SOME QUESTIONS TO ASK YOURSELF

To help identify hearing loss, ask yourself the following questions:

• Do you have a problem hearing over the telephone?
• Do you have trouble following the conversation when two or more people are talking at the same time?
• Do people complain that you turn the volume of the TV or radio too high?
• Do you have to strain to understand conversation?
• Do you have trouble hearing in a noisy background?
• Do you find yourself asking people to repeat themselves?
• Do many people whom you talk to seem to mumble or not speak clearly?
• Do you misunderstand what people are saying and respond inappropriately?
• Do you have trouble understanding women and children?
• Do people get annoyed because you misunderstand what they say?
• Do some people say that you speak too loudly?
• Do you have difficulty hearing or understanding when you can't see the speaker's face?
• Do you sometimes have trouble hearing household sounds like a faucet dripping, a clock ticking, or a doorbell ringing?

The National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders suggests that you have your hearing checked if you answered "yes" to three or more of the questions posed above.

If you've tried just about everything to deal with your hearing loss on your own - shouting, turning up the volume, avoiding conversation, and withdrawing from social situations - now try a hearing professional.