Hearing issues?

A man feared his wife wasn't hearing as well as she used to and he thought she might need a hearing aid. Not quite sure how to approach her, he called the family doctor to discuss the problem. The Doctor told him there is a simple informal test the husband could perform to give the doctor a better idea about her hearing loss.
Here's what you do," said the Doctor, "stand about 40 feet away from her, and in a normal conversational speaking tone see if she hears you. If not, go to 30 feet, then 20 feet, and so on until you get a response."
That evening, the wife was in the kitchen cooking dinner, and he was in the den. He says to himself, "I'm about 40 feet away, let's see what happens."
Then in a normal tone he asks, 'Honey, what's for dinner?"
No response.
So the husband moves closer to the kitchen, about 30 feet from his wife and repeats, "Honey, what's for dinner?"
Still, no response.
Next he moves into the dining room where he is about 20 feet from his wife and asks, "Honey, what's for dinner?"
Again he gets no response.
So, he walks up to the kitchen door, about 10 feet away.. "Honey, what's for dinner?"
Again there is no response.
So he walks right up behind her... "Honey, what's for dinner?"
"Ralph, for THE FIFTH time, CHICKEN!!"
- Don Gomolski

Ok this is a joke that has been around for a little while, but it begs the question: Does this sound like you or your significant other?  Maybe you have someone in your family it sounds like. 

Our hearing is a very important part of who we are and how we handle daily things.  Below is a list of several questions that, if you can answer yes to, you should follow up with your doctor and have your hearing tested.  Even if you can’t answer yes to them, having a yearly hearing checkup is still a good thing as it can prevent any issues later on down the road.

   
      1)      Do people seem to mumble or speak softer than they used to?

      2)      Is it difficult to follow a conversation when in a crowd?

      3)      Does background noise, like music or TV, bother you when you are speaking with someone?

      4)      How high is the volume on your radio or TV?  Are you often asked to “turn it down”?

      5)      Are you finding yourself asking people to repeat themselves?

      6)      Is speaking on a telephone especially hard for you?  Do you find yourself using the speaker phone option?

      7)      Is it difficult for you to find an object based on the noise it makes, i.e. a ringing phone or alarm clock?

      8)      Has someone told you to get your hearing checked?

 These are just a few basic questions to ask yourself, but your doctor will ask many more.  As we age we do lose some of our hearing as part of the aging process, but if you have ever worked in a high noise job, i.e. construction or railroads, that process is typically sped up some.  Take the time to see a doctor and have them do a hearing test.