Holidays Hard On Those With Untreated Hearing Loss
December 10, 2009
West Palm Beach, Fla — For many of the millions of Americans with hearing impairment, especially the 27 million living with untreated hearing loss, the holidays may not be all that happy, says audiologist Cindy Beyer, senior VP of HearUSA. Beyer said studies have linked hearing loss to stress, frustration, and social isolation, “which can easily be intensified at holiday gatherings with families and friends, when many of those with hearing impairment may find conversations both difficult and isolating.
“Hearing loss is often labeled ‘the invisible handicap’ because there are no outward signs of a handicap or limitations,” said Beyer. “As a result, we are unlikely to be aware that accommodations may be necessary to avoid a breakdown in communication.”
Beyer suggests the following for making holiday meals and celebrations more comfortable and enjoyable for people with hearing impairment, and for the those around them:
- Speak clearly and distinctly, but not too fast, and never shout.
- If you’re asked to repeat something, do so without raising your voice and appearing annoyed.
- If your comment or question is still not being understood after repetition, reword it. Some words are easier to understand than others.
- In a group situation, be sure that the person is included in the conversation. If not, bring him or her back in.
- When speaking, look directly at the person and try not to be more than five feet apart.
- Your facial expressions and gestures and your overall body language are important aids in communicating, so try to be sure that you have the listener’s attention and that the room is well lit.
- Conversation is greatly enhanced when there is no distracting background noise from a radio or TV.
- When dining out, choose a quiet restaurant. Noisy conversations and the clatter of dishes and tableware in a crowded dining area are barriers to effective communication.
- Ask if there is anything you can do to make communication easier. For example, conversation will be much easier to understand in a room with carpeting and well-upholstered furniture than in a room with tiled floors, high ceilings, or wooden furniture.
While almost all hearing loss can be successfully treated with hearing aids, only 25% of the 36 million Americans with hearing loss have them, according to the Better Hearing Institute, which notes that most hearing aid users report significant improvement in their interpersonal relationships and social lives.
“Today’s digital hearing aids are smaller, smarter, and more comfortable than ever before,” said Beyer. “I can think of no greater gift during the holiday season than encouraging a loved one or a friend with untreated hearing loss to consider the impact they could have on their lives.”
SOURCE: HearUSA
Study Finds Family Members Play Critical Role In Addressing Loved Ones’ Hearing Loss
December 8, 2009
The Better Hearing Institute (BHI) is urging families across America to make 2010 the year they help a loved one address hearing loss. The call to action comes in response to new data that underscores the influence family members have in getting loved ones to address hearing loss. According to a recent BHI survey of nearly 47,000 households, more than half (51%) of new first-time owners of hearing aids indicated that family members were a key factor influencing their purchase of a hearing aid in 2008. Fifty-five percent of new hearing aids users sought treatment once they realized through testing how serious their hearing loss was. BHI is offering practical tips on how to best help family members and is providing a free, confidential, on-line hearing test at www.hearingcheck.org where they can check their hearing in the comfort and privacy of their own homes.
According to Sergei Kochkin, PhD, executive director of BHI, lack of hearing loss testing and denial pose significant barriers to the improved well-being of people with unaddressed hearing loss: “Half of people with untreated hearing loss simply aren’t aware of their hearing loss and the impact it has on their lives and the lives of their loved ones―while others deny or minimize their known hearing loss.”
“To compensate for hearing loss,” Kochkin continues, “people in denial often ask those around them to repeat information at greater volume, unintentionally compelling their loved ones to act as their ears. Yet acting as ears for someone with hearing loss in denial can actually do more harm than good. It enables the hearing loss to have a continued negative impact on numerous aspects of the individual’s quality of life.”
Hearing loss is one of the most commonly unaddressed health conditions in America today, and affects more than 34 million Americans. Six out of ten Americans with hearing loss are below retirement age. Numerous studies have linked untreated hearing loss to a wide range of physical and emotional conditions, including irritability, negativism, anger, fatigue, tension, stress, depression, avoidance or withdrawal from social situations, social rejection and loneliness, reduced alertness and increased risk to personal safety, impaired memory and ability to learn new tasks, reduced job performance and earning power, and diminished psychological and overall health.
“Helping a loved one who isn’t willing to help himself is one of the most painful challenges a family can face,” says Kochkin. “And helping a family member deal with hearing loss is no exception. But the most loving course you can take with someone in denial over their hearing loss is to help them come to terms with it so they seek treatment.”
In his book, “How Hearing Loss Impacts Relationships: Motivating Your Loved One,” BHI advisor Dr. Richard Carmen offers practical advice on how “hearing helpers” can help their loved ones overcome denial and seek treatment for their hearing loss:
First, understand that although you may think your efforts are loving and helpful, acting as ears for someone you love is actually counter-productive. With you to act as their ears, why would they seek treatment for their hearing loss?
Stop repeating yourself, raising your voice, and acting as messenger. Rather, involve the entire family in your efforts to help your loved one hear independently of your help. A concerted effort can help your loved one finally admit s/he has a hearing problem.
Explain to your loved one with hearing lossâin a calm, loving voice without condemnationâthat you will no longer repeat yourselves or raise your voices. Instead, when s/he asks for information to be repeated at greater volume, you will use words like “Hearing Helper” or some other signal to alert him that he is relying on someone else to act as his ears. By doing this, you help him realize how often he has to ask for help to hear. Hopefully, the inescapable realization will finally move him to seek treatment for his hearing loss.
“When a family member experiences unaddressed hearing loss, it silently erodes his quality of life—undermining family relationships, interfering with short-term memory, and creeping into virtually every aspect of daily living,” says Kochkin. “I encourage anyone who has a loved one with unaddressed hearing loss to make the most self-less New Year’s resolution you’ve ever made. Reach out and stop your loved one from drawing back in isolated silence. Make 2010 the year you help someone you love regain the gift of sound. It’s a New Year’s resolution well worth keeping.”
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To learn more about hearing loss and effective treatments, visit the Better Hearing Institute’s Web site at www.BetterHearing.org.
Founded in 1973, The Better Hearing Institute (BHI) conducts research and engages in hearing health education with the goal of helping people with hearing loss to benefit from proper treatment. To receive a free copy of BHI’s 28-page booklet “Your Guide to Better Hearing,” visit its website at www.betterhearing.org, or call the Better Hearing Institute hotline at 1-800-EAR-WELL.
Andria Reid-Caro, Eileen Freed,