Things to Consider if You Think You or Someone You Know Has a Hearing Loss:
For most adults, the onset and progression of a hearing loss extend over some time.Often, people will blame their hearing problems on the nature of the other person’s speech. For example, someone might say: “If people wouldn’t mumble, I could hear! “Or, “People talked a lot clearer when I was younger.” One’s family and friends are likely to be the first to notice some difficulty hearing, long before the person does.
Typically at this stage, the individual will deny a problem. This is understandable since there is usually great variability in how the person functions in various situations and with different people. In some situations and with some people, he or she may do pretty well.
People will not be aware of what they don’t hear (like the sounds of birds, the beep of the microwave, and soft everyday sounds). They will be aware that they do not understand speech, as when they say, “I can hear but can’t understand,” especially the high-pitched voices of children.Family members frequently complain that the TV volume is set too high, leading to some family squabbles.
The person with hearing loss will notice difficulty in understanding when someone talks from another room. Probably, the major complaint of people with hearing loss is the difficulty they experience in comprehending speech in any kind of noisy place (restaurants, receptions, large family dinners, in the car, or on a plane). Group conversations are particularly difficult, especially when there is a great deal of cross-talk.
These increasing difficulties in hearing may produce conflict between the person with hearing loss and family members, with the family insisting on getting help and the person with hearing loss reluctant to recognize the reality. This stage may last for seven or more years before the hearing loss and the problems that go along with it are acknowledged and help is sought. Get a hearing test to know for sure.
Source: www/hearingloss.com