A lot of people spend thousands of dollars on hearing aids in North America, only to shove them in a drawer somewhere or send them back to their hearing aid dispenser. In fact, in the U.S., the return rate on hearing aids is 20 percent.
Psychologist Sam Trychin says hearing loss is complex and affects every bodily system including the nervous system, the immune system and the digestive system. Psychologically, having hearing loss makes people feel less acceptable to others, less confident, less in control of their environment.
"We need to do several things," he says. "One is to teach people to manage their communications situations so they can prevent or reduce the kinds of difficulties they have. Another is to work on helping people manage themselves, manage emotional arousal -- anger, anxiety, fear, depression -- all of them."
He says patients need to be taught how to calm their internal systems, particularly in circumstances where they have no control over their environment.
"People with hearing loss always feel they're in trouble, which isn't the case. In some situations, you have problems, in other situations you have fewer problems. For example, there are places at home where people can talk and be understood. In other places, communications is more difficult. So you begin to see that there are things that can be done to manage hearing loss."
With Thanksgiving just around the corner, there are things family and spouses can do to support a person with hearing loss who is uncomfortable in noisy family situations. There are also things the person can do for themselves. Here are some of Dr. Trychon's suggestions:
- Send a note to everyone ahead of time reminding them that the person has a hearing loss and asking them to speak to the person face-to-face or one-on-one.
- Make individual appointments during the day to sit down together or take a walk and have a conversation.
- Post notes around the house reminding people to speak directly to the person.
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