Overcoming Denial of Hearing Loss
No one wants to admit they are hard of hearing. It’s embarrassing. To admit you really don’t hear that well is to admit you have a problem. Hearing loss is a problem and admitting you have it could be the first step to an easy and painless solution.
Age related hearing loss is probably one of the biggest reasons for denial. Not hearing as well as you did when you were young must mean that you’re getting old. It’s really no different than refusing to admit you need glasses when you can no longer read the fine print. It’s a vanity thing.  It could also be an easily corrected medical condition such as fluid behind the ear drum and its cause could be from a chronic ear infection. A simple course of antibiotic might be all you need to restore hearing. It can also be caused from something as simple and correctable as wax buildup. Perhaps the hearing has been damaged due to repeated insult from loud noises, although not much can be done for that other than protecting what hearing you have by avoiding loud noise. Perhaps the hearing loss is due to some kind of growth, or neural damage.
Denying a hearing loss can be irritating not only for the person who has it, but also for the people who have to be around them. Trying to watch TV or a movie with someone who can’t hear well really causes frustration when someone has to constantly be asked to repeat things that were said. Talking on the phone is a problem because you have to ask the caller to speak up repeatedly. In face to face conversations it’s very easy to get in a situation where you don’t have a clue as to what you have been answering yes and no to. It’s also very easy to feel like you are being slighted or ignored because you feel a direct question has gone unanswered because you could not hear the reply and just automatically assume they chose to ignore you.
There is no upside to a hearing loss no matter how mild or insignificant it may seem to the person suffering from it. Denying it’s a problem will not make it go away, chances are it will continue to get worse unless steps are taken to find out exactly what the cause is and what it will take to fix it.  Not every hearing loss ends up with a hearing aid but if that’s what it takes to get you back in the loop then it’s good to know they are available.
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