Tell tale signs of hearing loss

If you’re starting to miss the odd word, you might find you’re missing out on the jokes and chat too. Before too long, you could find you feel a bit isolated.

That’s why Royal Voluntary Service teamed up with Specsavers, the UK’s number one high street provider of hearing aids, to encourage everyone over 55 to get a free hearing check.

We hope that people with concerns about their hearing, carers and families, find this guide useful. Download a copy of Listen out... for the tell tale signs of hearing loss, print this page to give to someone you know.

For more information or to request a free hearing test, call Specsavers Hearing Centres on 0800 023 4731 or visit specsavers.co.uk/hearing

Understanding hearing loss

Hearing loss is surprisingly common. In fact it affects 1 in 6 adults in the UK. It happens gradually, so you might not even realise it is getting worse. It can be a normal part of ageing or caused by experiencing too much noise over time.

Hearing loss can affect every aspect of your life, especially the things that are most important to you such as relationships with family, friends or work colleagues.

Emotionally and physically, untreated hearing loss can impact negatively on all areas of life. People who suffer from hearing loss often say that they feel isolated from the world going on around them.

Common symptoms of hearing loss

There are a number of tell tale signs that might indicate you have hearing loss. Do any of these seem familiar to you?

• You have the TV or radio volume uncomfortably loud for other people.
• Telephone conversations are hard work.
• You find it difficult to hear dialogue in noisy environment.
• You ask people to repeat things or misunderstand what they say.

If you have experienced one or more of these situations you may benefit from a hearing test and expert advice from a hearing care professional.

You can book a free hearing test at Specsavers without obligation, and if you require a hearing aid there is a same day test and fit service, so your hearing is better from day one.

Please exercise your common sense when considering this guide and whether to take any of the steps that may be suggested in it. Whilst we have taken reasonable care to ensure that any factual information is accurate and complete, most of the information in this guide is based on our views and opinions (and sometimes the views and opinions of the people or organisations we work with). As a result, we cannot make any promises about the accuracy or the completeness of the information and we don’t accept any responsibility for the results of your reliance on it.