How could I have hearing loss without noticing?
There’s many factors that affect why we might ignore or not notice hearing loss. Communication is about more than just hearing the other person speaking, it is also about body language, gestures, and context. These factors can help make up for when we hear a word incorrectly or miss a few words all together. If you’re in a department store looking at clothing you’re more likely to assume your husband wants “grey pants” instead of “grape ants” even if you swear you heard the latter. The context of the situation helped you out when your hearing didn’t.
Another big help is lip reading, this is one you may not have noticed before and we do it without even thinking about it. Watching one’s lip movements helps confirm the words we think we’re hearing. But thanks to the recent requirement of masks we start to notice how difficult it is to hear when you don’t have the benefit of lip reading.
Lastly perception of hearing loss, admitting that you may have hearing loss can feel like somewhat of a negative thing. In fact only 6% of Canadians aged 20-79 years actually self report hearing loss. So you’re not alone in wanting to avoid the subject all together. But it is that mentality that leads to ignoring your hearing loss even when it starts to become a problem.
Want to know if you or a loved one might have hearing loss? Give us a call or book an appointment online.
