Watching sports with Ted is incredibly difficult. He has the volume turned up so loud the walls shake, and you definitely can’t pay attention to the game. All you can hear is the thunder of the crowd hammering against your body, punctuated by the ear-shattering staccato of the commentator’s play-by-play calls.
It isn’t by any means pleasant. But the volume sounds fine for Ted. Everything has to be at max volume in order for him to hear it, making it pretty obvious that it’s time to consider hearing aids. How to talk to him about it is the difficulty. His sensitivity about the topic makes what should be a straightforward conversation a lot more challenging.
These tips are a good place to begin.
You Can Recommend he Gets a Simple Hearing Test
Ted needs a specialist to inform him about his hearing. He might not trust other people when they tell him he needs a hearing aid. In that situation, the strategy will be convincing Ted (or anyone like him) to come see us.
You may be able to do that by using one of the following strategies:
- Emphasize that he’ll only be undergoing a quick screening. In most cases, hearing screenings are fast and easy. Ted will receive his results on an audiogram, which will analyze his hearing by frequency. The significance of the results can then be broken down by us.
- Recommend the two of you go together for back-to-back screenings. This is a beneficial way to broach a new medical situation. You might discover that you also have some level of hearing impairment (depending on how long you’ve been exposed to loud noise).
Chat About Hearing Loss Behaviors
Hearing loss happens slowly, often advancing so slowly it’s unnoticeable. Specific subconscious behaviors frequently develop when this occurs. By focusing your discussion on those behaviors, you can subtly (or not so subtly) hint that Ted (or somebody like him) needs a hearing aid.
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 hard time hearing what his friends are saying on the other end.
- Mention that you’ve noticed how frequently you’re “translating” for him. It may happen like this: your friend says something at breakfast, Ted doesn’t hear or comprehend it, and you have to repeat what they said to Ted because you’re closer to him.
- Informing him that his family has noticed him straining to hear. Each year it seems as if fewer and fewer people are going over to see the Big Game and that could be because the TV is turned up so loud.
When you have these talks focusing on these behaviors, not the condition, will be the objective. Instead of talking about how Ted is experiencing hearing impairment, mention how his hearing loss effects those around him.
Talk About Hearing Aid Technology
Outdated notions of how a hearing aid affects your appearance and what hearing aids do, in some cases, leads to reticence to wear one. It may not be a bad idea to emphasize the innovative technology used by contemporary hearing aids.
Here are some examples:
- Modern hearing aids are typically very small and almost completely imperceptible to the naked eye. And, modern hearing aids are also comfortable to wear. They’re not bulky like they once were. Most people will most likely never notice you’re wearing them.
- Some hearing aids can even track your health and fitness biometrics and render them in real time as well as other additional features.
- Modern hearing aids contain a considerable amount of technology. Your hearing aid will connect wirelessly with your phone, TV, and other smart devices thanks to Bluetooth® connectivity. This delivers amplified volumes without noise or feedback.
For many people, hearing aids feel like an extension of their smartphones or tablets. Modern hearing aids are extremely helpful pieces of technology that allow you to enjoy live streaming.
Highlight The Long-Term Advantages
Lastly, it’s worth taking time to mention the long-term benefits of hearing aids, which have been demonstrated to help people keep (or recover) mental equity. To put it bluntly, hearing is essential to a person’s mental health.
You will keep more of your hearing undamaged in the long run if you treat your hearing loss as soon as possible. Hearing aids are calibrated specifically to fill in the sound wavelengths which your ears have a hard time discerning. When you simply turn up the volume you don’t fill in the particular missing frequencies.
Getting treatment as soon as you begin noticing hearing loss can help save your hearing, and knowing that will help convince people like Ted to seek help.
