I have a few people in my life that fit this category! I just try to remind myself that it takes time to accept a hearing loss, and that hearing aids aren't for everybody.
Please tell me I'm not alone though!
Anyone in your life hard of hearing but get annoyed with you when they can't hear what you're saying
Mar 19, 2016You might also enjoy...
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You're not alone. My dad and FIL are like that. They miss so much of what their grandkids say it makes me sad. It reminds me of how little I talked to my grandpa because he couldn't hear me.
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Um, wow...
It's extremely challenging to be hard of hearing or deaf and hearing aids do not address or correct all forms of hearing loss. I know people who do get frustrated when others won't take the time or have the courtesy to look at them when they speak or to not speak quickly, not mumble, etc. I think a little empathy would go a long way as well as asking what you can do to help. Turning off the tv or minimizing other background noise would be a great place to start.
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@Applesandbananas: I work really hard to do the things you mentioned! I try to have a lot of empathy, and I bend over backwards to be easier to understand.
I hope I'm allowed to be frustrated from time to time though. This is actually one of the first times I've ever expressed any frustration on this subject... you're right though that I should focus on positive things I can do to make things better.
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My FIL used to be this way. We'd have to scream over the tv and we'd ask him to turn it down and he'd act like we were crazy for thinking it was too loud. He finally got hearing aids and it's such an amazing difference. We visited them a couple of weeks ago (they live out of state so we don't see them that often) and he could hear/understand everything LO said even when she was actually speaking pretty quietly. It was awesome!
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@Applesandbananas: I get your point, but maybe Mr. Bee is talking about people like my mom, who know there is an issue and yet do NOTHING about it (not even consider seeing an audiologist). She doesn't want hearing aids because "they'll make her look old." She is constantly getting upset with me because I don't speak up loud enough, which is ridiculous because everyone else in my life asks me to quiet down and joke that I don't have an indoor voice. Her hearing loss leads to lots of disagreements with my father because she gets frustrated that he "doesn't tell her things" or "whispers intentionally" and he has to repeat everything. And, this is just one instance, but she was my 2nd support person during labor and there were SO many times where I had to repeat my requests almost yelling to get her attention.... I did not have the energy for that.
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@lawbee11: That is amazing!! What was the process of getting hearing aids like? I would love to learn more!!
@DesertDreams88: Yes, we are in a similar situation.
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@mrbee: I don't know too much about it but I know he got them at Costco...kinda random! I think he went in for an exam then had a hearing test. They're the kind that aren't really visible (they just slip into his ear). I'm not sure if they come in different sizes or if he had to be fitted for them. LO has had a few hearing tests due to ear infections and they've also tested her ear pressure multiple times and it's always been a fairly quick and simple process.
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@lawbee11: Wow that's great to hear! I've been reading up on getting hearing aids and had thought it was a tough process... it's heartening to hear that it can be so quick and painless, and make such a difference!!
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@mrbee: Me. My mom has lost all hearing in her right ear and has diminished hearing in her left. She refuses to wear hearing aids and says it's not a problem. I work really hard to not get frustrated and we end up repeating a lot of conversations, but I DO get upset when she doesn't hear her phone when she is keeping LO and I can't get hold of her for a period of time. Makes me nervous.
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Yep. I think it's normal to feel frustrated. We're human! DH has hearing loss and sometimes I'd get frustrated that I couldn't speak to him when the tv was on, or from another room, etc. And he'd get frustrated with me because he had to ask me to repeat myself so often. Hearing aids helped so much. I still make an effort to face him when I'm speaking to him so that way when he doesn't wear them I'm still in the habit. If you can convince the person to get hearing aids I think it would greatly improve everyone's quality of life!
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I'm the other person in this situation. I have scar tissue in my ears from getting tubes when I was little and I often struggle to hear my husband is there is background noise (tv, loud restaurant, etc). For the most part it doesn't bother me when he gets frustrated with having to repeat himself. But, I do get pissed when he mumbles and then is annoyed I can't hear him. Dude, ANNUNCIATE.
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@mrbee: I work as an audiometric tech, testing hearing and fitting hearing aids, so I see this ALL the time. Research suggests that it takes, on average, 7 years for a patient diagnosed with hearing loss to pursue hearing aids/amplification! So many of my older patients come in because their wives (they're usually men) have told them they have to, NOT because they've noticed any issues.
To be fair, the body is amazing at adapting. If the hearing loss was gradual, it's entirely possible that the patient doesn't notice any problem with hearing at all! I completely understand why family members could get frustrated though!
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@Applesandbananas: jeez way to jump on the OP for asking a question. He wasn't being nasty or anything about it.
We have the same issue with my mom. She knows she has hearing loss and refuses to get hearing aids. It is so annoying to talk to her on the phone (they live out of state) and having to constantly repeat myself. When we're in person she constantly misses what we're saying and she turns the tv up so incredibly loud. I don't know how my dad puts up with it. It is frustrating for everyone.
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My mom, who lives with us, was like this and she was missing out on a lot of conversations because of it. She couldn't hear was the LOs were saying and if people talked to her she couldn't hear them so she wouldn't talk back to them! I kept telling her to get a hearing aid, but she kept denying there was an issue. It took a while for her to do it and a lot of nagging from me, but she eventually did. It has made a world of difference for us. Her insurance even covered a majority if not all of it (one of her excuses was that it was would be expensive, but that was definitely not the case!)
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