Mental health is at the forefront for a great many of us these days. Addressing mental health is also fast losing the stigma it was once associated with. Acknowledging that your hearing health impacts your quality and outlook on life is a big first step. According to a study published in early 2020, almost 90% of the volunteers emphasized the detrimental effects hearing impairment had on their interpersonal relationships. We will look further into the study that incorporated information taken from almost 4,000 participants.
Communication in Group Settings
How does your hearing loss ripple out in such a way to impact every part of your life?
We rely heavily on hearing to communicate. From the time we are born it is our ability to hear that signifies the comfort of a parent or that our need to be fed is loud enough so that we are nourished. We associate sounds with everything from danger to joy to intimacy. We are taught spoken language in order to communicate and form bonds with others. This complex and multilayered process is the very foundation of our social and familial bonds.
An aggregate of the participants, 40%, stated that communication was the most heavily impacted. This was reflected in their increasing difficulty in maintaining conversations, group activities such as sports, attending large public events, work and school life. Activities on their own were also affected but by much less of a degree. In fact all social activities had a higher negative impact and contributed to an overall demise in their mental health. Another important aspect is that both the sufferer as well as their loved ones were affected.
Hearing Loss & Mental Health
Our hearing process is like all of the many processes our body regulates to function well and it is all interconnected. It plays a crucial part in our physical balance and is directly connected to our brain.
Untreated hearing loss is definitively correlated to cognitive decline, depression, anxiety and isolation. In some cases it is also tied to a lack of physical balance. Another result is the anxiety and frustration that affects the closest ones to the hearing impaired as they try to support them and make the necessary changes for better communication.
Barriers to Addressing Hearing Loss
Hearing Testing Process
The highest percentage of the study, 41%, were of people that were very apprehensive of the actual results of the tests. They didn’t want to know the results for fear of the actual level of hearing decline that they would have to contend with.
Finances
Approximately 31% percent of the participants were concerned with the expense of hearing devices and this has proved to be a big deterrent to even getting a hearing assessment in the first place. In addition, concerns were also stated with regard to pitching hearing aids for the purpose of profit only.
Why You Should Seek Treatment
Firstly, the goal of a hearing health professional is to get you the best treatment possible. Your affordability is a huge factor in decisions that they are trained to assess the most effective way to get you what you need. Professional integrity will enable them to be a continual part of your hearing wellness and their ongoing role in the process will give you access to their expertise and resources.
Most importantly, a relationship with your auditory specialist will enable you to empower yourself with strategies to cope with hearing loss. Gauging your level of hearing will help you tackle what you need to do right now and in your near future.
Addressing hearing loss as possible is the key to a fuller, more long lasting hearing experience. We are here to help and when you are ready to reach out we will be ready to offer you the guidance and information you need.