Why Is Your Loved One Unaware Of His Or Her Hearing Problem?

27 July 2017
 Categories: Health & Medical , Blog

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Even though it might be apparent to you and other family members that a loved one has a hearing problem, he or she might not realize it. The notion that someone is not aware of a hearing problem sounds strange, but it is a frequent occurrence. If you have a loved one who is unaware that he or she might have a hearing problem, here is what you need to know.

Why Does He or She Not Realize It?

One of the telltale signs that someone has a hearing problem is he or she might talk louder. Although a conversation with the other person sounds like a shouting match, he or she might not realize that his or her voice is louder. There are several reasons that the problem has not been detected.

Hearing loss occurs at different levels. Whereas some people might be unable to hear higher frequencies, others might hear those sounds fine but lose the ability to hear bass levels. Over time, the loss will be more evident to the affected person.

Another reason that your loved one might not realize there is a hearing problem is that family and friends are often willing to repeat themselves over and over to keep him or her involved in the conversation. To the affected person, it could seem as if the problem is with the speaker rather than with him or her.

For some people, the problem could be denial. There is a good chance that your loved one knows that there is a problem but is refusing to acknowledge it.

What Can You Do?

Regardless of the reason for your loved one's unawareness of his or her hearing problem, it is important that you discuss having a hearing test conducted. If he or she is reluctant to have the testing done, find out why. Once you know the reason, you need to focus on addressing that concern.

For instance, if your loved one is worried that he or she will need a hearing aid, talk to him or her about how life would improve with the hearing device. You could explain that there are various sizes and that there are models that are barely noticeable. You can also point out that without getting the test, there is no way of knowing if the device is even necessary.

You should also point how his or her possible hearing problems is impacting you and the rest of the family. Explain to your loved one that his or hearing could potentially lead to relationship issues in the future and a simple test could help prevent that. For more information, contact companies like Jacobs Clinical Diagnostics.