If you noticed that over the holidays your mom or dad didn’t seem like they could hear you very well, you be feeling concerned. The fact is that hearing loss becomes more common with age, so if you have a parent dealing with it, you are hardly alone.
Thankfully, with proper treatment, such as hearing aids, your parents will be able to stay connected to others and continue to live active and independent lives. Let’s go over a few ways to help encourage your parents to treat their hearing loss.
Tips for Talking With Parents About Their Hearing Loss
- Pick the right time. Make sure that both of you are relaxed and not feeling overly stressed about their hearing loss or other personal issues before having this conversation. Pick a peaceful time with just the two of you and eliminate distractions like having the TV on.
- Come from a place of love and understanding. Try to empathize with your parent as you talk. They may be embarrassed, frustrated and uncomfortable having this conversation with their own child. Emphasize that it is coming from a place of love and caring about their health, and really listen when they talk about how this makes them feel.
- Talk about the impacts. Hearing a lecture on the importance of treating hearing loss may not be terribly effective but learning how their loved ones are affected can help your parent see the importance of treatment. Knowing that it makes you sad when you see them skipping their book club or seeming frustrated and disengaged when out to a family dinner at Fresca Café might motivate them to schedule an appointment.
- Offer to help. If they agree to seek treatment, ask what you can do to help. This may include taking them to their hearing test and other audiological appointments, looking at different hearing aid models with them, and helping them with any technical issues they might have.
Learn Effective Communication Strategies when Talking With Your Parent
It can also be helpful to practice good communication strategies when talking to them so that their hearing loss doesn’t get in the way of having a productive conversation. The National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders has a list of helpful communication tips that can be useful for both parents with hearing loss as well as their family members.
Communication strategies for making it easier to communicate with your parents include:
- Facing them when talking to them so they can see your facial movements and expressions
- Speaking clearly while avoiding shouting or over-enunciating
- Choosing environments that are quiet and free of too much background noise when you get together
For more information or to schedule an appointment for a loved one, call Prescott Ear, Nose, Throat & Allergy today.