Identifying a Hearing Loss
How Do I Know If I Have a Hearing Loss?
Many
times we see patients on what we fondly refer to as "spousal referral". It demonstrates
how hearing loss will affect the entire family even before the individual is
aware of its presence. We generally notice that it takes approximately 7 years
for a person with a hearing loss to finally decide to seek assistance for his
impairment.Some hearing losses can be improved through hearing aids, while others are mild enough to cause impairment, but the hearing is too good to notice significant benefit from aids. As such, evaluation and counseling in necessary from an audiologist not just for hearing aid recommendations but to address communication strategies.
The first step in any treatment is to determine if a loss is present and if so, to what extent and the cause. Once this is determined treatment can be discussed.
Indications You May Have a Hearing Loss
- Do you have difficulty following conversations in a noisy restaurant, groups of people or whenever background noise is present?
- Do you feel people mumble?
- Do you have difficulty hearing the TV when others set is to a comfortable volume for themselves?
- Do you hear better from one ear than another?
- Do you avoid situations because of hearing difficulty?
- Do you experience ringing in your ears?
- Do you have a history of noise exposure?
Information for Family and Friends - Effects of Hearing Loss
As most audiologists reiterate several times, hearing loss affects the entire family. We do a great deal of counseling with the family as they have difficulty understanding the effects hearing loss may have on a person, even after the aids have been fit. Those of us with normal hearing generally take for granted the ease with which we communicate. We may miss some words due to inattention or background noise, but for the most part, effortlessly switch between different environments and modes of communication (cell phone, listening to TV) without much thought.This is not the case for those with hearing loss. Crowded rooms overwhelm speech, phones are a challenge, even with aids as some cell phones interfere with the aids' function, while other aids are not adaptable with the phone use. Add to this the emotional and psychological adjustments to hearing loss. Our society is very intolerant to hearing loss in general, thus encouraging the denial and need to "hide" a loss. When you have a loss, many feel the need to control and plan each communication setting to avoid communication "mishaps".
As the support system for some with a hearing, the next few lines may give you some insight into their daily experiences with hearing loss. Repeat the words out loud to someone else and see if they understand…
| Severity of Loss | Effects on Words |
|---|---|
| Normal Hearing | Freddie thought he should find a whistle. |
| Mild Hearing Loss | Freddie though –e –ould –ind a whi-le. |
| Moderate Hearing Loss | -reddie –ough- -e –ould –i a –i-le |
| Severe to Profound Hearing Loss | LOUDmumble soft soft LOUD soft LOUDsoft |
(info from www.gwha.com