More than half of the people over the age of 75 struggle with hearing loss. That being said, senior citizens aren’t the only ones that struggle with hearing loss. One in five Americans that are over the age of 12 will also struggle with hearing loss. And, according to the Hearing Health Foundation, more than 90% of children who are born with hearing loss will be born to parents with typical hearing.

While hearing loss is extremely common, it isn’t something that people are forced to live with. Over the years, there have been various solutions designed to help with hearing loss, one of the most common being hearing aids. 

Platinum Hearing Aids provides high-quality hearing aids to people of all ages within the Detroit area. In today’s blog post, we are going to go over a few of the signs that you want to keep an eye out for that are associated with hearing loss. If you do notice any of these signs in a loved one, make sure to schedule a hearing test with the team at Platinum Hearing Aids, and we would be more than happy to provide you with some further insight.

Difficulty Understanding Words

One of the first signs that people notice in their loved ones is an overall difficulty understanding and hearing words during a conversation. In many instances, this will first be noticed when conversations are taking place in a setting with quite a bit of background noise, but it will become all the more noticeable when there it has become difficult to understand others in even the quietest of settings.

Watching Mouths 

When individuals have a difficult time hearing what someone is saying, they often turn to watching the speaker’s lips rather than fight to listen. Lip reading is incredibly difficult at first, making the loss of hearing all the more frustrating. Even so, most people will resort to lip reading when they can’t hear, so if you notice that they’re more focused on your mouth while you’re talking, chances are it’s because they can’t hear you very well.

Loud Volume

Aside from struggling to hear during conversations, many individuals who are struggling with hearing loss will also turn the volume up on the devices that they’re using. From the TV to the radio, it’s extremely common for individuals struggling with hearing loss to hear at the standard volume level. So, what do they do? They turn it up! At times, individuals with hearing loss will watch TV so loud that other members of the household wind up with a headache. If that’s the case for your household, it’s definitely time to consider hearing aids for your loved one.

Muffled Speech

Changes in hearing are the first things that people think to look for, but that’s not the only thing that will change when there’s a decline in hearing. Another common area affected by a loss of hearing is speech. For many, speech becomes muffled when hearing starts to go, often because there’s a lack of confidence in what they’re saying because they can’t hear it back. 

Frustration in Social Situations

After reading all of the different early signs of hearing loss, you probably have a clear idea of why frustration would be something that most individuals would feel after a social event. Between struggling to follow a conversation, separating background noise from the words that someone is saying, and trying to read the lips of the speaker, it’s not surprising that someone hard of hearing is going to be exhausted. After a while, this frustration becomes more and more common, at which point it’s ideal timing to schedule a hearing test for a pair of hearing aids.

Trust the Team at Platinum Hearing Aids

A decline in hearing abilities looks different for everyone. While seniors are the most common age range that struggles with hearing ability, they’re certainly not the only ones that need to be aware of these signs. If you notice any of these signs with your child, your partner, your parents, or a friend that you care deeply about, consider bringing up that they are showing signs of a decline in hearing. More often than not, this will open up a conversation about the struggles that they’ve been having with their hearing.

In the case that a conversation does start about your loved ones hearing or you think a loved one could benefit from some hearing aids to help counter hearing loss, look no further than the team at Platinum Hearing Aids in Detroit. For years we have worked to provide people in the area with high-quality guidance and hearing aids so that they can enjoy the highest quality of life. Whether you’re interested in learning more about hearing aids or you’d like to get a hearing test scheduled, contact our office, and a member of our team will get you taken care of.

Hearing aids are truly a miraculous solution for those who suffer from hearing loss. With the simple help of an audiologist at our Detroit hearing aid center, a device can be perfectly fitted to an individual’s needs, providing them with a new ability to hear more clearly. Unfortunately, for many people, the idea of wearing a hearing aid comes with a certain stigma. Perhaps you have a loved one who is struggling with their hearing but they refuse to consider a hearing aid for fear of what other people will think. You know that wearing a hearing aid would help them enjoy life more fully, but you aren’t sure how to help them see that there is nothing to be ashamed of when wearing a hearing aid.

If this is the situation you are facing, check out these tips for helping your loved one accept a hearing aid as a viable solution and to overcome the stigmas they see attached to this wonderful technological advancement.

#1: Talk About Modern Hearing Aids

One of the first ways you can tackle a fear of wearing a hearing aid is to introduce your loved one to the modern world of hearing aids. Perhaps they are imagining the bulky and cumbersome hearing aids of old.

The good news is that as technology has advanced, so have hearing aids. Today, hearing aids are customized to fit perfectly and are virtually unnoticeable. In most situations, no one will even be able to tell that your loved one is wearing the hearing aid.

#2: Listen To Their Concerns

If your loved one is hesitant to see an audiologist for a hearing assessment, take some time to understand why. Are they worried about a diagnosis that is bleak? Are they concerned about looking old? Everyone has their own reasoning for why they are holding back. It is important to take the time to understand what is at the root of the issue so that you can better help your loved one overcome these hesitations.

#3: Be Supportive

At the end of the day, the best way you can help your loved one overcome hearing loss is by being extremely supportive. Talk to them about the options that are available and assist them as they look through their choices. Be there to process with them the changes they might need to make and offer them your unending support no matter what they decide to do.

#4: Talk About How It Will Improve Their Quality Of Life

Finally, if your loved one starts to consider hearing aids and is becoming more open to the idea, spend some time discussing the ways their quality of life will improve. Perhaps when you go out with friends, they are often left sitting alone unable to follow the conversation due to poor hearing. Point out how they will once again be able to partake in group conversations. Maybe they often feel embarrassed because they can’t track with what you or someone else is saying. Discuss how great it will feel for them to be in the loop again.

With the advent of modern technology, hearing aids truly do offer a wonderful gift to many. Stop by our Detroit office today to meet with an audiologist and to learn more about the possibility of hearing aids for your loved one.