Does Your Family Need a Hearing Aid?

Could it be possible that there are 25-28 million people in the United States with family members who mumble? It sounds funny, but this is a common misconception among families suffering from hearing loss. This communication problem affects every member of a family and has a profound effect on daily living. Mealtimes, holiday gatherings, watching television and telephone conversations can all be stressful situations for the hearing impaired family. This common problem facing people from 50-100 years old is called presbycusis (hearing loss that accompanies aging).

Hearing loss not only impairs a person’s ability to hear sounds, but also the entire system for interpreting what they hear. The consonant sounds are not audible anymore, which make people hear the voice, but not understand the meaning. Some of the sounds we cannot hear are visible on the lips (f, th, p). This offers an explanation of why we can hear better with our glasses on.  How many times have we repeated a phrase for someone with a hearing loss using a louder voice, only to be told, “You don’t have to shout at me, I’m not deaf!”?

Presbycusis may affect hearing at levels all the way up to the brain. As we get older we move a bit slower and also hear a bit slower. Sometimes it takes a little more time to figure out just what we heard. Noise or confusion can create even more problems. The phrase, “I can only do one thing at a time,” is a familiar one to us all. As we get older, we can only hear one thing at a time and noise becomes the enemy. Bringing sounds back with the use of a hearing aid may not be enough to solve all of these problems. Many families feel a sense of finality when they finally convince a family member to get a hearing aid. This is only the beginning… don’t celebrate too quickly.

Occasionally, hearing aids end up neatly tucked into a bureau drawer. By concentrating on fitting hearing aids to families, rather than to the individual, hearing aids can be kept in the patient’s ears where they belong. What can you do to help?

• Take a walk: Distance is the enemy of people with hearing loss – they need to be close to the person speaking in order to hear.  
• Reduce noise: Background noise makes it difficult to understand speech.  The open architecture of many homes allows noise to travel freely. When possible, shut the door, turn down the television or radio volume, or close the window open to a noisy street.  
• Take your time: Speak at a natural pace with pauses (instead of “Djeet?” “No, dju?”  Say “Did you eat? “ “No did you?”)
• In a restaurant, select a corner booth or table along the wall to minimize background noise.  If possible choose to dine during off hours when the restaurant is less busy (and therefore less noisy).

A hearing aid is just that, an aid, not a cure.  For the wearer, it is often only as effective as the cooperation of those in the immediate and extended family.  It takes two to communicate: a speaker and a listener, so take a walk, take your time, and take your seat…