Better Hearing
Better Relationships & a Better Life
By Kathy McGowan
“What?”
“Huh?”
“What was that?”
“Pardon me.“
Hearing loss can become a heavy, uncomfortable burden causing awkward social encounters and ultimately alienating family and friends.
How many times do we repeat ourselves before we say, “Forget it,” and walk away? Or worse, we don’t bother to start a conversation because it takes too much effort.
The listener feels left out and ignored, resulting in hurt feelings and isolation.
Hearing loss harms our personal and professional relationships. Relationships require communication — the exchange of information and ideas between people — to be successful. Hearing loss breaks that connection.
The divorce rate among the hard of hearing is four times higher than the general population. A study of more than 1,000 people over age 40 with hearing loss shows how hearing issues can damage relationships.
More than 33 percent of those who responded admitted that misunderstandings from not hearing properly contributed significantly to arguments with family members.
Nearly two-thirds confessed to pretending to understand spoken dialogue and then floundering their way through conversations. Hearing loss can add stress to relationships, resulting in feelings of failure, anxiety and separation, and overall poor health.
Stay connected to your loved ones and avoid the effects of hearing loss. Have your hearing tested yearly, and if a loss is identified, take care of it.
Those who have their hearing loss corrected — either medically or with hearing aids — report less stress, improved relationships and a better quality of life.
Kathy McGowan is a doctor of audiology with Beltone Hearing and has been helping people hear better for 27 years. She is very excited about the great new technology available for hearing help. For a free hearing evaluation, go to Beltone.com or call 234-400-0201.
