Not everyone likes to talk about areas they are struggling with. Many elderly people of the boomer and builder generations have long since been brought up to not complain or bother others with things that may negatively affect them. Those long-ingrained rules of life can make it difficult for your loved one to tell you if he’s struggling to hear the world around him. A senior home care provider may have more insight into what areas he’s been struggling with hearing and gently point them out to him.
Signs Your Elderly Loved One Is Struggling to Hear Well
For some elderly adults, the loss of hearing is so gradual they have not really noticed a change and have just become accustomed to making certain accommodations to hear better. Others feel shame about losing their hearing and thus will not mention it to anyone. They might also have a fear of what the next steps will look like for them if they discover they do have hearing loss.
Withdrawn from activities. If your loved one is struggling to follow conversations or gets embarrassed about asking someone to repeat a phrase repeatedly so he can hear it, he may simply start withdrawing from some activities. Keep an eye out for him withdrawing from events he used to enjoy such as family gatherings or a local football game. Large events with lots of people are often the most difficult places for those with hearing loss.
Volumes are turned up extremely high. While a slight hearing loss may require your loved one to turn up the volume a bit, if his senior home care provider notices the TV is blaring from two rooms away or they can hear the person speaking to your loved one on his phone, his hearing loss might be more prevalent than he’s letting on.
Provided non-sensical answers. Do you ask your loved one what he wants for lunch, and he answers with something that has nothing to do with lunch, he might not have heard you but is afraid to ask you to repeat it. (This can easily happen if people have been showing frustration with continually repeating themselves for him.)
Missed important sounds around the home. If you enter the home and the timer on the microwave is going off without any response from your loved one, he might not hear it.
Made comments about not hearing some common sounds. Your loved one may tell you he misses hearing the birds sing in the morning or he’s noticed the neighbor’s dog doesn’t bark that much anymore. These sounds may not have lessened but instead, he no longer hears them.
Encouraging Your Loved One to Get His Hearing Checked
Be patient as you try to discuss with your loved one about getting his hearing checked and possibly treated. Sometimes having someone like a senior home care provider step in and help with the conversation (or conversations if he’s particularly stubborn), can help him consider the concern seriously.
Remind your loved one that hearing loss does not affect his value as a person and that many people lose their hearing as they age.
Finally, let him know there will be several options for treatment, and he has the choice to do or not do any treatment options, but the goal is to keep him safe and help him enjoy life to the fullest.
If you or an aging loved one are considering Senior Home Care Services in Laguna Beach CA, please call the caring staff at Canaan Home Care today! 1-844-CANAAN-1 (1-844-226-2261)
Canaan Home Care – A Premier Provider of Senior Home Care in the La Jolla, Del Mar, San Diego, Rancho Santa Fe, Newport Beach, Laguna Beach, Huntington Beach, Irvine, Tustin, and Manhattan Beach areas.
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