Hear with me: Supporting a loved one after hearing loss

Being informed that your hearing is on the wane and diminishing is never an easy thing to be told.

As much as some may half expect it when they reach their later years, it's important to be prepared for the possibility and that goes for whether it's you or a loved-one.

Sometimes it's often just as demanding to be there for a loved one who is having to adjust to the use of a hearing aid or similar device, as it can be if it is you who is going through it.

The best way you can be supportive to a friend or loved one who is going through it, is to be clued up on what options there are and generally just to listen and be there.

Listening to concerns and fears before then allaying these with reassuring advice can be a real boost at what is often a difficult time.

Another way that you can help loved ones and family members is by attending appointments and generally helping out in the process of sorting out a hearing aid.

While we make it as easy and straightforward as possible, it can still be a complex process and having a relative there alongside you can really help to put you at ease.

Also, at a time when there's lots of new information to be taken on in relation to your new hearing aid, having a relative with you can also prove useful in another way.

There's a chance you may have forgotten to ask something that could prove useful and if you have someone with you who remembers to ask it this could prove vital in the long run.

On a very basic level having someone you know by your side will help make the process much easier and we'll do our best to help the whole thing quick and simple too.