Living With Hearing Loss

The past two years have been increasingly difficult for many. We’ve been forced to spend time away from our loved ones, masking up when going in public, and withdrawn from society. While we’ve all been dealt our fair share of challenges, those dealing with hearing loss face even more challenges daily.

These frustrations can often be overlooked by those without hearing loss, which is why friends, family, and partners must be all on the same page.

To help bridge the gap between those with hearing loss and those without, El Dorado Hearing shares some of the common frustrations experienced by those with hearing loss.

Masks

In more recent times, we’ve all begun wearing masks to protect us from COVID-19. While these may seem like a minor inconvenience to the average individual, they are incredibly inconvenient for those with hearing loss.

An individual with hearing loss often relies on reading lips to grasp context clues about what people are saying to them. With masks, lip reading is not possible and can make it increasingly difficult for those with hearing loss to fully comprehend what is being said. Even with hearing aids, masks can muffle a person’s speech and make it harder to understand.

Along with making it harder to hear conversations, masks can also be frustrating for individuals who require hearing aids to amplify the sounds around them. The ear loops of a behind-the-ears mask can cause the hearing aids to become misplaced or tangled, impacting its ability to amplify sound properly.

Social Withdrawal

When a person suffers from hearing loss, they may begin to withdraw from social situations. If their friends or family are constantly attending restaurants or bars with blaring music and a loud atmosphere, it can be nearly impossible for them to pick up on conversations. Instead, their hearing aids pick up the background noise.

As a result, they find themselves asking their friends to repeat themselves constantly or miss conversations altogether. Because this is frustrating, they often find themselves turning down invitations to go out and miss out on spending time with their friends and family.

Depression

Hearing loss often causes an individual to experience social isolation, and they have a greater risk of experiencing depression. Their hearing loss makes it difficult for them to connect with the world around them, leaving them feeling like an outsider that is always looking in.

If their hearing loss prevents them from interacting with friends and participating in conversations, it can have a negative effect on their mental state and relationships. As a result, they are more likely to suffer from depression.

Intimacy

One of the biggest causes of relationship problems is miscommunication, and when one person in the relationship is suffering from hearing loss, miscommunication is more likely to occur. If both parties aren’t willing to put in the extra effort to communicate effectively, such as using sign language or speaking intentionally louder, the miscommunication can put a major strain on the relationship and eventually cause it to break down.

Relationships may also suffer physically if both individuals don’t feel as if they are connecting mentally or emotionally.

Reduce the frustrations of hearing loss with hearing aids

If you or your loved one are struggling to hear in everyday situations, it could be having more of an impact on your mental health than you realize. The first step to addressing the problem is to schedule a diagnostic hearing evaluation with a hearing specialist to determine the problem and provide the best treatment plan to improve the patient’s hearing.

In many cases, your hearing specialist will recommend hearing aids to help amplify sounds — enabling them to communicate with you more effectively.

If you’re experiencing hearing loss, the skilled audiologists at El Dorado Hearing can perform a diagnostic evaluation and provide the recommended treatment and hearing devices. Contact our experienced team to schedule your hearing evaluation.