There are specialist’s who deal with hearing loss problems and you should seek their help if you are having hearing issues. They are known as an otolaryngologist and they help in diagnosing and treating diseases related to ear, nose and throat. Once it is known that the kind of hearing loss and the degree of impairment, they will set out to prescribe the right kind of treatment to solve your issues. If you have to be fitted with hearing aids, they will consider the options as which kind will suit you better and counsel you better. You would have to deal with this when you have an age-related hearing loss.
How does hearing loss happen?
Hearing loss can run in families and may be hereditary. It may be caused to some infections in the ear or medications and also age-related hearing loss. The most effected people are the miners, construction worker, people working at airports, musicians etc. as they are frequently surrounded by noises emitting in all directions. Noise related hearing losses are now on par with age related ones.
The treatment modes that are employed
- Hearing aids
- Cochlear implants
- Assistive listening device
- Lip reading or speech reading
Each is employed for a different degree of hearing the loss in people. People with partial hearing loss can make do with hearing aids and you would have to try out the various versions of the hearing aids in the market that is available that will make you feel comfortable. The cochlear implants are people who can’t hear at all and surgically an electronic device is implanted into the ears of the person to help them gain the sense of sound. Assistive listening devices are amplifying the sounds of phones or other devices to suit the requirements of the person who finds the difficulty in hearing. Lip reading or learning sign language are some of the other methods in which this can help the person know what they are saying.
The support of friends and family
During the difficult times coping with hearing loss friends and family should be empathetic and inclusive of the family members who are dealing with such issues. Speak about the issues you are dealing with and make them understand how vital it is for them to stay connected. Don’t shy away and hide your hearing loss as people will soon find out. Tell your friends to talk to you facing you so you can read their expressions when the conversations are going on, it will help the person with hearing loss gauge what is being talked about when the treatment is going on. Discuss with them the help your seeking and take their suggestions too as there may be other who too would have faced a similar situation as yours.
When you are dealing with hearing loss, tell people to speak a little higher than they normally do so that you would be able to hear them but not shout in your ears to convey the message. Turning off other distractions help, and you can actively understand the other conversations that you weren’t able to catch up. There are chances that you may tend to speak louder when you don’t yourself hear, so be aware of that and ask your family member s whether off late started to shout out your conversations.