Watching sports with Ted is incredibly difficult. He has the volume turned up so high the walls rattle, and you definitely can’t tune in to the game. The commentator’s play-by-play calls are an ear shattering staccato against the deafening roar of the crowd.
It’s not pleasant. But for Ted, it’s a normal volume. Everything has to be at top volume for him to be able to hear it, making it pretty apparent that it’s time to consider hearing aids. You’re just not sure how to talk to him about that. It should be a simple discussion, but he seems excessively sensitive about the topic.
These tips are a good place to begin.
You Can Suggest he Gets a Basic Hearing Evaluation
Ted needs to find out more about his hearing from a specialist. Other people might not seem as credible when they tell him about it. If that’s the case, the strategy will be getting Ted (or anyone like him) to come see us.
One of the following strategies may help you do that:
- Attempt to make him feel more at ease by letting him know that it’s just a simple screening. In the vast majority of cases, hearing screenings are fast and easy. Ted will receive his results on an audiogram, which will analyze his hearing by frequency. The meaning of the information can then be clarified by us.
- Offer to get a screening too. This can make beginning the dialogue easier. You might discover that you also have some degree of hearing loss (it may depend on how long you’ve been subjected to a high-volume noise).
Discuss Hearing Loss Behaviors
Hearing loss is frequently undetectable because it progresses so gradually. When this occurs, you might acquire certain behaviors without realizing it. 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:
- Make him aware that he’s not using the phone as much as he used to because he has a hard time hearing what his friends are saying on the other end.
- Point out situations where you need to translate what somebody said. It may happen like this: your friend says something at dinner, Ted doesn’t hear or understand 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 struggling to hear. Every year it seems like fewer and fewer people are going over to watch the Big Game and that could be because the TV is so loud.
The goal during these discussions is to keep your discussion focused on these behaviors rather than the ailment. Instead of discussing how Ted is experiencing hearing loss, mention how his hearing loss impacts people in his life.
Highlight The Technology in Contemporary Hearing Aids
Outdated ideas of how a hearing aid affects your appearance and what hearing aids do, in some cases, leads to reticence to use one. It might not be a bad idea to emphasize the innovative technology utilized by contemporary hearing aids.
Here are some examples:
- Some hearing aids can even monitor your health and fitness biometrics and render them in real time as well as other added features.
- Modern hearing aids have an incredible 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.
- Usually, contemporary hearing aids are so small you can’t even see them. That’s not all, modern hearing aids are incredibly comfortable for the wearer. They’re not bulky like they once were. Most people will most likely never detect you’re wearing them.
For many individuals, hearing aids feel like an extension of their smartphones or tablets. Modern hearing aids are very useful pieces of technology that help you enjoy live streaming.
Highlight The Long-Term Advantages
Finally, take the time to point out the link between hearing loss and cognitive decline. In other words, your brain health depends on you being capable of hearing clearly.
You will keep more of your hearing undamaged in the long run if you address your hearing loss as soon as you can. Hearing aids are calibrated specifically to fill in the sound wavelengths which your ears have a difficult 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 understanding that will help convince people like Ted to seek help.