Coming to Terms with Your Hearing Loss

Hearing loss is an incredibly common condition impacting individuals ranging from infancy to adulthood. Most commonly, hearing loss develops gradually, making it difficult for most individuals to recognize when they have it. While getting diagnosed with hearing loss may feel like a challenge, it’s actually your first step to treating your condition and communicating better with the world around you again.

Why you should treat hearing loss

Reports from recent studies indicate that seniors who lived with hearing loss and have not yet been treated for it showed signs of depression, which lasted two weeks or more. In the case of respondents who had hearing loss, 30% of those who did not use hearing aids expressed feeling sad compared to 22% of those who used hearing aids. Therefore, social isolation is a huge concern for some seniors, and those who do not use hearing aids are less inclined to partake in social activities.

Accepting your hearing loss

The realization that you have hearing loss can come as a surprise. It may take some time for you to come to terms with the situation and admit that you have to seek treatment from a good audiologist. During such a time, grief, resentment and depression may be some of the emotions you may experience. Most people with hearing loss may see it as a sign that they are entering their golden years, but that does not need to be the case. Once you understand that proper treatment can be administered when you visit an audiologist, you will easily realize you can engage in conversations again. Here are the five stages of psychological stages that you may pass through to get to grips with hearing loss finally.

Denial

Hearing loss does not occur overnight; it happens gradually throughout your life, and one day just becomes noticeable enough. It may start as you continuously increase the volume on the radio or television just to hear clearly. This may seem quite normal to you as you just want to hear until someone else points out the volume maybe a little too high. This may annoy you, and then the first stage of denial sets in. You will begin to deny and doubt instances that clearly show that your hearing is not what it used to be. It is very common as the stats reveal that most people diagnosed with hearing loss wait an average of seven years before deciding to use and purchase their first set of hearing aids.

Anger

When you finally cannot deny that your hearing is no longer at its best and you admit that you need to see an audiologist and use hearing aids, you may get angry. Your anger may not be directed to anyone but rather events leading up to that moment or the potential changes that you may have to make to adjust to using hearing aids. But through this stage, it is important to quickly work through your anger and put measures in place to start treatment.

Bargaining

With the passing of anger, you become calmer and begin to seriously consider options that will enable you to regain your hearing. This is known as the bargaining stage, where you make concessions on living and improving things for yourself and actively begin to seek redress. The type of hearing loss you have will determine if you are a prime candidate for hearing aids or not. If it is diagnosed as presbycusis or any other sensorineural condition, then hearing aids are perfect for you.

Depression

When hearing loss is left untreated, the effects of hearing loss may cause you to feel less of yourself and may manifest as depression, anxiety and paranoia. At this stage, it is important that you are in close contact with family and friends.

Acceptance

This is the last stage and is associated with a sense of finality and a firm resolution to make the most of your situation. This means that you have finally accepted that you have hearing loss and are willing to see an audiologist and purchase hearing aids to improve your hearing. There are three major types of hearing aids, in the canal (ITC), behind the ear (BTE), and in the ear (ITE). Choosing the types that best suit you is largely dependent on the anatomy of your ears, the severity of hearing loss you have, and your technological preferences. Get screened by a certified audiologist today to help you with any issue regarding your hearing. Contact Hearing Aid Consultants of North Mississippi on (662) 234-1337 and get the perfect hearing aid.