Living with hearing problems

Talking to colleagues, friends and family members can be challenging for those with hearing loss. They have to concentrate harder to understand words and sentences, which can lead to fatigue and frustration. They often have to ask their conversation partner to speak louder or repeat themselves.

In noisy environments, such as busy streets, restaurants or public transport, people with hearing loss often find it difficult to concentrate on individual sounds or voices. Background noise can significantly impair their ability to understand speech or perceive important sounds. The difficulty of understanding speech in a noisy environment is known as the"cocktail party effect". This effect occurs when different sounds and voices occur simultaneously and people with hearing loss have difficulty filtering out the desired information.

Affected people with hearing loss often need to increase the volume to hear the TV or music appropriately, but this can be uncomfortable for other people in the room. This can cause tension in social situations, especially when it comes to watching TV or listening to music together.

Without the ability to hear warning signals and sounds, everyday situations can become riskier for those with hearing loss. Difficulty hearing horns, sirens, doorbells, or other warning signals can lead to potentially dangerous situations on the road, at home, or in other public areas. It is important that people who are hard of hearing take extra precautions and use alternative methods, such as visual signals or communication technologies, to ensure their safety.