Hearing loss can be damaging for your loved-one in a variety of ways. One way that you might not think about is how much harder your senior's brain has to work when he's compensating for his hearing loss. Understanding this issue can help you to find solutions that work for him
His Brain Is Filling in the Blanks Your loved-one's brain is taking the information that it does understand and can process and it attempts to fill in the blanks. That can sometimes mean that your senior mistranslates what is going on and what is happening around him. It might also mean that they end up in a different conversational spot than everyone around him does.
It's More Difficult to Follow Along
When your loved-one is tired or when he's simply had enough of struggling to keep up, he might find that it's easier to just stop participating in conversations. If they're too difficult for her to follow along with, this is more likely to happen. Busy, loud locations also make following along more difficult for them.
Hearing Problems Can Be Exhausting
As you might be able to imagine, these kinds of mental gymnastics can be exhausting for your elderly senior. When you couple that with having to repeat himself constantly or ask other people to repeat themselves, it's even more exhausting. Your loved-one might find himself feeling more tired than usual or wanting a midday nap.
What Can You Do?
The first thing to do is to convince your loved-one that it's time to have his hearing checked. Getting a full idea of how bad your loved-one's hearing actually is will allow you to find the right solution for him. The next steps will involve helping your senior learn how to work around his hearing loss so that he's not wearing himself out. Working out solutions when there's a crowd or the environment is too loud also helps quite a bit.
Helping your loved-one to be patient with himself can help him to learn to cope with the changes that hearing loss brings to his life. Hiring elder care providers can help because they have experience helping loved-one's manage these issues on a daily basis.
If you or an aging loved-one are considering elder care in Beverly Hills, CA, please call Mom's Home Care and talk to our friendly, knowledgeable staff. Our number is 323-244-4789.
