing loss more linguistic data to better understand, filling in the gaps where sounds — and meaning – have gone unheard.
  • Review various types of Assistive Listening Devices (ALDs) in order to make daily tasks more convenient.  Our Auditory Rehabilitation Counsellors are happy to make recommendations.
  • Emphasize patience and respect. 

Learn Even More:

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