Acknowledging the Reality of Hearing Loss

Have you ever thought you’re alone in hearing loss? The reality is that nearly 40 million Americans struggle to hear, and half of all seniors over the age of 70 have hearing loss. You might not want to admit that you struggle to follow conversations, or that you just can’t hear like you used to but acknowledging the reality of hearing loss is an important first step to maintain your physical, mental, and emotional health.

The Reality of Hearing Loss

Almost 1 in 5 Americans are living with hearing loss, ranging from mild to profound. Those with mild hearing loss might not know they have hearing loss yet but are still facing the effects of hearing loss in their relationships with family and friends. Those with profound hearing loss are usually the most likely to seek treatment, since their hearing loss can be extremely debilitating, and impact their ability to interact with friends, drive a car, or keep a job.

Getting Lost in Translation

If you’ve been struggling to hear, you know that the reality of hearing loss is very isolating. Whether you want to admit it or not, your hearing loss has kept you from communicating clearly, and has come between you and the people you love the most. How many times a day to you ask your spouse to repeat themselves? Do you think the kids have started mumbling, and that it’s their fault you can never seem to catch the meaning of what’s been said?

Living with untreated hearing loss can feel like everyone around you is speaking a different language. You can hear most of the sounds, but can’t quite piece together the sentences, or make sense of it all. This is because when you experience hearing loss, high sounds and consonant sounds are the first to be lost. You may think you’re hearing everything, but without the consonants to give meaning to the words, it can feel like everyone around you is speaking gibberish.

Facing Loneliness

While you do always manage to communicate with your spouse, it’s a different matter when it comes to your friends. In the quiet of your living room you can often catch enough of what’s being said to follow the conversation. But when you find yourself in a large group with lots of conversations happening at once or meet your friends in a crowded restaurant with a lot of background noise, you just can’t understand anything that’s being said.

Have you chosen to stay at home rather than meet friends for dinner? Those living with hearing loss often choose to isolate themselves rather than face the frustration and embarrassment of not being able to hear. This might seem like a good solution at first, but without your friends, you’ll start to feel isolated, and face long evenings at home along, increasing loneliness, and often leading to stress, lack of motivation, and even depression.

Cognitive Decline

For those living with untreated hearing loss, cognitive decline is a real concern. You might think dementia is only a problem for the elderly, but the reality is that hearing loss increases your risk of developing dementia, and often leads to an earlier onset of this cognitive decline. You’re also more likely to experience problems with memory, and have difficulty focusing on tasks or expressing yourself clearly.

Facing the Truth

If you want to do the right thing for your hearing health, you need to acknowledge the reality of hearing loss, and simply admit to yourself and your loved ones that you’re struggling to hear. After you’ve admitted that you can’t hear, the hard part is over. The next step is to get your life back by visiting us at Orange Country Physicians’ Hearing Services for a hearing assessment. We’ll test your ability to hear in quiet and in noise and ask a few questions about your overall health and lifestyle.

We’re here to help you find the perfect device that fits your hearing needs and lifestyle, so you’ll be hearing clearly in every environment. Finding a hearing aid can seem like a challenge, but we’ll be with you at every step of the way, helping you select the model and features that will fit your unique hearing needs.