By Paul Harrison
When others depend on you, it is essential
that you take the best care of your own health. If you are struggling to
understand conversations or others complain that you have the television or
radio on too loud, you may be suffering from hearing loss.
This can be due to many things, such as an
ear infection or simply part of the aging process. The sooner you get it
checked out, the better. If your doctor does diagnose you with hearing loss,
there are plenty of things you can do to help you continue as a carer.
Find out as much as you can about your
condition so that you are well-informed and can plan ahead. Your doctor will
send you for a hearing test and may suggest hearing aids. These can take some
getting used to at first, especially if you have been losing your hearing for
some time. However, they will certainly help you to engage in conversation and avoid much of the isolation of hearing loss.
Tell your friends and family what is
happening and tell them what they can do to help. Simple things like making
sure they have your attention and looking at you while they are speaking can
make a big difference, especially if you have begun to rely on lip reading.
Things will be much easier for you as a
carer if the person you are caring for is able to understand your hearing
difficulty. You may be able to teach them some simple signs to make things
easier for you. This is often not the case, though, especially with older
people or those with short-term memory problems.
You can make things easier by turning off
the television or radio when you are talking to them, and making sure you are
face-to-face. If there is a window or
lamp behind the other person, the light may dazzle you and make it hard to see
their face. Another thing that may make it harder to follow conversation is if
the other person is holding their hands in front of their face while they talk.
If they don’t understand why this is a problem, you could try holding their
hand, or give them something to hold such as a drink.
Just as it is harder to hear people when
you are tired, it may be harder for the one you are caring for to speak clearly
and understand you, when they are tired. Encourage them to point to things to
say what they need. Save important conversations for when you are both alert.
One of the major concerns of carers with
hearing loss is that they will not hear if they are needed, making them worry
about going in the garden or sleeping in case they cannot hear a call for help.
There are pager systems where a transmitter
is placed in the person’s room. When it detects noise, or the button is pressed
the pager will sound an alarm and vibrate. Some systems also have flashing lights.
You can carry the pager with you around the house and garden and not worry
about missing a call for help.
This system can also be linked to pressure
mats and door sensors, which will tell you if the person you care for is out of
bed or has left their room. You can also get pads to put in your pillow, which
will vibrate to wake you when you are sleeping.
Other equipment is now available that can
make your own life easier, including extra loud doorbells with flashing lights so
you don’t miss visitors. You can even find amplified telephones with a loud
ring and caller volume control, as well as specially designed mobile phones or
hearing aids with wireless capability so you can take urgent calls when you are
out and about.
Paul Harrison has been in the hearing industry for 20 years and has
gained experience at both at manufacturer level and retailer level for hearing
aids. Paul studied as an audiologist in
Cambridge and now through he company www.yourhearing.co.uk
manages a team of hearing audiologists across the UK who support hearing loss
sufferers with solutions to their hearing problems.
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