Caregivers deserve a hand. And they deserve a helping hand-up to aid with the challenges of attending to the life needs of those near and dear to them.
As hearing loss can mimic symptoms of many other afflictions, if you are providing support for a loved one, below is a list of the most common signs of hearing loss, as well as information about hearing loss treatment. Family members are often the first to recognize that a loved one has hearing loss, but the symptoms may appear gradually and be difficult to detect.
Even professional caregivers can confuse the signs and symptoms of hearing loss with other conditions, missing opportunities for early diagnosis to minimize the long-term impact of hearing problems.
The most common indicators of hearing loss include:
- Turning up the volume of the television or radio
- Problems hearing the doorbell or the telephone ringing
- Difficulty hearing people calling from behind, or in another room
- Asking people to repeat themselves frequently
- Misunderstanding or “forgetting” what has been said or agreed upon
- Cupping hands behind the ears
A person with normal hearing can hear quiet sounds, medium and loud sounds that vary from low pitch to high pitch. In speech, soft consonant sounds like T, S and F are higher pitched than such strong vowel sounds as A, E and I. With hearing loss, it is difficult to differentiate between these sounds, and speech becomes harder to comprehend and sounds garbled.
If you, a friend or a family member are displaying any of these symptoms, we at Hearing Health Associates encourage you to take the simple first step and visit us for a free hearing examination by submitting your information on our Contact Us page. Don’t miss out on the sounds you can be hearing, and helping others hear.