Many individuals have strong recollections of a beloved family pet. Our lives can be enriched by many types of animals including; dogs, cats, guinea pigs, and birds. In many instances, they are our close companions. For people who have hearing loss, pets can offer added benefits that improve symptom management and quality of life.
In some cases, pets convey these benefits because they have been specifically trained to do so. Service animals for people with hearing loss can be trained to give specific forms of assistance or even perform particular tasks. Sometimes, though, that isn’t the situation. Even an everyday animal companion with no special training can provide comfort and companionship. That’s why, in many cases, people with hearing loss and their animal companions develop a special and unique bond.
Can owning a pet give you improved mental health?
With hearing loss, it can be hard to hear and make out what people are saying, which can feel really isolating. Communication becomes fraught and, as a result, you may spend less time socializing with other people.
So, is having a pet good for people with hearing loss? It sure is! A cat, dog, or other companionable animal can communicate in lots of of non-verbal ways. And while clear communication is essential with animals, it doesn’t rely on verbal language. When somebody has hearing loss, it can be a really lonely time, and being able to bond with an animal friend can offer emotional support and comfort.
This doesn’t replace human-to-human social connection, of course. But it can provide some consolation and support when making other connections can be difficult. Pets can also help you find opportunities to connect with other people. Taking your dog to the dog park, for example, can give you an opportunity to be around other people, even if you don’t necessarily initiate a conversation or make a new friend.
Pets can be ideal helpers
Service dogs, as an example, utilize specialized training to assist their humans get around the world more safely. People with hearing loss will often fail to hear important sounds around them and service animals are specifically trained to pay attention to those sounds and to provide direction to their human.
Some of the things a service dog for people who have hearing loss is trained to do include the following:
- Informing their human when the smoke alarm goes off.
- Alerting their human to everyday sounds like a ringing phone, alarm clock, or a whistling teapot.
- Detecting a knock at the door or a ringing doorbell.
- Detecting the sound of approaching traffic or other dangers.
- Service dogs can even be trained to recognize their human’s name, and when that human is being spoken to. This can help those with hearing loss better engage in communication.
Sensing these sounds and alerting their human to them is something these animals are specifically trained to do. But other non-service animals can also be helpful to someone with hearing loss. Even a dog with no training will often bark when somebody rings the doorbell or knocks on the door. Cats and other animals will also often react to sudden or unknown sounds which their owner will pick up on if they are in tune with their pet.
A symbiotic relationship
Pets can add lots of benefits to your life without you even recognizing it. They will instantly add a degree of structure to your day-to-day life. For instance, they will need to be walked, fed, and loved several times each day. A structured life like this can be very comforting. Lots of different types of animal-assisted therapies exist because of this.
But if you’re contemplating getting a pet or service animal, it’s important to give it some thoughtful consideration. You want to choose an animal that’s going to meet your needs and that you will be able to properly care for.
It’s also important to note that service animals cannot take the place of a pair of hearing aids, both in terms of the lasting benefits and in terms of their capabilities. However, pets can be a major part of your life and provide a trusty companion. They can be a unique and important part of their life.
Call us today for an assessment and begin moving toward better hearing!
