Before he started losing his hearing, Steve was an outgoing
young man with a promising life ahead of him. He had
several close friends he enjoyed spending time with, he
visited with family regularly and cherished spending time
with his nieces and nephews. His career and social life was
also thriving. Steve was an IT specialist in line for a
promotion, he was active in his community, and participated
in charitable events throughout the year - but this all
changed as Steve's hearing deteriorated.
During this gradual hearing loss, which eventually left
Steve partially deaf in both ears, Steve started sleeping
more than usual. He began to lose weight because he lost
his appetite. Steve became restless and irritable, which
impacted his personal relationships as well as his career.
He began to experience chronic headaches, which made him
more irritated. Although Steve's hearing loss was not the
only thing responsible for his reduced quality of life, his
hearing loss was a primary factor because it added to his
depression.
Although Steve suffered from hearing loss at a relatively
early age, many older adults endure hearing loss which is
often accompanied by depression. In one study conducted by
the Geriatric Mental Health Foundation, 15% of participants
over the age of 65 reported feelings of depression. These
feelings are often linked to health concerns which include
the onset of hearing loss.
Depression is a disease which affects many people each
year. Symptoms such as feeling sad, fatigue, loss of
appetite, irritability and even chronic health problems
such as headaches or GI issues are just some of the
indications of depression. It is not uncommon for
depression or even aggression to accompany hearing loss at
any age. This is because those suffering from hearing loss
tend to feel overwhelmed and helpless. Also, they do not
know how to cope with their hearing loss and may even be
resistant to devices such as hearing aids.
Fortunately there are steps you can take to combat
depression accompanying hearing loss. These steps include
accepting the condition, joining support groups, using
Learning and Communication Enhancement (LACE), and
consulting with a medical professional about getting
digital hearing aids.
The first step to overcoming depression associated with
hearing loss is to learn to accept the condition. This is
critical because it will help you become more proactive in
healing yourself. Although you might not be able to reverse
your hearing loss, you can take steps to avoid feeling
helpless. Simply defining the problem and learning about
alternatives for communicating will help you realize all
hope is not lost. You can still live a full life even with
a hearing loss.
The best way to overcome depression related to hearing loss
is with hearing aids. The technology available in today's
hearing aids enables them to perform better than ever
before. And they are so small, no one will even know your
wearing one!
Joining support groups can also be very beneficial. Meeting
with others who share similar obstacles can help you feel
empowered. It's so helpful just to be able to talk about
your feelings with others who truly understand the problem.
Your friends and family may try to be supportive but unless
they are also dealing with a hearing loss they cannot fully
understand how hearing loss really affects your life.
Listening and communication enhancement (LACE) was
developed by leading audiologists at the University of
California at San Francisco to improve listening and
communication skills in those who are suffering from
hearing loss. LACE is an interactive computerized training
program designed to assist those suffering from hearing
loss by helping them to adapt strategies for compensating
when their current level of hearing is inadequate. This
program has been shown to increase the listening and
communication skills of users by 40%. A program like this
can really help you cope better with your hearing loss ,
especially when used in conjunction with a hearing aid.
When you regain your life through better hearing it can
really help lessen feelings of depression.
Finally, if you're still battling depression it may be a
good idea to consult a medical professional for treatment
for depression. It is important to remember depression is a
disease and it will not go away on its own. A medical
professional can assess your symptoms to help you to combat
depression and get back to enjoying life.
----------------------------------------------------
Hearing Loss can be devestating and extremely depressing.
This is where the professionals at AidRight Hearing Aids
can help. Make an investment in your hearing today by
calling us 877-777-1710 or visit our website at
http://www.aidright.com
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