Suffering from age-related hearing loss is not a minor aggravation — yes, it is annoying to have to ask for everything to be repeated and equally annoying that others have to yell so they can be heard, but the impact on someone’s life as they lose hearing goes far beyond a little daily irritation.
You miss a lot when you have hearing loss. It can be more than a little isolating.
Even a slight decline means you don’t hear well in noisy situations, or you don’t pick up on nuances in tone of voice. Talking on the phone becomes a chore. You miss the odd comment in a group conversation. Sometimes you just can’t take part in a group conversation because you can’t clearly hear what’s being said. You fake it with a smile and a nod.
Noticing the early symptoms of hearing loss and getting a hearing evaluation can help set a baseline so you will know going forward if it’s getting worse.
You may have a hard time with words that sound alike — south and soap, for instance. Sometimes you “mishear” and mistake can for can’t. You miss everyday sounds: birds, babies, kids’ chatter. Family gatherings get harder for you to actively participate in.
Your standard line becomes “you didn’t tell me that,” when in fact you just didn’t hear it the first time.
You really have no idea how much you miss out on.
Aside from the social aspects of hearing loss, some fairly serious problems arise due to untreated hearing loss.
A Johns Hopkins study found that even mild hearing loss can double the risk of developing dementia. The more severe your hearing loss, the higher the risk. Deafness can contribute to brain atrophy. So yeah, not good. If you have severe hearing loss, your risk of dementia is five times greater.
I notice that I periodically have to ask someone to repeat something. If the person is talking really fast, I sometimes have trouble picking up on everything they’ve said. At this point I don’t think I have hearing loss, but I am aware that I might. In fact, approximately 30 per cent of people over 65 have some hearing loss.
It does not hurt to get your hearing checked. Hearing aids are almost invisible. They can connect to your cell phone or your TV. They really could be considered a convenience because you can answer your phone without actually touching your phone.
When I was younger, my great-grandmother lived with my parents. She was well into her 90s when she moved in at 200 Upper Water Street. She was as sharp as a tack and still making quilt tops and quilting mostly by feel because her eyesight wasn’t great. She was deaf. She had hearing aids that helped somewhat.
My mother was constantly harping at me to spend some time with Grammy Weaver. I would do it — grudgingly — but I would do it. She was a whiz at Canasta, so that was a good way to spend time with her.
Conversations were tough because of her hearing loss. She was born in 1880, and I remember thinking I would love to hear about her life when she was growing up and the changes she had seen in her lifetime. It was a trial (for impatient me at the age) to talk to her about her life. Questions had to be repeated sooooo many times. I found it hard.
Thinking back on it, I realize just how nasty and selfish I was being. My great-grandmother, who had a store of knowledge in that sharp brain of hers, was being forsaken because I didn’t have the patience to repeat questions or speak louder or even write questions down for her. I shudder to think at how I must have made her feel. Debbie, Debbie, Debbie – do better.
I think one of the reasons she stayed sharp in spite of the hearing loss was my mother. She made sure to have conversations with Grammy Weaver. Mom set up a quilting frame in the living room. If you were sitting in the living room doing nothing and Mom spotted you, well, you were going to sit and quilt. And Grammy Weaver would tell you what to do. My mother forced it. I’m sure she did not have any idea about social isolation or dementia, but she knew it was important for us to know our great-grandmother.
There is probably someone in your life just like my great-grandmother.
There is no stigma associated with hearing loss. There is no downside to getting hearing aids. In fact, the benefits of hearing aids far outweigh any feeble objections you might have. Your quality of life improves with hearing aids, and your risk of dementia is reduced.
Maybe you think it makes you look old to have hearing aids. Well, we are old. You don’t like the look or feel of them. That excuse is not great either. New hearing aids are tiny and inconspicuous. No one but you will know you are wearing them. (Well, I’ll amend that – people close to you will know because they won’t have to repeat everything).
Like anything new, you need to adapt.
