Hearing Loss
Recognising a hearing loss in yourself, or someone you know is the first step toward improving the situation. Symptoms include:
- Difficulty hearing high-pitched sounds, such as the voices of women and children
- Difficulty hearing at public gatherings and events
- Difficulty understanding conversations within a group of people, or on the telephone.
As hearing loss can gradually develop over several years, most people are not aware of the extent of their loss until family or friends bring it to their attention. Even then they might deny that they have difficulty hearing.
Experiencing Mild hearing Loss
People with mild hearing loss often use the following tactics to cope with the situation:
- Turn up the volume on the TV to a level that disturbs others
- Consistently asking people to repeat themselves, or to speak more loudly
- Avoiding social situations such as restaurants or parties, where noise can make it difficult to hear conversations
- Turning the head to one side while listening
