Football games with Ted are miserable. Paying attention to the game is impossible because the volume is cranked up so loud that the walls shake. All you notice is the roar of the crowd pounding against your body, punctuated by the ear-shattering staccato of the commentator’s play-by-play calls.
It isn’t at all pleasant. But for Ted, it’s a normal volume. Everything has to be at max volume for him to be able to hear it, making it rather obvious that it’s time to consider hearing aids. You’re just not certain how to talk to him that. It should be a straightforward discussion, but he seems excessively sensitive about the topic.
The following are some tips that may help.
You Can Suggest he Gets a Simple Hearing Exam
Ted needs to find out more about his hearing from an expert. He may not believe other people when they inform him he needs a hearing aid. In that situation, the strategy will be getting Ted (or anybody like him) to come see us.
One of the following tactics may help you do that:
- Stress that he’ll only be having a quick screening. In the vast majority of cases, hearing screenings are quick and easy. His hearing will be categorized by frequency on an audiogram. We can detail what the results indicate.
- Suggest the two of you go together for back-to-back screenings. This is a helpful way to broach a new medical situation. You might discover that you also have some degree of hearing impairment (depending on how long you’ve been exposed to loud noise).
Chat About Hearing Loss Behaviors
Hearing loss is frequently undetectable because it progresses so gradually. When this happens, you may pick up certain behaviors without knowing it. By focusing your conversation on those behaviors, you can subtly (or not so subtly) hint that Ted (or someone like him) needs a hearing aid.
Try some of these strategies:
- Point out that you’ve noticed how frequently you’re “translating” for him. Here’s a hypothetical example: someone is talking to Ted but you’re closer and Ted needs you to keep repeating what was said because he can’t hear them.
- Letting him know that his family has observed him straining to hear. Maybe that’s why fewer people are going to his home to watch the Big Game each year, they have a tough time dealing with the loud television.
- Remind Him that he’s not talking on the phone as much as he used to because he has a difficult time hearing what his friends are saying on the other end.
The goal during these talks is to keep your discussion focused on these behaviors rather than the disorder. Instead of talking about how Ted is experiencing hearing impairment, mention how his hearing loss impacts people in his life.
Talk About Hearing Aid Technology
Outdated notions of how a hearing aid impacts your appearance and what hearing aids do, in some cases, results in reluctance to wear one. It may not be a bad idea to emphasize the innovative technology utilized by contemporary hearing aids.
Here are some examples:
- Some hearing aids have additional features, like the ability to translate in real-time or track important biometrics better than some commercial fitness trackers.
- The technology of modern hearing aids is very advanced. Your hearing aid will connect wirelessly with your phone, TV, and other smart devices thanks to Bluetooth® connectivity. This delivers amplified volumes without noise or feedback.
- Modern hearing aids are usually incredibly small and almost totally imperceptible to the naked eye. Not only that, modern hearing aids are incredibly comfortable for the wearer. They’re not bulky like they once were. Most people will most likely never detect you’re wearing them.
Hearing aids, for many individuals, are a perfect extension to their other smart technology. In this modern world, hearing aids are incredibly useful and will help you enjoy activities like live streaming.
Highlight The Long-Term Advantages
Finally, take some time to point out the connection between hearing loss and mental health decline. To put it bluntly, hearing is crucial to a person’s cognitive health.
The sooner you treat your hearing loss, the more hearing you’re likely to keep over time. When you have hearing impairment, your ears have a hard time processing particular wavelengths and hearing aids are calibrated to fill in those missing frequencies. When you simply turn the volume up you don’t fill in the particular frequencies that are missing.
Getting treatment as soon as you begin experiencing hearing loss can help save your hearing, and knowing that will help persuade people like Ted to seek help.