subject: Find Support And Solutions For Hearing Loss [print this page] The human body is an amazing thingThe human body is an amazing thing. Its like a highly complex piece of machinery, with all of its interconnected parts working together to help us sense the world around us. But unfortunately, this piece of machinery doesnt have a lifetime guarantee. As people age, bodies change and abilities and senses, once taken for granted, begin to deteriorate with the passing of years. This stage of life can be a scary time for some people and it is certainly a time of adjustment. While some wholeheartedly embrace this phase of life, others try to avoid it at all costs, usually to their own detriment.
The first signs of aging are usually manifested in the loss of certain senses, like hearing or sight. Vision and hearing problems are usually very difficult to deal with because they are also the most invisible to others. This invisibility causes more hardship and difficulty because as many people are often self conscious about these signs of aging, there is usually a stage of denial. For example, someone who is in their mid fifties and begins to experience the first signs of hearing loss may at first simply ignore it. This is one of the worst things you can do, as it only makes the person experiencing the hearing problems strain more and it can cause further damage. After the problem persists and worsens, perhaps over the course of a year, people may try to pretend that the issue is not there. This can lead to many situations of misunderstanding and embarrassment and often just creates more anxiety for the person suffering from hearing loss. This hurts both the individual and the people who care about him or her.
So why does this cycle have to continue? Why is aging such a scary thing? Why do people feel stigmatized to admit that they have an issue? The most important questions, however, are: how can we counter these feelings of inferiority and insecurity in the aging process? And finally, how can we support ourselves and the people we love who are going through this process?
Like any difficult issue, physical or emotional, the first step is to admit that there is a problem. Talking to your loved ones about a problem you may notice, whether it is with physical mobility, memory issues, or sensory loss. It is important to be tactful when approaching these topics with someone who already may be self conscious. The way to talk about these issues is first to contextualize and normalize the process within the larger scheme of human experience. Let them know that this is something everyone goes through, and there is nothing to be ashamed of. The next step is to give hope to that person by offering support and practical solutions. Once they have gotten past the hump of recognizing and naming that there is a problem, you can show them that they dont have to continue to suffer from anxiety about the issue, and in many cases there are things they can do to recuperate some of their previous ability. In the case of physical mobility there are canes, walkers, wheelchairs and stair lifts to help ameliorate their immediate problems. In the case of vision loss there are large-print books, special television and computer screens, eye glasses, contact lenses, and more to help compensate for lost sight. With hearing loss as well there is a plethora of new and discreet hearing aids. In every case it is simply a matter of recognizing and naming the issue, finding or offering support, and looking into the many and varied options out there for assisting people during this time of their lives.
