If you suspect a loved one has hearing loss, you are not alone. If you have suspected this for some time but simply were not prepared to do something about it yet, this is not unusual. On the average, it takes people seven years from the time they think they have a hearing loss to the time they seek out treatment of any kind.

Are you afraid to know for sure?

* Are you embarrassed to talk openly about not being able to hear?

* Are you cutting out activities that you used to love but have become painful because you cannot join in fully any more?

* At work, are you afraid to reveal your hearing loss in case it jeopardizes your job and coworkers may view you as less competent?

* Are you bluffing when out with friends in noisy restaurants?

* Are you feeling cut-off from your young children because you cannot hear their high pitched voices?

* Are family holidays a strain because so many people are talking at the same time?

These are common reactions and can lead to withdrawal from social interaction, anxiety, loss of self-esteem and even depression.

Please visit your local Hearing Instrument specialist, Post Falls Hearing Aid Center at 780 N. Cecil Road, Suite 103 or call (208) 457-8878.