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First of all, you need to know that the typical person waits more than seven years before getting help. That’s because hearing loss develops very, very gradually, so the person probably doesn’t even notice a difference. Plus, only certain sounds are affected, so noises and speech may be loud enough, but many words are not clear enough. Unfortunately, this means that family and friends have to put up with annoyances and aggravations caused by untreated hearing loss, while the person with the hearing loss is convinced there’s really no problem, and simply tend to blame something else for their problems (“I would hear fine if people didn’t mumble.....if the TV were turned up....if the phone connection were better”).
Nobody wants to be told, “you should get hearing aids.” Try the following instead:
1) Suggest a hearing test. It’s easy and painless, and no one complains if the results indicate normal hearing.
2) Don’t criticize. Instead, stress that you simply want the person to stay in touch with people as easily as possible
3) Don’t compensate. When you have to speak louder, let the person know that you’re speaking louder than normal |
