March 29, 2024

Utah woman’s hearing loss has a negative impact on family relationships – KSL.com

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Estimated read time: 5-6 minutes

Most of us can easily remember those times when we went to a family birthday party or a restaurant and we didn’t have to think twice about being able to hear what everybody around us was saying. We might even remember the times when we could follow along with two conversations at one time. While it may seem that background noise is just a nuisance, or perhaps it’s just all the young people who like the background …….

Estimated read time: 5-6 minutes

Most of us can easily remember those times when we went to a family birthday party or a restaurant and we didn’t have to think twice about being able to hear what everybody around us was saying. We might even remember the times when we could follow along with two conversations at one time. While it may seem that background noise is just a nuisance, or perhaps it’s just all the young people who like the background music turned up really loud, chances are more likely that it is probably you.

If you are having more difficulty following a conversation at your favorite restaurant or when you are out with friends and are over the age of 50, you might be one of the 50 million people living with the third most common chronic medical condition afflicting older adults: hearing loss.

Providing the proper diagnosis and treatment of hearing loss is an important part of the work Dr. Keith N. Darrow, a Clinical Audiologist and Neuroscientist, performs each day at one of the Excellence In Audiology centers across the country. He states:

“The challenge is helping adults recognize their hearing loss early so that they have the best prognosis for treatment and to help them avoid the pitfalls of living life without proper hearing. Unfortunately, too many people don’t understand that the value in treating hearing loss includes not only helping people to hear their best, but it also includes reducing their experience of tinnitus, helping them be more confident and remain independent, and helps them have fewer ‘senior moments’ by preventing significant decline and dementia.”

Donna O, one of Darrow’s patients, knows from personal experience the isolation and debilitating effects of living with hearing loss. This past June at her birthday party – which is an annual family get-together weekend – Donna realized that she was missing out on most of the conversations around her.

She said, “Things really came to a head for me when my son pulled me aside and asked me why I seemed to be upset with everybody and not taking part in the fun. I was heartbroken when he told me my granddaughter was upset that I wasn’t spending any time with her.”

Once Donna heard this, she knew something wasn’t right and that she had to get herself checked out.

Once the weekend was over, Donna talked to her son more and they decided to seek help at their local Excellence In Audiology certified clinic. Donna, her son and her granddaughter, all met with Darrow’s team for nearly an hour to talk about what she was going through, how her difficulty hearing others was impacting her life, and how everybody in the family was concerned about her. They …….

Source: https://www.ksl.com/article/50311065/utah-womans-hearing-loss-has-a-negative-impact-on-family-relationships

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