If you are living with, or know someone who has hearing difficulties, spend a minute or two reading this and you'll be on the road to helping your friend or family member recover their hearing.

• Do they constantly have the television up too loud
• Do they appear to miss comments when not looking at you
• Do they often ask people to repeat themselves

These simple questions are related to a typical hearing self check. Answering yes to one or more may mean there's a problem and could indicate that some hearing loss has occurred.

How can you best help your friend or family member to regain their hearing ?

Hearing loss is a gradual process that develops over a period of 25 to 30 years. By the time people reach the age of 60 there can be enough deterioration to interfere with conversation. Hearing aids can help regain most of the lost hearing and allow people to regain their self-confidence and social life.

Causes and Symptoms of Hearing Loss

It is typical for people with a mild to moderate hearing loss to be unaware of their problem, even though it is obvious to their family and friends.

Hearing professionals believe that hearing loss in older adults is the accumulation of two or more causes, such as:

• Exposure to loud noises
• Family history

The typical thought process for someone who's steadily losing their hearing is:

• I hear fine, it's just that people mumble; they don't speak clearly any more.
• It's the noisy places where i have trouble hearing... i'll just avoid those places and i'll be ok.
• I hear what i need to hear. I'll just ask them to repeat.
• I can cope with it. I'll just concentrate harder.

Most hearing loss can be improved very effectively by individually and carefully selected, prescribed and fitted hearing aids.

Regaining your friends hearing

I am trained in the identification of hearing loss and with experience of prescribing hearing aids since 1997 also very knowledgeable in the selection, fitting, and proper use of them.

As a hearing care professional I am registered with the Health and Care Professions Council (in much the same way as your family doctor is) to allow me to dispense hearing aids. I can help determine if your friend or family member has a hearing loss, and if so, by how much. I will also explain the options available for improving their hearing.

I can help you by providing you with:

• Home visits to save you from having to travel
• The world's best hearing aids at the best prices in Scotland
• An unrivaled lifetime aftercare service

Help your friend or family member to experience life to the full again by contacting me today.

"The finest digital hearing aids in the world need not cost the earth"