About Hearing Loss
Hearing loss? Recognising a hearing loss in yourself, or someone you know is the first step toward improving the situation.
Symptoms include:
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Difficulty hearing high-pitched sounds, such as the voices of women
and children
-
Difficulty hearing at public gatherings and events
-
Difficulty understanding conversations within a group of people, or on
the telephone
As hearing loss can gradually develop over several years, most people are
not aware of the extent of their loss until family or friends bring it to their attention. Even then they might deny that they have difficulty hearing.
People with mild hearing loss often use the following tactics to cope with
the situation:
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Turning up the volume on the TV to a level that disturbs others
-
Consistently asking people to repeat themselves, or to speak more loudly
-
Avoiding social situations such as restaurants or parties, where noise can make it difficult to hear conversation
-
Turning the head to one side while listening
Although these habits can help the individual with hearing loss in some situations, the hearing loss is most likely depriving them of a wide range of life’s sounds. Eventually, as the hearing loss progresses, the above techniques won’t provide adequate hearing assistance.