{"id":2353,"date":"2023-02-15T19:12:22","date_gmt":"2023-02-16T00:12:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hearingsc.com\/?p=2353"},"modified":"2023-03-06T19:14:10","modified_gmt":"2023-03-07T00:14:10","slug":"how-to-avoid-social-isolation-when-you-have-hearing-loss","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hearingsc.com\/how-to-avoid-social-isolation-when-you-have-hearing-loss\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Avoid Social Isolation When You Have Hearing Loss"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>One of the biggest risks of untreated <a href=\"https:\/\/hearingsc.com\/hearing-loss\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">hearing loss<\/a> is social isolation. If you\u2019re socially withdrawn for long enough, not only can this lead to depression, it can also contribute to dementia. This is why it\u2019s important to seek treatment for hearing loss early and avoid being socially isolated. We review tips for this below.<\/p>\n<h2>Reach Out to Friends &amp; Family<\/h2>\n<p>Your friends and family care about you, which means they want to know if you\u2019re struggling so they can offer support. Reach out to your loved ones and tell them about your hearing challenges. Invite them over to your home so you can converse somewhere without a lot of distracting background noise.<\/p>\n<h2>Employ Communication Strategies<\/h2>\n<p>When you\u2019re conversing, tell your partner what communication strategies are helpful for you. This may include:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Facing each other directly<\/li>\n<li>Hanging out somewhere with good lighting<\/li>\n<li>Speaking more clearly and slowly than usual, but still naturally<\/li>\n<li>Having them say your name or touch your arm before they begin speaking to you<\/li>\n<li>Using simple sentences and rephrasing rather than repeating after a misunderstanding<\/li>\n<li>Avoiding eating while talking<\/li>\n<li>Turning off the music, the television or other background noise<\/li>\n<li>Providing written materials for instructions or directions.<\/li>\n<li>Taking turns speaking and not interrupting<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Rediscover Old Hobbies<\/h2>\n<p>You don\u2019t necessarily need to pick up something new, which can be intimidating. Think of hobbies you loved in your younger years\u2014including when you were a kid. What could you rediscover and start doing again? Maybe it\u2019s attending concerts or playing the guitar. Or maybe it\u2019s playing chess or going on walks in Joe Riley Waterfront Park. Engaging in these and other hobbies with like-minded people can combat social isolation.<\/p>\n<h2>Volunteer<\/h2>\n<p>If you find yourself with more time on your hands than you know what to do with, consider volunteering. You can work with the homeless, with animals or with any other group you feel called to serve. Not only will this increase your number of interactions, but it will also give you a sense of greater purpose and fulfillment.<\/p>\n<h2>See an Audiologist<\/h2>\n<p>If you have hearing loss and haven\u2019t yet sought treatment, know the best way to combat social isolation is to wear <a href=\"https:\/\/hearingsc.com\/hearing-aids\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">hearing aids<\/a>. In fact, one <a href=\"https:\/\/pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/26999406\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">study<\/a> found that, \u201cHearing aid use appears to be a buffer against the experience of loneliness.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>For more information or to schedule an appointment with an expert audiologist, call <span class=\"company-name \">The Hearing &amp; Balance Center<\/span> today.<\/p>\n<ul class=\"related-posts\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/hearingsc.com\/hearing-aids-help-you-stay-independent\/\" class=\"related-post\">Hearing Aids Help You Stay Independent<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/hearingsc.com\/what-kind-of-hearing-aid-technology-is-right-for-you\/\" class=\"related-post\">What Kind of Hearing Aid Technology Is Right for You?<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/hearingsc.com\/what-are-your-hearing-loss-treatment-options\/\" class=\"related-post\">What Are Your Hearing Loss Treatment Options?<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>One of the biggest risks of untreated hearing loss is social isolation. If you\u2019re socially withdrawn for long enough, not only can this lead to depression, it can also contribute to dementia. This is why it\u2019s important to seek treatment for hearing loss early and avoid being socially isolated. We review tips for this below&#8230;.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"none","_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","schema":"","fname":"","lname":"","position":"","credentials":"","placeID":"","no_match":false,"name":"","company":"","review":"","address":"","city":"","state":"","zip":"","lat":"","lng":"","phone1":"","phone2":"","fax":"","mon1":"","mon2":"","tue1":"","tue2":"","wed1":"","wed2":"","thu1":"","thu2":"","fri1":"","fri2":"","sat1":"","sat2":"","sun1":"","sun2":"","hours-note":"","locid":"","rating":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/hearingsc.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2353"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/hearingsc.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/hearingsc.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hearingsc.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hearingsc.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2353"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/hearingsc.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2353\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2356,"href":"https:\/\/hearingsc.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2353\/revisions\/2356"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/hearingsc.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2353"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hearingsc.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2353"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hearingsc.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2353"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}