Identifying, understanding, coping and eventually treating hearing loss is an emotional process, and it is important to approach it with care and compassion for yourself. Unfortunately, there are still some very untrue misconceptions about hearing loss that cause an unnecessary stigma surrounding the subject in our culture. This may be one reason why Americans wait about seven years on average from the time they notice changes in their hearing to the time they seek treatment from a professional. For many, once hearing loss is identified and diagnosed, an additional and sometimes even more emotional journey begins: coming to terms with your hearing loss.
If you or someone you love has recently been identified as having a hearing loss, do not worry! Emotional reactions surrounding the topic of hearing loss are extremely normal, and following these tips can help to ease the process.
Don’t Downplay Your Emotions
Chances are, you’ve already spent years downplaying the negative effect that untreated hearing loss has had on your life. Many of us have tried to ignore how awful it feels to seem left out of group conversations because you couldn’t understand what people were saying, or how frustrating it is to constantly misunderstand your spouse. Don’t waste any more time downplaying the way hearing loss makes you feel!
As mentioned above, strong emotions surrounding hearing loss are very normal, and even healthy. Angela Nelson, AuD, an Audiologist out of California put it well, stating that “hearing loss is a loss like any other in our lives …it’s a death of part of an individual, [and you have] to move through the grief process.” Being a person with healthy hearing has been part of your unconscious identity for your entire life, so it is important to be patient with yourself when adjusting to accepting your hearing loss.
Keep close friends and relatives privy to the way you are feeling, and don’t be afraid to share your emotions. Make sure that you lean on your support system during this time and surround yourself with people who are going to allow you to feel whatever it is you need to feel. Our expert team specializes in helping you to have those conversations with your friends or family members. We will help you navigate the at times frustrating waters of communication deficits with compassion, empathy, and patience.
Know Your Treatment Options
The best thing about identifying your hearing loss, is that you can finally begin to seek treatment. Find a qualified hearing healthcare professional in your area who you trust to walk you through your treatment options. With modern technology, hearing aids are now extremely powerful and very effective in mitigating the negative effects of hearing loss. Hearing aids of today are also very discreet, and many of them are undetectable. Hearing healthcare professionals can also point you in the direction of support groups for those with hearing loss, either in person or online.
Be Patient with Yourself (and Your Hearing Aids)
Most likely, you didn’t lose your hearing overnight, so you will not treat and overcome your hearing loss overnight either. Be patient with your emotions and your feelings. Know that you are going to experience emotional highs and lows when coping with your hearing loss and that is perfectly ok and perfectly normal.
For some, it can take a while to find the right hearing aid that will best meet your needs. Even when you find the perfect hearing aid, there is an adjustment period to using them. Hearing aids do not work like glasses, with instantaneous results. Instead, hearing aids require a bit of fine tuning, require you to learn them, and also require some practice and patience.
Love Someone with Hearing Loss? This is how you can help them adjust.
It is important to be supportive in helping your loved ones learn to accept their hearing loss and deal with the associated emotions. Being open and honest about your own feelings is a good place to start. You can also take little steps like saying your loved one’s name before you speak to them, trying to avoid speaking from opposite ends of the room, and facing your loved one when you speak to them as often as possible.
Hearing Wellness Solutions
The team at Hearing Wellness Solutions provides the highest quality hearing healthcare in Springfield, Missouri area, including Ozark, Nixa, Republic, Willard, Rogersville, Strafford and Aurora. Our practice offers complimentary hearing testing, hearing aid evaluations and fittings, hearing aid reprogramming, hearing aid maintenance, hearing aid repairs and more. If you are experiencing signs of hearing loss, we invite you to schedule a consultation with our friendly hearing instrument specialist.