Is Your Hearing Loss Negatively Affecting Your Relationships?

If you have hearing loss, you may have noticed frustrations from family or coworkers. Some moments may pass by smoothly, while other times there may be pure confusion and then outright anger.  

Poor Communication   

One common issue that people with hearing loss, or friends, family, and colleagues of those with hearing loss experience, is miscommunication. In some instances, it might have already been difficult to communicate with one another, even with healthy hearing. If one person in the relationship cannot hear due to a hearing impairment, it can lead to more frustration.     

If you get into an argument with your partner, and they need to frequently repeat themselves, they may give up trying to talk to you. As a result, the quality of communication will worsen and cause distress in the relationship. 

It is important to communicate clearly and efficiently to make a relationship work. Here are some tips to accomplish this:

1. Be patient with one another. 
2. The partner without hearing loss has to recognize how difficult it can be to hear everything that is said, even if the hearing impaired person wears hearing aids. 
3. The partner with hearing loss should recognize the difficulty in trying to communicate.

Arguments Arise

Due to miscommunications, arguments can easily occur. One partner might feel as though the other is not listening to them. This is usually not what’s happening. Or, the partner with hearing loss refuses to get treatment for their impairment and arguments arise from that situation. It’s important for each of you to communicate what’s bothering you, in order to find a solution for your strained relationship.  

Can Hearing Aids Help Improve Relationships? 

The first step you can take to address your hearing loss is by scheduling a hearing test. Your hearing healthcare provider will be able to determine the degree of hearing loss, and what hearing aid solution would work best for your listening needs. Here are some things that will be discussed with your hearing healthcare provider:

1. The severity of your hearing loss - There are different styles of hearing aids for different ranges of hearing loss. Depending on how severe your hearing loss is, your hearing instrument specialist will guide you and make suggestions for your needs. 
2. Style preferences - Some prefer discreet hearing aids, while others don’t mind a colorful style that can be seen by most people. Most hearing aids can be customized in order to blend in or stand out as much as the wearer wants.    
3. Your lifestyle - Your personal hobbies or recreational interests might make you gravitate towards certain hearing devices. If you need something that is easier to handle due to dexterity problems, a larger hearing aid might be more appropriate.

Hearing Aid Styles Available

There are so many different styles of hearing aids. Your hearing instrument specialist can show you which style would best suit your needs. The style available at Pure Sound Hearing include:

• In-the-ear (ITE)
• In-the-canal (ITC)
• Behind-the-ear (BTE)
• Completely in canal (CIC)
• Invisible in canal (IIC)

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For a complimentary hearing test and hearing aid trial, contact us at Pure Sound Hearing to schedule an appointment. 

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