“Pardon me?”
“Would you say that again, dear?”
“I apologize – what did you say?”
If this sounds like a regular reply in your conversations with a beloved older adult, you’re not alone. The National Institute on Aging reports a solid relationship between aging and hearing loss, with as many as half of all individuals age 75 and older encountering hearing difficulties.
Senior hearing loss normally sneaks up gradually. After a while, the damage to the ears from noise leads to hearing loss by harming the vulnerable inner ear. In spite of this, seniors with hearing loss typically wait on average seven years before getting help, and more than 15 million people in the U.S. with hearing loss skip seeking help altogether.
Though hearing loss is irreversible, Live Well at Home’s Roseville senior care experts want individuals who are afflicted by its effects to know that there are ways to help effectively manage hearing loss. To communicate more efficiently, individuals with a hearing loss should practice the following:
- Position themselves to hear better by facing the person to whom they are communicating
- Turn off all distracting background noise
- Ask others to speak clearly
- Find quiet settings
- Think about using an assistive listening device — hearing devices, including television-listening systems or telephone-amplifying products, help people hear better while lessening other sounds
- Look into using devices such as flashing/vibrating clocks and phones; visible doorbell alerts; specialty smoke and burglar alarms
Family members can help by:
- Knowing the signs of hearing loss and making appropriate referrals
- Being sensitive to the impact hearing loss has on the older person and the stages of adjustment the senior may go through before acceptance
- Adapting the home environment, when feasible, to accommodate the special needs of those with a hearing loss
- Seeking out the support of experts like Live Well at Home who have developed expertise in providing quality home care to seniors with hearing loss
For more information…
- Visit the League for Hard of Hearing
- Contact Live Well at Home of Roseville, CA for assistance on finding ways to live comfortably in spite of hearing loss
Unfortunately, many older adults start to feel left out and isolated when enduring hearing loss. The caring, fully-trained care providers at Live Well at Home can help provide relief for lonely seniors by providing companionship, accompaniment and transportation to appointments and events, and much more. Call us any time at 916-459-3220 to discover more about how our Roseville senior care services can help older adults maximize their wellbeing, safety and independence, right in the comfort of home.