People who suffer from hearing loss have to bear the stigma of
being called deaf. Adapting to a life with hearing loss gets more difficult
when such a stigma gets in the way of the efforts to adapt to such a lifestyle.
Statistics reveal that people generally wait for seven years before they get a hearing aid on noticing signs of loss of
hearing. It generally happens that old people lose power of hearing but it is
not very uncommon to find even children and young people with hearing loss.
The origin of the stigma:
Hearing loss
has long been known as an ailment and has been more often translated into a
disability as children with hearing loss are generally slow learners. According
to a survey, people were found to treat the deaf with fear, distaste, scorn and
pity. The fact remains that hearing loss can affect anyone at any time in life.
This issue can also be very damaging for a person’s self-esteem because of the
stigma associated with such a disability. An affected person might start
distancing himself or herself from family and may even be looked at by others
with revulsion.
Addressing the stigma:
To triumph over the social stigma associated with hearing
loss, you must be a self-believer. Do not hesitate to tell others
about the condition. If you hide this fact, you risk others misunderstanding
you as they might think you are ignoring or not paying attention to their
conversation.
Here are a few tips that will hold you in good stead in
overcoming the stigma of hearing loss:
1. Be open
about the condition. The first step
is to inform your near and dear ones about your condition. Tell them about the
challenges that such a situation poses and also ask them to come along with you
to an audiologist to better understand hearing loss.
2. Ask your
friends for support. Ask them to
assist you by suiting their ways to your condition. For example get a quiet
corner table in a public place rather than a noisy centre one. Ask them to
always look at you while addressing you to enable you a better interpretation
using their facial expressions and gestures.
3. Use a
hearing aid. The general
impression about hearing aids is fast disappearing as hearing aids are becoming
smaller day by day. Hearing aids these days are very capable of returning you
to your pre-hearing loss days and enable you enjoy life to the fullest. They
also have features to diminish the background noise and let you hear the
primary sound. Hearing aids these days have been so miniaturized that they can
virtually go unnoticed.
With increasing awareness among the masses about the
condition of hearing loss and its occurrence beginning to be more and more
common, the stigma associated with it is reducing gradually. It is quite
natural that a visit to an audiologist can be scary for many, but it is one
decision that will definitely step up the quality of your life with hearing
loss. It is better to address the situation by visiting an audiologist than
bearing it or knowingly ignoring it, thereby falling prey to the stigma
associated with it later.
About the author:
Ernest Poh is the founder of The Hearing
Centre Pte Ltd. The Hearing Centre is your one-stop
centre for complete hearing aids and hearing conservation services. Ernest has
been fitting hearing devices since 2004. Visit www.thehearingcentre.sg to learn
more about the different types of hearing aids and the possible causes of
hearing loss.
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