Ask anyone who has been married a long time – Love, for the most part, involves maintenance. Why do we sometimes feel frustrated or misunderstood by the ones we care about the most? How can we sincerely care about someone but still feel disconnected from them at times?
While we don’t have all the answers here at Aspire Audiology & Hearing, we know one thing: hearing loss can substantially influence the quality of our connection with our spouse. According to a 2009 British study, 44 percent of the 1,500 people with hearing loss surveyed said they had lost contact with their partner, friends, or family due to their hearing loss. And 34% said the communication breakdown had harmed relationships, including marriages.
How can a lack of communication be harmful to your relationship?
Hearing loss can have an impact on your relationships in one or more of the ways listed below:
- A drop in communication quality.
- An increase in the number of arguments.
- A decrease in couples’ willingness to spend their time together.
- More isolation.Â
- Resentment on the part of the individual who hasn’t lost their hearing
- Intimate conversations dwindle.
In a recent HuffPost piece, Ann Brenoff describes how hearing loss affected her connection with her late husband: “My recently deceased husband wears hearing aids in both ears…. they likely saved our marriage.” She describes what it was like to be married to someone who couldn’t hear well and refused to seek help:
- Conversation degraded, communication turned into yelling matches.
- Gatherings were no longer enjoyable.
- The television volume became a significant source of contention.
Many seemingly insignificant things quickly mount up in these situations, erecting a barrier in a formerly peaceful partnership.
Without communication, any relationship would fall apart. Ideas, desires, and beliefs sustain the connection between two individuals, and if this interchange begins to fade, the relationship may struggle to survive.
What role do hearing aids play in this?
According to researchers, hearing aids have been discovered to improve not only one’s quality of life but also the well-being of a relationship that has begun to suffer from untreated hearing loss.Â
Hearing aids allow people to communicate again and restore all positive aspects of communication, such as long talks, resolving disagreements, sharing stories, jokes, and humorous moments. Couples can look forward to engaging in previously special activities together and begin to recall happy memories despite hearing impairments.
Hearing aids can help with a variety of aspects of a relationship that has been strained by hearing loss:
Untreated hearing loss can lead to an unwanted lack of connection with your companion, resulting in a growing distance. Both people feel frustrated if one becomes increasingly reliant on the other due to untreated hearing loss. Instead of relying on others and avoiding potentially noisy circumstances, people with hearing loss may begin to lose confidence in themselves.Â
Hearing aids alleviate this irritation by enhancing hearing in noisy situations. They will also help your loved one reclaim feelings of spontaneity and pleasure by ending old anger and anxiety habits.
It may not appear to be a simple matter if you and your partner disagree on the appropriate television volume. Still, tiny disagreements that go unresolved can have a long-term influence on any relationship. There are hundreds of subtle ways a person using hearing aids can make their partner’s day-to-day life easier, whether it’s answering the door or getting super out of the oven when the timer sounds.
Consider the important relationships in your life for a moment. Is your relationship with these people strained due to your untreated hearing loss? There’s no reason to let hearing problems jeopardize your relationships with those you care about.Â
At our practice, we can help you rebuild your relationship with your loved ones by getting them the hearing treatment they need. We can help your loved ones with various devices, including wireless hearing aids and digital devices engineered to address specific hearing situations. We offer comprehensive hearing evaluations and treatments to ensure our patients receive the best possible care. Call today or schedule an appointment online. We’ll be there every step of the way because we’re committed to their success.