The Stigma of Hearing Loss

In the UK, more than 40% of people over 50 years old have hearing loss, rising to 70% over the age of 70 according to the RNID charity. The UK Health Security Agency reckons there are around 11 million of us with partial or total hearing loss, of whom 50,000 are children. So while it is very common you would think that the issue is well understood. That is not my own experience and I feel we need to communicate better about our disability.

Wearing glasses is perfectly acceptable but being hard of hearing is subject to much prejudice and misconceptions. The reactions vary from “he is old and less intelligent” to “he hears only want he wants”. Glasses are fashionable but hearing aids are seen as unsightly, and embarrassing. Fortunately, it is not always the case and once I start to explain, I typically get a much better response including cooperation.

The Pinnacles – West Australia – photo edited in Prisma app with Prairie

The trigger to become a self-advocate.

Reading “Hearing & Beyond” a book by Shari Eberts & Gale Hannan was the trigger I needed to become more proactive in the way I was explaining my loss of hearing. Shari Eberts is a passionate hearing health advocate and internationally recognized author and speaker on hearing loss issues.   Her blog is well worth visiting and if you like, you can also subscribe to her newsletter and Facebook page.

Over time, I have realised that too often people are reluctant to talk about it. Several of my friends confessed also having some hearing troubles but only once I told them about mine. Quite a few friends suspect that they have hearing loss but resist the idea of taking a test. It is common for people to deny it or minimise it, certainly in the early stage. Moving from denial to frustration and then to acceptance is the common path. But the damage is created on the way and the longer you wait the worst it gets. One needs to talk about it without it becoming obsessive or boring.

Losing one’s hearing has a sly angle, as you don’t hear you don’t take any notice. First, it is you miss the noise leaves make in the tree, then the birds and eventually the river flowing. It is also easy to blame it on the other person’s accent “oh, he has a northern accent or a mid-west accent… or he mumbles or eats his words” Eventually you realise that others do understand but not you! And that hurts!

How often, have I been apprehensive to say that I can’t hear well?  These situations are very frequent even with the family or travelling or working. This stigma is often our main obstacle to getting treatment and getting the support needed by family and friends. One thing that Shari Eberts says clearly is that we need to speak up, clearly and explain what is happening and why we don’t hear. The more we talk about it the more we normalise it.

St Thomas à Becket – Fairfield – Photo edited in Prisma app with Sketch

How does this happen?

There are many negative connotations surrounding hearing loss and this may explain why people struggle to seek treatment. There is a perception that hearing aid will make them look older, weaker, or less capable. Well, this is partly true, no one likes to acknowledge some form of physical deficiencies, but it does not have to be so dramatic if you adopt the right attitude.

One coping strategy is to fake it… Oh yes, you give the impression that you understood, often by smiling or nodding but in reality, you don’t.  It’s a behaviour I have adopted too often and is hard to avoid as I feel embarrassed and do not wish to annoy my counterparties by asking them to repeat it.  It is a lose-lose game, however.

This is a very important issue. There are medics, audiologists and writers who are well qualified at explaining this, please do read if you can. Here is a very good web page from an audiologist based in Colorado on this topic:  https://www.soundrelief.com/the-stigma-of-hearing-loss/In her article, Dr Julie Prutsman refers to an excellent science paper on hearing loss stigma written by Dr Margaret Wallhagen, which you can access here: https://academic.oup.com/gerontologist/article/50/1/66/692298?login=false I hope you find these interesting.

Shari Eberts wrote an excellent blog page on this topic of Hearing Loss – here is the link.

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