Whether you're young or old, it's possible to experience a decrease in your hearing ability for a host of different reasons. While you might initially be concerned about this change, you'll often be able to breathe a sigh of relief upon visiting your local hearing specialist to get tested and get hearing aids. Although this process is simple and quick, many people put it off for various reasons, including embarrassment or concern over the cost. If you're feeling tentative about moving forward in this manner, here are some concerns that can arise from failing to take action.
Safety Issues
The concerning reality with hearing loss is that it can put your safety at risk in a number of different ways. At home, it's possible that you'll miss hearing the buzzer on your stove and leave something cooking until it causes a fire. When you're sleeping, you might not be able to hear your burglar alarm, smoke detector or carbon monoxide detector that are indicating a safety issue in your home. In public, hearing is equally valuable for safe driving and being safe when you're a pedestrian. When you can't hear to a desired level, you might not be able to notice vehicles and other traffic issues.
Possible Increased Risk Of Dementia
Learning that your untreated hearing loss might increase your chance of some form of dementia should prompt you to visit your local hearing specialist. Although more research is necessary, there are some indications that hearing loss will put you at a greater risk of suffering from decreased brain function. When you have trouble hearing, your brain is overworked as it's exhaustively trying to decipher the unclear sounds that your ears are picking up. Over time, there's a concern that this increased effort can be detrimental to the overall health of your pain and possibly increase the risk of dementia.
Challenges With Loved Ones
Hearing difficulties can lead to a variety of different challenges with those around you. The simplest concern is that you won't be able to hear people clearly, which can limit your enjoyment of conversations and group gatherings. Additionally, your hearing might even lead to frequent arguments with loved ones. For example, if a spouse is constantly telling you to turn the TV volume down or you're always complaining that a child isn't seemingly speaking loudly enough, contentious situations can arise -- all because of your hearing problems.
Contact a hearing expert, like those at Hearing Specialists of DuPage and similar locations, for more information.
Share25 March 2016
Seniors are like any other specialized group of people. They need services specific to their needs. Everything from nutrition to housekeeping to travel is different for seniors, and the services they receive should reflect that. I am a mental health care provider, and I work exclusively with people over the age of 65. My goal is to help educate the general population about the special needs of seniors and to inspire people to make their homes, businesses and lives more acceptable to the older generations. Seniors deserve our care and attention, and I hope that I can show others how to provide it.