It can be tremendously difficult to understand exactly what it is our loved ones hear, and we might assume certain capabilities without knowing the truth, leading to frustration for both parties.
There is a way to find out though — to truly place yourself in your loved one’s shoes — and that’s what happened recently at a mother and daughter Hear in Texas appointment, resulting in tears and gratefulness.
Normal Hearing Thresholds
When we test a person’s hearing in a sound booth, we want to know how they hear all the different sounds and words. We get the results back on an audiogram, and the sounds that are heard are laid out like a piano, showing how many of the lower pitches and higher pitches are heard.
The -10–25 portion at the top of the audiogram separates where normal hearing is from the rest. In a perfect world, when hearing is normal, all the x’s and o’s should be in this area. The farther away we get from this normal range, the higher we have to turn the volume up before they can hear.
How They Hear
We show in this video exactly how quiet your words sound to someone with a severe hearing loss. Words spoken at a normal volume are barely heard, and even then, they sound muffled, which is why you have to speak up and enunciate your words as clearly as possible.
Prescription hearing aids help in many ways because they are programed to turn the volume up exactly where needed so your loved one can understand the words at that level and enjoy interacting with you again.
Give Your Loved One the Gift of Clearer Communication
A comprehensive hearing assessment is the first step to getting your loved one the hearing care they need. The results are charted on an audiogram, and the information helps us recommend the best type of hearing aid for your loved one.
Email any questions about helping a loved one hear via our contact form, or call or text us at (830) 360-2000. We look forward to helping your loved one feel less alone.
