With an undiagnosed hearing problem, your aging family member may find it difficult to communicate with you and other people around her. These clues can let you know that it's time to get to your senior's doctor.
She Doesn't Respond When You Talk to Her
If you've started to notice that your senior never seems to hear you when you talk to her, she may be having trouble with her overall hearing. Make sure that you gently gain your senior's attention by touching her arm or moving into her line of sight. This helps to keep her from feeling defensive or startled because you said something to her and she didn't hear any of it. Senior care providers can help you learn other techniques that can make conversations easier with your aging adult.
She Turns Everything Up
You may have noticed that your elderly family member's volumes on everything from televisions to radios have gone up higher and higher. The reason for this is occasionally because different programs and channels mix their sounds differently, but it's primarily because your elderly family member simply can't hear well any longer. The problem with this solution is that there's a point of diminishing returns as the louder the volume gets, the more distorted the sounds become.
She Has Trouble Following Conversations
With different types of hearing loss, your senior may find that she's not able to follow conversations well any longer. For some people, the problem can be background noise competing with the conversation. For others, the problem could be that it's difficult to distinguish the sounds as people are speaking. Depending on the type of issue your senior is having, reducing background noise can sometimes help with this problem.
She Constantly Asks People to Talk Louder
In some cases, your elderly family member may realize that she's having trouble following conversations, but she presumes it's because people aren't speaking clearly or loudly enough. You might hear her frequently telling people not to mumble so much. Again, reducing background noise can help quite a bit. Remind people not to shout, however, because that can also distort what they're trying to say.
Once you know that your elderly family member is dealing with a hearing issue, it's time to talk with her doctor and determine how bad the problem is. Her doctor may recommend visiting an audiologist for a full hearing test, which is the best way to determine the extent of her hearing loss.
If you or an aging loved-one are considering hiring a Caregiver in Beverly Hills, CA, please call Mom's Home Care and talk to our friendly, knowledgeable staff. Our number is 323-244-4789.
