Every October is National Protect Your Hearing Month, and that’s an important time to focus on what is happening with your elderly family member’s hearing. It helps a lot to be able to understand some of the things you can do to help protect your senior’s hearing and also help her to manage if she’s already lost some of her hearing.
Turn Down the Volume
Loud volume, whether that’s on the television and radio or on personal audio like headphones, can seriously damage hearing over time. The best thing for your senior to do is to turn down the volume and make use of tools like closed captioning if she’s having trouble making out what’s being said. If your senior is insistent that she has to have the volume up loud to hear, it’s time for a hearing test because she may already have hearing damage.
Use Hearing Protection Whenever Possible
Hearing protection is crucial, even if your elderly family member suspects she has some hearing loss already. Earplugs and protective earmuffs can do a lot to protect your senior’s ears in loud situations. Remembering to use these tools might be the biggest problem, so developing systems to help your senior use them consistently is really important. Many of the newest types of ear protection allow your senior to hear what is happening around her while dampening loud sounds that could be damaging to her hearing.
Look for Signs of Hearing Loss
Stay alert for signs of hearing loss, too. Higher than normal volumes on the TV is one sign, but there are lots of others. Your elderly family member might have trouble following conversations or hearing sounds that are high-pitched. She might also seem to be misunderstanding people more often, especially on the phone. If your senior is having a lot of ringing in her ears or says her ears feel clogged lately, there could be more going on with her hearing than you realize.
Get Your Senior’s Hearing Checked
The best way to stay on top of what’s happening with your elderly family member’s hearing is to get it checked. Her primary care provider can perform some auditory testing for her, but they may also refer her to an audiologist. Once she knows what she’s up against, it’s a lot easier to put some solutions in place.
Enlist Help with Some Hearing-related Tasks
Personal care at home is a great solution if your elderly family member is dealing with hearing loss. Home care providers can remind your elderly family member to use hearing protection and can help with things like wearing hearing aids, too, if that’s something your senior now needs. Personal care at home can help ensure your senior’s hearing aids are clean and ready for her to use every day.
Hearing loss is a challenge, for sure. The best thing to do is to help your elderly family member protect the hearing that she has left, if that’s at all possible. Finding ways to do that without causing more stress and upset for your senior is so important.
Source
https://www.webmd.com/connect-to-care/hearing-loss/causes-and-symptoms-of-age-related-hearing-loss
If you or an aging loved one is considering personal care at home in Huntley, MT, call the caring staff at SYNERGY Home Care of Billings today. 406-839-2390
