Football games with Ted are the worst. Paying attention to the game is impossible because the volume is turned up so loud that the walls rattle. All you can hear is the roar of the crowd hammering against your body, punctuated by the ear-shattering staccato of the announcer’s play-by-play calls.
It isn’t at all pleasant. But the volume sounds fine for Ted. Everything needs to be at top volume in order for him to be able to hear it, making it rather obvious that it’s time to consider hearing aids. How to discuss this with him is the challenge. It should be a straightforward conversation, but he seems excessively sensitive about the topic.
The following are several recommendations that may help.
Encourage a Basic Screening
Ted needs a specialist to educate him about his hearing. Other people may not sound as credible when they talk to him about it. In that situation, the trick will be getting Ted (or anyone like him) to come see us.
You might be able to do that by making use of one of the following strategies:
- Suggest the two of you go together for back-to-back assessments. This is a helpful way to broach a new medical situation. It’s possible you’ll discover that you’ve experienced some hearing loss, too (depending on how long you’ve been subjected to loud noise).
- Attempt to make him feel more at ease by letting him know that it’s just a simple screening. In the vast majority of cases, hearing screenings are quick and easy. His hearing will be broken down by frequency on an audiogram. The significance of the information can then be clarified by us.
Chat About Hearing Loss Behaviors
Hearing loss occurs gradually, often advancing so slowly it’s unnoticeable. Certain subconscious behaviors often develop when this occurs. You can hint in a subtle way that Ted needs a hearing aid by putting attention on these behaviors.
Try some of these approaches:
- Point out that he’s been evading talking to family members and friends by phone because he has difficulty hearing what they say.
- Mention that you’ve noticed how frequently you’re “translating” for him. Here’s a hypothetical example: your friend says something at dinner, Ted doesn’t hear or understand it, and you need to repeat the sentence to Ted because you’re closer to him.
- Letting him know that his family has observed him struggling to hear. Maybe that’s why fewer individuals are going to his house to watch the Big Game each year, they have a tough time dealing with the loud television.
The goal during these talks is to keep your discussion centered on these behaviors rather than the disorder. Instead of talking about how Ted is experiencing hearing impairment, point out how his hearing loss effects those around him.
Talk About Hearing Aid Technology
In some cases, reticence to wearing hearing aids comes from antiquated (but understandable) ideas of what hearing aids do and how they impact one’s personal appearance. It might not be a bad idea to emphasize the innovative technology employed by modern hearing aids.
The following are some examples:
- Modern hearing aids are usually very small and almost entirely imperceptible to the naked eye. Not only that, modern hearing aids are amazingly comfortable for the wearer. They’re not cumbersome like they once were. Most individuals will probably never notice you’re wearing them.
- Some hearing aids can even track your health and fitness biometrics and render them in real time as well as other added features.
- The technology of modern hearing aids is quite advanced. Your hearing aid will connect wirelessly with your phone, TV, and other smart devices by way of Bluetooth® connectivity. This delivers amplified volumes without noise or feedback.
Hearing aids, for many people, are an ideal extension to their other smart technology. In this modern world, hearing aids are incredibly useful and will help you enjoy activities such as live streaming.
Promote The Long-Term Advantages
Finally, take the time to emphasize the link between hearing loss and mental health decline. Essentially, your brain health depends on you being capable of hearing clearly.
You will keep more of your hearing intact in the long run if you treat your hearing loss as soon as you can. When you have hearing impairment, your ears have a hard time processing specific 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 specific frequencies that are missing.
Getting treatment as soon as you start experiencing hearing loss can help save your hearing, and understanding that will help convince people like Ted to seek help.
