Coming to terms with accepting hearing loss and taking affirmative action can often be extremely difficult or just simply plain embarrassing – especially if awareness of the condition has only become apparent after a long period of time. Often adjusting to the need to take some form of remedial action or legal steps, firstly requires being open and honest with yourself and then, with others.

According to a world survey of over 300 hearing aid users conducted during March and April 2011, less than 50 per cent of respondents to a questionnaire admitted to being open about suffering from hearing damage while 75 per cent stated that most or nearly all are socially embarrassed by their impaired hearing.

Too often, becoming aware of a deterioration in hearing is often hardly noticed over a prolonged period, as a result of having adjusted to constant exposure to higher than average noise levels in the workplace. The immediate tendency is to cover up the growing realisation and not admit to a potentially embarrassing condition.
Fear of embarrassment in the workplace led to over a third not being open with their work colleagues and a fifth deciding to keep their hearing problem as hidden as possible.

Sometimes, many years might elapse of enduring noise induced hearing loss until reaching a critical stage before being persuaded by a spouse or family members to face up to dealing with their failure of hearing, beginning with an audiogram or hearing test.

Individuals suffering noise induced hearing loss will at first show only a high frequency loss at 4000 Hz but after a period of continued noise exposure and consequential hearing loss, lower, deeper frequencies are affected too.
Two thirds of the study respondents said they were open about their hearing condition with close family even though 12 per cent admitted to not wanting to try and to talk about their condition and a further 6 per cent had decided to ”keep it to themselves”.

Clearly, all those men and women whose deafness causes feelings of shame or embarrassment should be encouraged to come to more equitable terms with their slowly worsening condition, so that not only positive remedial action can be taken for enjoying a better quality of life but also the possibilities of obtaining financial restitution.