How do people who are hard-of-hearing navigate through this difficulty? Of course, there are hearing aids and sign language, but let’s pause and understand more from their point of view how untreated hearing loss impacts people’s lives.

Communication With Others

To be more specific, it starts with having difficulty interpreting vocabulary. Hearing is the foundation to be able to decipher phonemes which leads to understanding words. Left untreated, the brain will not be able to recognize distinct sounds and may lead not just to not understanding the speaker but also a difficulty in saying the words yourself.

Additionally, not hearing others also means not hearing yourself. Put earphones on and listen to music at a high volume. When someone talks to you and you respond, chances are you’ll find the other person tells you to stop yelling. This is what happens when you can’t hear yourself. To compensate for what you perceive as not being heard, what seems to you as being soft is actually yelling to the other person. This even proves to be more of a challenge with additional background noise that seems to drown out a conversation which can even happen for the hearing community. Hence, conversation may become a venue of miscommunication, irritation, and exasperation to both parties—speaker and listener.

Music And Movies Are Not As Enjoyable

Thank God for technology so people can now understand a film or a clip with the help of subtitles or closed captions! However, it’s still more enjoyable if one can hear music and sound effects. There are still many films out there that do not have closed captions. It doesn’t just reduce entertainment but takes them away completely. This frustration is even more pervasive when you want to watch a live show.

Sabotaging Your Work Performance

It’s frustrating when you are on a call and static suddenly interrupts the call. It’s irritating and forces both parties to end the call sooner than intended. Now imagine having those disruptions in the workplace when talking with colleagues or listening to your boss’ instructions. It jeopardizes your performance. Left untreated, work may become too difficult to deal with.

Relationships Are Tested

They say that the foundation to a great relationship whether it be with a partner, family, or friends, is communication. With hearing problems, achieving good communication is increasingly challenging. You need to have a patient, understanding, and loving support system. If it’s not treated, people with hearing loss would become more reclusive.

Risks Are Higher

In primitive times, the 5 senses were vital to survive. Today, they’re still important in ensuring our safety. Alarms are used as warnings for disasters like fire and hurricanes. Cars honk to signal you’re in a danger zone. Distinguishing these different sounds gives you time to react to keep yourself unharmed. If you can’t hear them well, you could place yourself and others in danger.

Untreated hearing loss creates inconvenience and danger. If you think you or a loved one is suffering from hearing loss, contact Beltone DFW at (888) 958-8432 for more assistance.