Watching sports with Ted is incredibly frustrating. He has the volume cranked up so loud the walls rattle, and you certainly can’t pay attention to the game. All you can hear is the roar of the crowd pounding against your body, punctuated by the ear-shattering staccato of the announcer’s play-by-play calls.
It’s not pleasant. But for Ted, the volume is normal. Everything needs to be at max volume in order for him to be able to hear it, making it pretty obvious that it’s time to think about hearing aids. How to talk to him about it is the difficulty. His sensitivity about the subject makes what should be a simple conversation much more challenging.
The following are a few recommendations that might help.
Encourage a Basic Exam
Ted needs to learn more about his hearing from a specialist. He might not believe other people when they tell him he needs a hearing aid. In that situation, the strategy will be getting Ted (or anyone like him) to come see us.
You may be able to do that by making use of one of the following strategies:
- Attempt to make him feel more comfortable by letting him know that it’s just a simple assessment. In most cases, hearing screenings are quick and easy. Ted will receive his results on an audiogram, which will break down his hearing by frequency. We can detail what the results indicate.
- Offer to get a screening with him. This is a beneficial way to discuss a new medical situation. It’s possible you’ll learn that you’ve experienced some hearing loss, too (it may depend on how long you’ve been subjected to a high-volume noise).
Chat About Hearing Loss Behaviors
Hearing loss is frequently indiscernible because it advances so gradually. When this happens, you might pick up certain behaviors without recognizing it. You can hint in a discreet way that Ted needs a hearing aid by focusing on these behaviors.
Try some of these approaches:
- Letting him know that his family has noticed him straining to hear. Every year it seems like fewer and fewer people are going over to see the Big Game and that could be because the TV is so loud.
- Point out instances where you need to translate what somebody said. It may happen like this: your friend says something at breakfast, Ted doesn’t hear or comprehend it, and you have to repeat what they said to Ted because you’re closer to him.
- Make him aware that he’s not using the phone as much as he used to because he has a difficult time hearing what his friends are saying on the other end.
When you have these talks focusing on these behaviors, not the condition, will be the objective. Instead of discussing how Ted is experiencing hearing impairment, mention how his hearing loss effects those around him.
Talk About Hearing Aid Technology
Antiquated ideas of how a hearing aid affects your appearance and what hearing aids do, in some circumstances, leads to reluctance to wear one. It might not be a bad idea to emphasize the innovative technology utilized by contemporary hearing aids.
The following are some examples:
- Some hearing aids can even monitor your health and fitness biometrics and translate them in real time as well as other added features.
- Typically, contemporary hearing aids are so small you can’t even see them. And, modern hearing aids are also comfortable to wear. They aren’t the big and bulky units of the past. Most people will most likely never detect you’re wearing them.
- The technology of modern hearing aids is very advanced. Your hearing aid will connect wirelessly with your phone, TV, and other smart devices by way of Bluetooth® connectivity. This provides amplified volumes without feedback or noise.
Hearing aids, for many people, are a perfect extension to their other smart technology. Modern hearing aids are very useful pieces of technology that help you enjoy live streaming.
Promote The Long-Term Benefits
Lastly, it’s worth taking time to mention the long-term advantages of hearing aids, which have been shown to help people keep (or recover) mental equity. To put it bluntly, hearing is crucial to a person’s mental health.
You will keep more of your hearing undamaged in the long run if you address your hearing loss as soon as you can. Hearing aids are calibrated specifically to fill in the sound wavelengths your ears have a difficult time discerning. When you simply turn the volume up you don’t fill in the specific frequencies that are missing.
Getting treatment as soon as you begin noticing hearing loss can help save your hearing, and understanding that will help convince people like Ted to seek help.