Watching sports with Ted is incredibly frustrating. He has the volume turned up so high the walls shake, and you surely can’t tune in to the game. The announcer’s play-by-play calls are an ear shattering staccato against the deafening roar of the crowd.
It’s not fun. But the volume seems fine for Ted. He requires the TV to be tremendously loud so he can hear it, which makes it rather obvious he needs a hearing aid. How to talk to him about it is the difficulty. It should be a simple discussion, but he seems overly sensitive about the topic.
The following are some recommendations that could help.
You Can Suggest he Gets a Basic Hearing Test
Ted has to learn more about his hearing from an expert. He might not believe other people when they inform him he needs a hearing aid. If that’s the case, the strategy will be getting Ted (or anyone like him) to come see us.
One of the following strategies might help you do that:
- Offer to get a screening with him. This is a beneficial way to discuss a new medical situation. You may find out that you also have some level of hearing impairment (it may depend on how long you’ve been exposed to a high-volume noise).
- Stress that he’ll only be having a simple screening. In the vast majority of cases, hearing screenings are fast and easy. His hearing will be categorized by frequency on an audiogram. We can explain what the results indicate.
Chat About Hearing Loss Behaviors
Hearing loss happens slowly, often progressing 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 focusing on these behaviors.
Try something like the following:
- Remind Him that he’s not talking on the phone as much as he once did because he has a difficult time hearing what his friends are saying on the other end.
- Point out situations where you need to translate what somebody said. It may happen like this: your friend says something at breakfast, Ted doesn’t hear or understand it, and you need to repeat what they said to Ted because you’re closer to him.
- You could tell him the family has observed he’s been having a difficult time hearing. Perhaps that’s why fewer individuals are going to his house to watch the Big Game each year, they have a difficult time dealing with the loud television.
When you have these conversations focusing on these behaviors, not the condition, will be the goal. Instead of discussing how Ted is experiencing hearing impairment, mention how his hearing loss impacts those around him.
Talk About Hearing Aid Technology
Sometimes, reluctance to wearing hearing aids comes from antiquated (but understandable) notions of what hearing aids do and how they influence one’s personal appearance. It might not be a bad idea to emphasize the innovative technology utilized by contemporary hearing aids.
Here are some examples:
- Some hearing aids can even monitor your health and fitness biometrics and translate them in real time as well as other added features.
- The technology of modern hearing aids is pretty advanced. Thanks to connectivity, for example, your hearing aids will pair seamlessly with your phone or even your TV speakers. With this tech, the volume of your devices will be amplified without noise and feedback.
- Modern hearing aids are typically extremely small and almost completely unseen to the naked eye. And, modern hearing aids are also comfortable to wear. They’re not cumbersome like they once were. Most people will probably never notice you’re wearing them.
Hearing aids, for many individuals, are an ideal extension to their other smart technology. Modern hearing aids are very helpful pieces of technology that help you enjoy live streaming.
Highlight The Long-Term Benefits
Lastly, it’s worth taking time to mention the long-term advantages of hearing aids, which have been shown to help people keep (or recover) their cognitive faculties. To put it bluntly, hearing is critical to a person’s mental health.
You will keep more of your hearing undamaged in the long run if you manage your hearing loss as soon as possible. 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. Simply turning your television volume up isn’t a substitute for this valuable technology.
Getting treatment as soon as you begin experiencing hearing loss can help save your hearing, and understanding that will help convince people like Ted to seek help.