Taking Charge of Your Hearing

Accepting your hearing loss and deciding to take action to improve your situation is part of a personal process, which can take some time. In fact, only one in five people who could benefit from wearing hearing aids makes an appointment. Most people wait until their hearing loss prevents them from communicating, even under favourable listening conditions, before seeing a professional.

Some psychologists (Prochaska and DiClemente) have introduced the concept of stages of change. As a person moves through the stages, the idea of change becomes more and more positive. In other words, it’s normal to question yourself and go through a range of emotions.

The model has six stages:

At this stage, a person does not intend to change. They deny the problem.
My wife tells me that I’m making her repeat herself, but she’s the one who’s not speaking loud enough!

The person is aware that there’s a problem, but isn’t sure if they want to change. I know I’m hard of hearing, but other people will just have to talk to me louder!

The person is preparing to change.I know I have hearing loss. I think I’ll go see an audiologist to get the facts straight.

At this stage, the person takes a concrete step or action to improve the situation. I’ve made an appointment with an audiologist to have my hearing assessed.

The person continues their efforts. I’m following the professionals’ recommendations and wearing my hearing aids.

The person is aware of the progress they’ve made, and it’s part of their lifestyle. I can’t do without my hearing aids anymore!

The duration of each stage varies from person to person. It takes an average of ten years for a person to recognize that they have hearing loss and take control of their hearing.

Generally, people who see a hearing health professional on their own are in the contemplation or preparation stage. They know they have hearing loss and are interested in learning more about their hearing. On the other hand, people who make an appointment because a healthcare professional or loved one encourages them to do so are often in the pre-contemplation stage. They are not always ready to deal with their hearing loss because to them, there is no problem.

Self-stigmatization is another obstacle to getting help. This phenomenon involves consciously or unconsciously associating the hearing loss with something negative, like aging. This can lead people with hearing loss to hide their difficulties from those around them. This can involve avoiding unfavourable listening situations, which can lead some people to isolate themselves. Talking about your listening difficulties to other people with hearing loss can be a great help to overcome this self-stigmatization.

The first step towards this change is to have your hearing assessed. Make an appointment as soon as you feel ready!