Help a loved one

Quiz Results

Does your loved one sometimes accuse you of mumbling or not speaking clearly?

The high frequencies are usually the first to be affected. This type of loss makes it difficult to hear consonants sounds. Low frequencies become dominant, making the vowels what your loved one hears best. This causes you to sound like you mumble.

Is your loved one more likely to sit quietly at a holiday dinner or party?

Hearing loss over time cause people to withdraw. If they cannot understand the conversation they will not want to participate in it. Asking to have questions and statements repeated becomes tiring.

Does your loved one ask you about what is being discussed in conversations?

Hearing loss causes words to become unclear. Unfamiliar voices are even more difficult to understand than yours and so you can become a personal hearing aid. When this happens, ask your loved one what they think was said instead of jumping in and being the translator. When you do this it will make it easier for your loved one to identify that they have a problem and need help.

Does your loved one regularly ask people to speak up or repeat themselves?

When you are a witness to this, ask your loved one why they ask to have things repeated. If they tell you that voices that they hear mumble or are not loud enough, then this a sign of hearing loss.

When your loved one is watching TV, do you find it loud?

When you are watching TV together reduce the volume to where it is ideal for you and ask your loved one why they need it louder? If the answer is that the words are difficult to understand at the level you like, then this is a sign of hearing loss. If they tell you they just enjoy listening to a louder level, this could be the beginning of a hearing loss.

Is your loved one no longer enjoying get-togethers due to difficulty following conversations?

With a hearing loss, the easiest situations to hear in is a quiet one on one conversation. The more background noise that is in the room the harder it is to hear clearly. Hearing loss will gradually get worse over time and cause someone to continue to withdraw.

Do you ever avoid telephone conversations with your loved one because they have difficulty hearing on the phone?

If your loved one tells you that you are speaking softly or is asking you to repeat over the phone, then this an indicator that a hearing loss is present, even if they say its only you they have difficulty with.

Does your loved one ask you to face them when you are conversing?

When someone has a hearing loss they will want to see sounds on your face. This is a form of lip reading.