Adult Isolation And Its Hidden Causes

Woman at the window looking out and feeling isolated from untreated hearing loss.

The probability of having to cope with hearing loss increase as we grow older. Some amount of hearing loss is already impacting millions of individuals. But typically, seven years or more go by after the first symptoms show up before people get help.

Many older adult’s social life is negatively impacted by ignored hearing loss. Retreating from social situations because it’s hard to communicate and continuously asking people to repeat themselves are common warning signs.

Obviously, hearing is essential. We’re empowered by our ability to hear. Our hearing lets us communicate with our loved ones, go out with our friends, and go to your job. It also keeps us safe and in tune with the outside world. Our hearing even helps us relax. It’s unfortunate that we so frequently take our hearing for granted.

Most of you will reach a point in your lives when your hearing starts to diminish and it will have a physical and emotional impact on you. Your total quality of life will be effected. Hearing loss can even result in feelings of separation.

For these reasons, it’s important to identify the early signs of hearing loss so prospective treatment solutions can be explored. Most kinds of hearing loss, thankfully, can be managed. If you are struggling with hearing loss and are frustrated about missing crucial conversations, you should contact a hearing specialist in your area right away. These experts will help identify your degree of hearing loss, and also whether your hearing, and overall health, would benefit from using hearing aids.

Studies show that wearing a hearing aid can, for those dealing with age-related hearing loss, help decrease the chances of social isolation by making communication in social scenarios easier. Communicating with friends, family, and co-workers becomes a great deal easier for adults who suffer from hearing loss when they use hearing aids.

Mental health issues like memory loss, depression, failing mental cognition, and even the occurrence of Alzheimer’s have been connected to hearing loss in studies performed by Johns Hopkins University. These health problems can be avoided by managing hearing loss.

Personal relationships, particularly with family and friends, rely heavily on communication. Frustration and miscommunication between family and friends are commonly the result of hearing loss.

Safety is also a concern for individuals suffering from hearing loss. Using hearing aids will give you confidence that you will be able to respond to essential sounds and alerts that occur in your everyday life, such as sirens, alarms, cell phones, doorbells, oven timers, car alarms, and horns, and other traffic sounds that indicate on-coming vehicles.

If you have errors at work and lose details it can have a serious impact on your income but using hearing aids can help you tackle these challenges.

Family members can be helpful to an older adult with hearing impairment, but it’s also crucial that the person with hearing loss takes the initiative. If hearing impairment is an issue for you, it’s time to get back to hearing all of those important sounds in your life by getting a hearing assessment and committing to treatment (like wearing your hearing aid regularly). Knowing that you aren’t alone can be very beneficial. You can avoid feeling isolated and return to socializing with your loved ones with a little help from a hearing professional, hearing aids, and your family and friends.

The site information is for educational and informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. To receive personalized advice or treatment, schedule an appointment.