Delivering comprehensive hearing care and the best hearing aids in Ireland since 2005

Worried A Friend Or Loved One Has Hearing Loss?

At Connect Hearing we are fully aware of how hard it can be to help someone you care about come to terms with their hearing loss. Whether you are trying to diagnose your concern or just gain more information contact us and we can help. We will work together with you to ensure that any hearing problems are diagnosed and treated. So you can be happy that your loved one is getting the best opportunity to live a full and active life un-hindered by hearing loss.

Unlike an obvious injury, hearing loss can be quite difficult for someone who suffers with it to recognise. This is because of the nature of the onset of hearing loss, it is very rarely sudden, and often develops gradually over a long period of time. Quite often the very last person to realise they have hearing loss is the person suffering with it. A hearing loss happens over many years in a slow and almost insidious manner. Because of this slow process and the slow change in a person's terms of reference. It can be many years before someone realises that they have a hearing loss. This why you are sure there is a problem and they are unsure.

Hearing Loss More Apparent To You

Hearing loss is unlike sight loss, when you have problems with your sight, you know it immediately. However when you cannot hear a sound, it simply no longer exists for you. Hearing loss is often more apparent for the people around the person suffering. For this reason, the people involved with a person with hearing loss are key players in helping them overcome hearing loss. But how can you tell if your loved one is having trouble hearing?

The Seven Signs Of Hearing Loss

There are seven clear signs that a person may be suffering with hearing loss. We will detail them here and explain the background to the causes of them later. If your loved one is displaying two or more signs related here, you should try and get them to get their hearing tested or take our online hearing test

Seven Signs of Hearing Loss

1.Difficulty understanding people, especially in noise
2.Asking people to repeat themselves
3.The need to have instructions repeated
4.A high volume level on the TV or stereo
5.Difficulty hearing telephone conversations
6.Difficulty when people are speaking in another room
7.Difficulty when people are speaking in another room

Understanding The Seven Signs

Difficulty understanding people, especially in crowded places like bars or restaurants

Because of the nature of most hearing loss the most difficult sounds to hear are the very soft consonants in speech. These are soft but important sounds in words, because they give words meaning. These sounds are of high importance in speech but they tend not to have a great deal of power. These sounds are even more difficult to hear when there is any level of background noise, which increases the problems for people with hearing loss.

Asking people to repeat themselves

Because it is difficult to understand some speech sounds, quite often someone with hearing loss may repeatedly ask someone to repeat themselves. The issue is a clarity problem usually, not necessarily a volume problem.

The need to have instructions repeated. A clear sign that there may be a problem

A person with hearing loss uses concentration as one of their coping mechanisms. Because “instruction” involves the passing of important information from the giver to the receiver, it requires an even greater level of concentration for the listener. The hearing loss becomes more obvious when the person cannot achieve the needed level of concentration . It takes even more effort to understand and remember the information that is being passed on to them.

Withdrawal From Social Situations

This is an established and much studied implication and symptom of hearing loss. Eventually social situations become too tiring, frustrating and stressful. So people with hearing loss simply withdraw from them; it is simply much easier not to go. This can be devastating and studies have shown that it can lead to depression.

A High Volume Level On The TV Or Stereo

Traditionally this is one of the first and biggest signs of hearing loss, and it is also one of the biggest causes of arguments. It can in fact put a real strain on relationships. The reason for the issue is essentially the same as the problems for hearing in noise. Soft consonants can be very difficult for a person with hearing loss. This is often compounded by accents that a person is unfamiliar with.

Difficulty Hearing Telephone Conversations

Without visual cues, understanding voices on the telephone can be very problematic. Sometimes a volume control on the telephone will help, but again most often the issue is not of volume but clarity. Because specific sounds of speech may be missing for the listener, the words are difficult to understand. This is particularly true while trying to understand digits, such as a phone number that is being recorded.

Difficulty When People Are Speaking In Another Room

This is a combination of general volume of the voice and missing of the soft consonants in speech. Both cause real difficulties in this type of situation. Because the speaker is not visible and the listener is not able to Difficulty following group conversations Again mostly the issue here is with those consonants, it can be especially hard for a person with hearing loss to hear them. Particularly when people are talking across each other as happens in the best conversations. Further compounded by laughter as we all know happens in the best conversations.

For Hearing Tests in Dublin

Call 01 207 3132 for South Dublin and 01 818 6850 for North Dublin to arrange your appointment

For Hearing Tests in Letterkenny

Call 074 911 3296 to arrange your appointment

The Impact Of Hearing Loss

Hearing loss greatly impacts the quality of a person’s life and it can be particularly hard to watch a loved one struggle with their hearing. In many cases, their hearing loss is more apparent to you than it is to them. If hearing loss is left untreated, it can leave a person feeling isolated or withdrawn to a level where they avoid social situations and contact. It very often is frustrating for both the person experiencing hearing loss and those around them. It often leads to tension which further increases the feeling of isolation and may re-enforce the withdrawal from social activities. If any of the seven signs of hearing loss are a common occurrence with your loved one, then it is time to consider seeking some help.

Connect Hearing, Helping You Live A Full & Active Life Un-Hindered By Hearing Loss

Call Us On 1800 848 888, You Won't Regret It

Connect Hearing have reconnected me to my surroundings. Being part of the crowd is now wonderful. Here to fore I was on the side-line trying to keep up with the conversation and desperately trying to make those around me know I was interested in what they were saying. The after care and service is first class, I have absolutely no hesitation in recommending Connect Hearing as ‘THE PLACE’ to go and get your hearing checked

DT - Letterkenny