Five most asked questions about hearing loss

Our Helpdesk gets asked a lot of questions about living with hearing loss and the type of support we offer.

All our Helpdesk Team have either personal or professional experience of managing hearing loss, and can offer information, advice and support whether you’re living with hearing loss yourself or supporting someone else.

“I’m really struggling with my hearing loss and confused by how much information is out there, how do I know what I need?”

Experiencing changes in your hearing can be frightening and navigating the information that’s available can feel overwhelming. Understanding your hearing loss is a great place to start, and we have helpful explanations, easy step-by-step guides, and support from noticing the first changes to getting a diagnosis.

If you ever feel overwhelmed, our friendly Helpdesk team can help you find what's right your hearing support journey.

“Someone I love has lost some of their hearing, what can I do to support their communication needs?”

It is difficult to see a loved one experience changes in their hearing and supporting them through these changes is a natural response. Communication can become a real struggle for both of you, it’s important to remember to take your time and don’t be afraid to repeat yourself or rephrase what you need to say. We have some helpful tips to support you in communicating with your loved one, and you can also sign up to our free webinar ‘Your Homelife, Your Hearing’ which offers suggestions and tips for managing hearing at home.

“I’m struggling to cope with daily tasks since losing my hearing, what kind of support is there for me?”

Hearing loss can affect how you perform daily tasks, like waking up on time, cooking, and even communicating with your loved ones. Your local sensory support team can be found through your local council and can offer advice and issue certain types of assistive technology to help you. They can also signpost you to local services such as lipreading classes and support groups.

We have some wonderful Peer Support Volunteers who offer 1-1 help and advice on managing hearing loss through their community sessions.

“The change in my hearing has left me feeling anxious, what should I do?”

Anxiety linked to hearing loss is common and something many of our partners and service users have experienced. It's normal to feel this way about the change in your hearing, but there are plenty of tools to help manage it. You can start by trying to reduce that uncertainty and explore different tools that can help you, such as hearing aid or communication strategies.

Make others – your family, friends and work colleagues - aware of your needs to reduce situations that can feel overwhelming. Staying connected with them is an important way to reduce potential feelings of isolation.

“How does the NHS support with hearing loss?”

The NHS can support you with diagnosing your hearing loss. If you have noticed changes in your hearing, the first step is to request a hearing test from an audiology provider. Depending on where you live in the UK, this may be a GP referral to an NHS audiology team or attending a high street provider.
If you are diagnosed with hearing loss, the NHS can provide hearing aids for free at source. The make and model issued will depend on the region.