Helping a loved one with hearing loss

You are usually the one who notices first. Hearing well can change a person's life, and it often takes someone else to start. What follows is what you are seeing, how to raise it without it turning into an argument, and what happens once they are in the room. You are welcome to call us before they do.

Call (561) 368-7600 Book an appointment

Walk-ins welcome during business hours, and you can come with them.

What you are probably noticing

Hearing loss is easier to see from the outside than from the inside. It arrives slowly enough that the person living with it adjusts without registering the change.

The television keeps getting louderUsually the first thing a household notices, and the first thing it argues about.

Everybody mumblesConsonants go first. Vowels carry the volume and consonants carry the meaning, so speech sounds present but indistinct.

Restaurants and groups get declinedOne person at home is manageable. Six people and background noise is not, so invitations quietly stop being accepted.

The phone gets avoidedNo face to read, and a narrower range of sound than being in the room.

They answer a different questionOr agree with something they did not catch, which is easier than asking a third time.

They have gone quiet in companyPulling back from conversation often gets read as mood or memory when the cause is hearing.

How to bring it up

Almost nobody responds well to being told they have a problem.

Pick the momentNot during the argument about the television, and not in front of the grandchildren.

Talk about moments, not about hearing"You missed what Sarah said at dinner" lands differently from "your hearing is going."

Ask rather than tell"Is it hard to follow at the club?" invites an answer. "You cannot hear" invites a defence.

Offer the test, not the hearing aidsA hearing test commits them to nothing, and it is an easier place to start than a purchase.

Offer to come alongBringing someone is normal here. You have noticed things they have stopped noticing.

Expect several conversationsIt often takes months. That is ordinary, not a failure.

Making conversation easier

These help whether or not they end up with hearing aids.

Let them see your faceA great deal of speech is read off lips and expression. This matters more still if their vision has changed.

Get their attention firstSay their name and wait. The opening words of a sentence are the ones most often lost.

Rephrase rather than repeatIf it did not land, different words usually work better than the same words louder.

Do not shoutShouting distorts the sounds it is meant to clarify, and it changes the tone of the conversation.

Turn the background downThe television, the extractor fan, the restaurant table nearest the kitchen.

One voice at a timeSeveral people talking at once is the hardest listening there is.

When you come in together

We talk to the patient, not around them. If you have noticed things they have not, say so in the room. We also show families how to make everyday conversation easier, and go through the assistive devices that connect to hearing aids, phones, and televisions.

Elissa Sorkowitz Lejeune teaches patients and their families about hearing loops and Auracast, the systems that send sound straight to a hearing aid in theatres and public buildings. If that would help someone you care for, ask and we will set aside time for it.

"Caregivers are instrumental in the rehabilitation of hearing."

How a hearing evaluation works

Questions families ask

They will not go. What do I do?+

You are in the majority. Most people put this off for years, and it often takes several conversations spread over months. You are welcome to call us first and talk it through.

Can I make the appointment for them?+

Yes. Call us and we will book it. Plenty of first appointments here are arranged by a son or daughter for a parent, often from another state.

Should I come to the appointment?+

If they are willing, yes. Two people take in the results better than one, and we will talk to them rather than around them.

Is hearing loss linked to dementia?+

Large studies have found an association between untreated hearing loss and faster cognitive decline. If this is the worry, a hearing test is the useful first step.

They have hearing aids already but never wear them.+

Common, and usually fixable. Devices go unworn because they were never adjusted properly, because they have gone unserviced for years, or because handling them is awkward. Bring the person and the hearing aids in, whoever fitted them, and we will find out which of those it is.

What will it cost?+

We do not publish prices, because what someone needs varies. What we can tell you is the approach: a fair price, stated up front, no surprises, and no charge for follow-up care once they are a patient here.

Ask us for an appointment.

Tell us roughly when suits you and we will call you back to arrange it. You do not need to know what you need yet.

If it is easier, call or text (561) 368-7600.