The higher risk isn’t the only difference between women and men when it comes to hearing loss: men are less likely than women to seek treatment. With Father’s Day approaching, now is an ideal time to discuss hearing loss with your father (or any other men in your life) and convince him to take care of his hearing health.
How can you tell if your father has hearing loss? The most obvious signs include not talking or socializing as much as he used to. He may also ask others to repeat themselves, talk more loudly, and turn up the volume on the TV or radio when everyone else can hear just fine. Additionally, he may become exhausted at social gatherings due to straining to keep up with the conversation.
The effects of hearing loss can be devastating if left untreated. Hearing loss is often the first symptom of more dangerous conditions like heart disease, so not getting it treated means you might miss the opportunity to detect other illnesses early on. Hearing loss can also affect balance, making those with difficulty hearing more likely to suffer dangerous falls.
There are also significant risks to his mental health. If your father struggles to hear people, he might voluntarily isolate himself from friends and family, which can lead to depression.
A common challenge in dealing with hearing loss is getting a loved one to accept the fact that they need help. If warning your father of the dangers to his health and wellbeing doesn’t convince him, let him know how his hearing loss affects others. Discussing how it has already damaged relationships with those most important to him can help him decide to do something. You can also mention how much you miss seeing him fully enjoy family gatherings, and how treating hearing loss can lead increase quality of life.
Another approach, especially if your father is into technology, is to tell him about all the amazing things modern hearing aids can do:
For these reasons and more, hearing aids are technical marvels that your father will be proud to wear.
When your father agrees to seek treatment for hearing loss, the next step is to find a hearing care professional to evaluate his hearing, determine the extent of his hearing loss, and recommend the best hearing aids. Once fitted with his new devices, he’ll be able to hear properly once again, improving his quality of life and making the time you spend together even more special.