Helping a Loved One Live Better with Hearing Loss

Hearing loss is a condition that will affect a lot of us at some point in our lives, with age-related hearing loss being one of the most common disabilities around. However, if you have a loved one with hearing loss, it’s important to be aware of how deeply it can affect their life and, more importantly, what you could do to help improve their quality of life. Here are a few ways you might be able to help.

Ensuring that it’s diagnosed and treated

If you have started to notice some of the signs of hearing loss, such as them frequently asking you to repeat yourself or having trouble hearing certain sounds, then you should talk to them about it. It may be that they also suspect hearing loss but are, in one way or another, hesitant to get it diagnosed. The impacts of undiagnosed hearing loss can be profound, so it may be a good idea to look at options alongside them and offer to be with them throughout the process.

Learn to better communicate with them

When a person has hearing loss, even if they are wearing hearing aids, their ability to understand spoken communication may not be as good as it once was. As such, re-learning how to communicate with them can be a huge help. You can make sure that you’re speaking to them while facing them, ensuring that you’re in good lighting as watching your mouth can help often help them better hear you, and speak clearly and slowly. You might even want to keep a notepad on you so you can offer to write it down if there’s repeated trouble. Aside from communicating more clearly, it’s important that your loved one knows that you’re willing and happy to accommodate them.

Get a gift to help their quality of life

Living with hearing loss is a lot easier thanks to the many devices and tools that can help in daily life. However, there’s no denying that these tools can be pretty expensive to get all on your own. As such, you might want to check out some gift ideas for the hearing impaired. Pitching in to help along the way can be greatly appreciated.

Be an advocate for them

Supporting your loved one when you’re out and about, especially in groups, can be a huge help. For instance, you can share your own communication advice with other family members or friends in advance if you’re planning to go out, or you can check to make sure that places such as hotels you’re staying at provide services for people who are hard of hearing. Just make sure that you’re only doing this as much as your partner is comfortable with. Compensating is its own issue worth learning about.

Every individual’s hearing loss journey is, at the end of the day, their own. You may not be able to help them as much as they can help themselves, so make sure you don’t cross any boundaries they’re not comfortable with. However, make yourself available to help whenever they need it.