Lots of seniors find out that they’re dealing with hearing loss. It’s a common impairment for aging adults, although it can be frustrating. Hearing loss can have a significant impact on quality of life for seniors, even causing them to withdraw from the people they love. Understanding more about hearing loss and how it affects seniors lets family caregivers offer them more support. Senior home care providers can also help families accommodate seniors with hearing issues.
Understanding Hearing Loss
Most of the time, seniors experience gradual hearing loss rather than a sudden loss of hearing. This causes them to have more trouble understanding and engaging in conversations and perceiving speech and audio as mumbling. Seniors who are experiencing hearing loss might continually turn up the volume on radios and televisions. As hearing loss progresses, they may avoid social situations and avoid conversations because of the trouble they experience.
Problems with Hearing Loss
Hearing loss is a problem for seniors because they can’t hear well, but the problems don’t end there. Studies have connected hearing loss and cognitive decline because of how the brain processes sound. Seniors may also feel embarrassed, upset, or depressed because of their hearing changes. They can face safety issues, especially when they don’t hear essential alarms or sounds in public that can indicate danger. Worst of all, seniors may start to isolate themselves because hearing issues make life more difficult.
Hearing Aids and Assistive Devices
Very often, hearing loss can’t be reversed or corrected. But hearing aids and other assistive devices may be able to assist to a certain extent. Remembering to use these devices can be a big hurdle, especially if seniors don’t enjoy wearing them. Home care providers can help seniors to remember to wear their devices, and also help them change batteries or charge the devices as necessary.
Regular Hearing Assessments
Regular hearing tests with their doctors or with hearing experts can help seniors stay on top of how their hearing loss is progressing. With prompt treatment, seniors may be able to slow down the hearing loss they are experiencing, especially if they can still protect some of their hearing. Avoiding loud noises and maintaining good health overall can help. Sometimes hearing loss is caused by medications. Stopping the medication before the damage is permanent may allow the hearing loss to reverse itself.
Communicating Effectively
Seniors who are already experiencing significant hearing loss may need to adopt some new communication strategies. Looking directly at someone when talking to them can help quite a bit, especially if they’re able to somewhat read lips. Reducing background noise as much as possible reduces competing noises. Visual cues are another option, as well as writing notes when seniors have a lot of trouble hearing.
Hearing loss doesn’t have to completely isolate seniors. They can still maintain a high quality of life and enjoy the things they love. Senior home care providers can help aging adults maintain an active life, safely, as they age in place. The key is often to find workarounds that seniors find helpful.
If you or an aging loved one are considering senior home care in Littleton, CO, please contact the caring staff at SYNERGY HomeCare of Parker. 303-953-9924
