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Hearing loss can put a strain on relationships
Hearing loss can put a strain on relationships

Yahoo

time12-07-2025

  • General
  • Yahoo

Hearing loss can put a strain on relationships

'WHAT did he say?' 'What was that?' Just about every TV programme I watch with my husband is peppered with questions from me about who said what and what's going on. He finds it irritating to say the least but, even though the volume is set high, I find it difficult to hear. I'd like to turn it up to full but he says it's already at 'pensioner level', it makes him uncomfortable and would be unbearable not to mention unfair to the neighbours, were it any higher. My hearing has been deteriorating for decades. Having virtually no hearing in my left ear due to Meniere's disease, I rely completely on my right, which is good but is blighted by constant tinnitus in my left. So, all in all, it's not great. There's many a conversation in my house that goes something like this: Husband: 'Have you moved the beans I left outside?' Me: 'No, but you don't need to put the bins out, they're not collected until Thursday.' At the weekend he sent me to the garage for a hammer. I came back with a spanner. Those are the occasions when I reply to him: there are many when I don't hear him at all, so don't answer, leaving him exasperated. I often ask: 'Can you come into the room and face me when you ask something, then I can answer you?' We are far from alone in experiencing this sort of exchange. Nearly half of all couples have argued because of hearing loss, according to a poll of 2,000 adults. The problem leaves two fifths feeling frustrated, a third feeling ignored, and a fifth feeling disconnected from their partner. The poll by market research company OnePoll also found couples ask each other to repeat themselves an average of four times a week. And just under half reported having to shout to be heard. With more than a third of adults admitting getting the gist of a conversation wrong and 17 per cent to offending their partner, it can easily lead to disagreements. Living with hearing loss presents challenges in the home.. Picture: Pixabay The survey followed a series of public stunts by Hilary and Michael Whitehall, the parents of UK comedian Jack Whitehall, who leaked CCTV footage of themselves arguing due to problems with Michael's hearing, before revealing it was part of a campaign to raise awareness. The short film could easily have been made in my home and made me realise how frustrating my condition is for my husband. He accepts it and is very accommodating, but sometimes finds it difficult. Michael Whitehall has since been fitted with hearing devices, which have been transformative. He said: 'I've realised how much I was missing before - and the issues my hearing was causing.' My local NHS hearing department is excellent and after undergoing tests I was fitted with a hearing aid, but sadly it makes no difference. Of course, we could use subtitles when watching TV, but it's not as enjoyable. I will persevere with it for foreign language films, but I'm not a fan, especially when they text is not in synch with the dialogue. It's not fair on my husband either, although he would readily accept it. I have to turn my phone alarm up high in case I'm asleep on my right ear when it goes off. But even then I sometimes fail to hear it. There is one advantage though - I simply turn over if I want to block out the dawn chorus. It's ten times harder to hear if I'm in a group and more than one person is speaking. It takes every scrap of concentration, and feeble attempts at lip reading, to be able to join in the conversation. I am glad that my husband's auditory system is functioning well, but living with hearing loss isn't easy for either of us.

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