Improve Family Communication by Treating Hearing Loss

Perhaps the best gift you can give dad this Father’s Day is the gift of re-engagement into family life. What do we mean? Positive reinforcement to have dad or grandpa get their hearing loss treated will help them engage in the world around them – including the family! We offer personalized hearing loss treatment at Hearing Consultants. Each customer gets an individualized treatment plan, and doesn’t dad deserve that?

Hearing loss leads to tension

Is Dad turning the radio up louder and louder? Turning the television up all the time? Does this mean family members aren’t engaging in quality social activities at home because they are bothered by the volume? This leads to a feeling of frustration on the part of the family member experiencing hearing loss. It also leads to a sense of isolation in one’s own home.

When communication is difficult because you are constantly asking someone to repeat themselves or explain what you just tried to hear on the television, radio or even a phone conversation it can be exhausting and tempers fray. Perhaps the kids or grandkids don’t visit as much because there’s a lot of yelling going on.

Skipping social situations

You don’t want to be the dad or grandpa that stops going to recitals because you just can’t hear and then you can’t engage in a conversation about what you just attended with other family members. You don’t want to skip the celebrations of achievements at the ice cream or pizza parlor because conversations in a noisy place are just too difficult and its embarrassing to keep asking people to repeat themselves.

You don’t want to miss out on camping or fishing trips because you’re the guy that the others must keep yelling at or you are unable to participate in that quiet conversation around the campfire. You want to hear what family members have to say because communication is the foundation of all relationships. And they want you to hear them, they want you to be engaged in their lives!

Is it worth the risk?

Dads are one of the cornerstones of a family. If dad or grandpa is experiencing hearing loss, chances are its been going on awhile and hearing loss treatment would make things so much better! There are numerous studies that have documented the negative effects of untreated hearing loss on relationships with family, friends and co-workers. Over 48 million Americans has some hearing loss problems and many wait five to seven years after they begin having issues to get treatment.

A study done by Action on Hearing Loss involved 23 sets of domestic partners discussing hearing loss. They interviewed the person experiencing the loss and the partner. Each of the supportive partners said they wanted the partner with hearing loss to get treated and those not experiencing the hearing loss said that relationships were suffering because of it.

Often family members around someone experiencing hearing loss start thinking they are the problem and the person with the hearing loss is avoiding them. They think they’ve done something wrong. That is so far from the truth. You may be skipping interactions because you can’t understand the conversation and you don’t want to keep asking people to repeat themselves and other family members may be avoiding you because they think you are ignoring them.

The time for treatment is now

So Dad, the best gift family members can give you on Father’s Day if you are experiencing a hearing loss is a lot of supportive encouragement to get a hearing exam and get back on the road to a healthy family relationship. There are too many things you will miss if you don’t get your hearing loss treated.

Get out there and enjoy yourself at picnics, golf outings and even playing cards with your buddies without worrying about what someone just said and making an appropriate answer.

Hearing tests are painless and the team at Hearing Consultants can go through all the newest digital hearing aids and the wonderful technology associated with them that makes them easy and convenient to wear. They are more comfortable, there are invisible models and you can even wear them for a trial period to make sure you’ve got the model that is right for you!