The Impact Of Unmanaged Hearing Loss

Hearing loss has a great impact on people’s life, both personal and working. Unmanaged hearing loss can lead to a substantial number of hindrances in many social and everyday activities. It is very important to be aware of the effects of hearing impairment on children and adults, their family and friends.

Coping with any disability is difficult and compromised hearing is not an exception. In many cases the hard of hearing, do not notice the effects right away but slowly avoid various situations, begin to feel uneasy and detached from the rest of the people surrounding them or withdraw from communication and engagement in conversations and gatherings. Often, family and friends are the ones that sense the changes first but may not be able to understand immediately, where the problem is and it may seem to them that the person has become unfriendly or somewhat reclusive.

Untreated hearing loss can lead to many negative consequences including personality changes and mood as well as depression and isolation. The social and psychological impact of hearing loss can translate into troubles at home and at the work place as well as a heightened feeling of frustration and being misunderstood by those around them. Usually if the hearing impairment is left unmanaged, the hard of hearing will have difficulties following and participating in conversations or hearing particular sounds. Moreover, a feeling that the others mumble or talk too quietly can occur. This may result in frustration and anger, hostility towards others or a desire to isolate oneself.

Hearing loss can also cause embarrassment especially in the work environment, leading to a sense of inadequacy or mistrust. It is common for the hard of hearing to want to avoid spending time among other people or outdoors in noisy or busy places, as they may feel helpless or unable to explain their difficulty to the rest.

Additionally, untreated hearing loss and not using hearing aids or assistive listening devices may cause the person to withdraw from everyday activities and miss important family events, their favourite TV show or radio program. Long gone are the days where mild to severely deaf people need to put up with their problem and solutions for it were expensive or unavailable. There are various ways to improve the quality of life for the hard of hearing and help them regain their confidence and independence as well as their social life. That, in turn, will help in their family and work relationships.

Another reason to take measures and treat (if possible) or manage hearing loss is that it will lead to emotional stability and a feeling of stronger control over life events. You will no longer need someone to repeat or rephrase sentences or words as well as answer the phone or door for you, as you will be able to do that on your own. That way, you will avoid the sense of discomfort, irritability, loneliness or detachment from the surrounding world and feel an equal part of it.