Signs and consequences of untreated hearing loss:

Evidence of a hearing loss may emerge from any number of behaviors that individuals perform. Individuals may compensate for a loss by employing one or more of the following behaviors:

• Straining to hear what people say
• Asking people to talk louder
• Asking people to repeat what they say
• Focusing their vision on the person speaking, so they can see their expressions and read their lips
• Turning the television volume up loud enough to hear, while other people complain that it is too loud
• Believing that everyone mumbles
• Nodding your head during conversation even though you don’t know what has been said
• Withdrawing from conversation because it is hard to hear

• Ringing in your ears
• People seem embarrassed by your answers during a conversation
• Family members making comments about your hearing

Prior to proper treatment for a hearing loss, the hearing impaired person and those around them must deal with its effects. Many of the difficulties hearing loss creates have social consequence and can be serious.

Some of the difficulties may include:

• Resentment for having the loss.
• Anger at being reminded continuously that you have an impairment.
• Sadness that you have lost something important.
• Frustration on the part of the hearing impaired and the family when seeking treatment is put off.
• Embarrassment
• Difficulty maintaining close relationships with friends and family.
• Withdrawing in social situations because it is too difficult to understand what’s being said.
• Rejection by friends because of public embarrassment, when private matters are discussed to loudly or incorrect responses