Helping Someone You Love
With Hearing Loss
By Jackie M, Jaloszynski, AuD
Does someone you love always have the television on too loud? Does he or she
complain about not being able to understand the dialogue on TV, speak louder
than normal, and start withdrawing from conversations—or monopolizing them?
When one is speaking, he or she doesn’t have to listen.
Are you feeling frustrated because you have to speak louder than is normal for
you, or you constantly have to repeat yourself? Are you being told you mumble or
speak under your breath, or do you have to act as the interpreter for conversations
and television shows?
Here are some things you can do.
Recognize that hearing loss is stressful
Before you step in and start talking about how your loved one doesn’t hear
well, it is important to recognize how stressful living with hearing loss can be, not
only for the person experiencing the loss, but for you as well. People with hearing
loss tend to feel frustrated, isolated or worn out. Trying to hear when you have a
hearing loss takes tremendous effort and requires a great deal of concentration.
It is not unusual for people who suffer from hearing loss to blame others for the
trouble they have hearing or understanding—the grandchildren don’t speak clearly,
people talk too fast, there is too much background sound on TV, you mmmble
when you speak, you talk too softly, you always talk with your back turned or from
another room.
Addressing a hearing impairment may make your loved one feel weak, disabled
or old. For these reasons, it is important to approach the issue of hearing loss
respectfully and with sensitivity.
Start the conversation
It is best to have a one-on-one conversation in a quiet place where you can speak face-
to-face. This will help make sure your loved one can hear and vmderstand you easily.
Some tips for a discussion about hearing loss include:
• Ask your loved one to read an article (this one) that recommends everyone get
a baseline hearing evaluation as part of his or her yearly physical. (Most adults
received their last hearing test when they were in grade school.) Ask your
family doctor for a referral to an audiologist.
• Remember that not getting screened for a health problem doesn’t mean the
problem doesn’t exist. It means that you could be allowing a minor problem
to turn into a much more complicated and difficult issue. Research has shown
that the longer someone waits to do something about hearing loss, the poorer
results he or she achieves.
• Remind him or her that recent research from Johns Hopkins now shows a
link between hearing loss and cognitive decline and falling. We hear with our
brain, not with our ears.
• Next time you receive an invitation to a lunch-and-learn or an open house
on hearing loss by an audiologist, respond yes. This is a great way to gather
information in an informal group setting.
• Remind your loved one how common hearing loss is (affecting 1 in 3 adults
over the age of 65 and 1 in 6 people age 41-59).
• Discuss the benefits of being able to hear well again, such as enjoying family
dinners, going to the movies, going out with friends, and hearing the sweet
whispers in their ears.
Be patient
Some people may be willing to schedule a hearing test right away, but for most folks
this may be just the start of the dialog. Be patient and continue to raise awareness by
gently pointing out instances when your loved one does not hear something or hears
it incorrectly to demonstrate how much it affects both of your lives.
For additional information or to receive copies of research articles on topics
mentioned above, please feel free to contact me as shown below.
Home Place or Home House?
By Joan Lamson
A number of the people who have been attending the Third Thursday Forum
at Four, as well as many of the folks on the Age-Friendly Advisory Committee,
have expressed an interest in age-friendly accessible housing. As time marches
forward, some of us may be faced with deciding whether the familiar family home
can still meet our needs or if we need to consider iiibving and making our home
in a different house (home place vs. home house). The Age-Friendly Advisory
Committee has identified three areas of special interest to those of us who wish
to downsize yet stay in Pine Knoll Shores—housing, transportation and social
inclusion.
Living in Pine Knoll Shores addresses many of our needs, but when it is time to
eliminate steps and other architectural elements that challenge our ability to live
independently in our home, some of us are forced to consider moving closer to
family or entering a continuing care facility. Some of us are looking at several more
years of independent living and would like to stay right here as long as we can.
The piece of property at the northeast corner of Highway 58 and Pine Knoll
Boulevard is for sale. The 9.33-acre parcel is ideally located across from a beach
access and might lend itself to a project of very accessible homes for seniors as well
as for young families ... after all, it takes as much space to turn a stroller as it does a
wheelchair.
What would you like to see in a transitional home that would enable you to live
independently in Pine Knoll Shores for several more years? A meeting has been
scheduled to discuss just this topic on May 5 at 4 p.m. at the Pine Knoll Shores
town hall. Please join us, come listen, ask questions, express your opinion and share
your ideas.
We welcome developers and others who may have an interest in learning more
about such a concept.
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Dr. Jackie Jaloszynski, a private practice audiologist with over 35 years of
experience, relocated to the Crystal Coast in 2015, and opened Crystal Coast
Hearing Solutions, Inc. in Morehead City. She is licensed with the American Speech
Language and Hearing Association and the North Carolina Board of Examiners in
Audiology, and believes that education is the key to people successfully using hearing
aids. The material here is provided for informational purposes only and does not
constitute medical advice. Dr. Jaloszynski can be reached at 222-5256 or ears@
crystalcoasthearing.com.