Many individuals have strong recollections of a beloved family pet. Cats, dogs, birds, rabbits, and a wide variety of other animals can enrich our lives, and even, in some situations, become close companions. For people with hearing loss, pets can offer added benefits that improve symptom management and quality of life.
Sometimes, pets are specifically trained to provide special benefits. Particular tasks or specific types of help can be carried out by these animals which are trained to provide help to individuals with hearing loss. Sometimes, though, that’s not the situation. Even an everyday animal companion with no special training can offer comfort and companionship. Special friendships between animals and individuals who have hearing loss are often formed as a result.
Can owning a pet provide improved mental health?
Untreated hearing loss can be incredibly isolating, making it difficult to hear and understand people around you. Communication becomes troubled and, as a result, you may spend less time socializing with other people.
So, is owning a pet helpful for people who have hearing loss? Absolutely! There are lots of non-verbal ways that a companion animal can communicate. And while clear communication is essential with animals, it does not depend on verbal language. When someone has hearing loss, it can be a very lonely time, and being able to connect with an animal friend can provide emotional support and comfort.
This doesn’t replace human-to-human social contact, of course. But when making human relationships is difficult, it can provide some comfort and support. Also, pets can give you more opportunities to make connections with other humans. Even if you aren’t necessarily talking with people or making new friends, doing things like taking your dog for a walk in the park can give you the opportunity to be around others.
Pets can be ideal assistants
Service dogs, as an example, use specialized training to help their humans navigate the world more safely. Individuals with hearing loss will often fail to hear essential sounds around them and service animals are specifically trained to pay attention to those sounds and to provide assistance to their human.
Here are some things that a service dog can do for somebody with hearing loss:
- Letting their human know that the smoke detector is sounding.
- Hearing the doorbell ring or someone knocking on the door.
- Service dogs can even be trained to distinguish their human’s name, and when that human is being spoken to. This can help people with hearing loss better take part in communication.
- Detecting dangerous sounds like oncoming traffic.
- Noticing (and alerting their human) to everyday sounds like tea kettles, alarm clocks, or the phone ringing.
Service animals are specifically trained to detect these sounds and convey them to their human. But other non-service animals can also be useful to somebody with hearing loss. Even a dog with no training will often bark when someone rings the doorbell or knocks on the door. Similarly, cats or other animals can be extremely sensitive to sudden noises or changes, and people who are aware and dialed in with their pets may be able to recognize these things, as well.
A symbiotic relationship
Many of the benefits that a pet can bring to your life might not even be recognized. Adding some structure to daily life is one of those benefits. They need to be fed, walked, and given love on a regular basis, for instance. This structure can be an important source of comfort. Lots of different types of animal-assisted therapies exist because of this.
But if you’re thinking about getting a pet or service animal, it’s important to give it some careful 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 essential to note that service animals cannot replace a pair of hearing aids, both in terms of the lasting benefits and in terms of their capabilities. However, pets can be a vital part of your life and provide a trusty companion. For individuals with a hearing impairment, they can be an invaluable, and unique, part of their life.
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