Helping a Family Member What Can You Do If Someone You Care About Has Difficulty Hearing? If someone you know suffers from hearing loss, you already know it's a challenging time for everyone close to that person including family, friends, colleagues and coworkers. Sometimes, the change can be so gradual or subtle that you're not sure whether it's actually a hearing loss. Unlike many conditions, hearing loss is often hard to detect in its early stages. Some of the most common indicators of hearing loss include: • turning up the volume of the TV or radio • problems hearing the doorbell or the telephone ringing • difficulty hearing people calling and talking from behind or in another room • asking people to repeat themselves or saying "what?" frequently • misunderstanding or "forgetting" what has been said or agreed upon • often cupping hands behind the ears How You Can Help: If you believe a family member, friend or colleague is suffering from undiagnosed hearing loss, encourage him or her to contact a family doctor or hearing care professinal and request a simple test to check for a hearing problem. In most cases, the hearing test will detect a hearing loss if one is present, as well as determine the type of loss. Based on the hearing test, the hearing professional can recommend the use of a heraing device or other treatment.