Listen to advice from those who know you

Post on 29th September 2016

How open are you to taking note of advice given by friends, family and others who know you well?

There are those who consider well-meaning comments and act upon them and others who dismiss them out of hand. But if someone you trust says there is something amiss with your hearing please listen because it is not an easy subject to broach.

Despite a greater awareness around hearing loss it remains a sensitive issue which people can be defensive about as they see it as a sign of ageing or weakness. So you could find that making adjustments like turning up the volume, or avoiding situations where conversations are difficult to hear, become more of a way of life.

Such is the stigma – or an unwillingness to recognise the problem – that most people wait around seven years after experiencing hearing loss before deciding to do something about it and seeking professional help. Yet if they acted sooner they could prevent the problem getting worse.

So if you have recognised the signs – or you have had them pointed out to you by friends and family – it is time to act.

Make hearing tests a part of your general approach to maintaining good health. And if you do require hearing aids you will be surprised at how small, discreet and advanced they have become in recent years.

No one need know you have hearing aids, if that is what you wish, and you will find what an asset they are.

For accessible professional advice on hearing care, call into your local Scrivens branch.