Many individuals have powerful 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 cases, they are our close companions. For people who have hearing loss, pets can provide additional benefits that improve symptom management and quality of life.
In some circumstances, pets bring these benefits because they have been specially trained to do so. Particular tasks or specific kinds of help can be performed by these animals which are trained to provide help to individuals with hearing loss. But that isn’t always the case. Even a common animal companion with no special training can offer comfort and friendship. Special friendships between animals and people who have hearing loss are often formed as a result.
Is owning a pet good for mental health?
Untreated hearing loss can be incredibly isolating, making it hard to hear and understand those around you. Communication becomes fraught and, as a result, you may spend less time socializing with others.
So, is having a pet worthwhile? Definitely! A cat, dog, or other companionable animal can communicate in lots of of non-verbal ways. Clear communication with animals can be achieved without the need to hear verbal language. Individuals with hearing loss can effectively bond with a wide variety of pets (this is typically dependent on personal preferences), and these pets can offer comfort and emotional reinforcement during what may be a very lonely time.
Clearly, this doesn’t take the place of contact between humans. But when making human connections is difficult, it can offer some comfort and support. Also, pets can give you more opportunities to connect with other people. Taking your dog to the dog park, for instance, can give you an opportunity to be around other people, even if you don’t necessarily strike up a conversation or make a new friend.
Pets can be great helpers
Service dogs, as an example, use specialized training to help their humans navigate the world more safely. Generally, that means these service animals are trained to pay attention to sounds that people who have hearing loss may otherwise miss.
Some of the things a service dog for people with hearing loss is trained to do include the following:
- Detecting the sound of oncoming traffic or other hazards.
- Hearing the doorbell ring or someone knocking on the door.
- Recognizing when someone speaks their human’s name or otherwise speaks to their human is also something service dogs can be trained to do. People who have hearing loss will have an easier time communicating with others as a result.
- Alerting their human to daily sounds including a ringing phone, alarm clock, or a whistling teakettle.
- Notifying their human when the smoke alarm goes off.
Service animals are specially trained to notice these sounds and convey them to their human. But service animals aren’t the only way one might benefit from having an animal around. 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 abrupt noises or changes, and those who are aware and in tune with their pets may be able to recognize these things, as well.
A symbiotic relationship
Pets can add many benefits to your life without you even realizing it. They will instantly add a degree of structure to your everyday life. They need to be fed, walked, and given love on a regular basis, for example. This structure can be an important source of comfort. Many different types of animal-assisted therapies exist because of this.
But it’s essential to be thoughtful if you’re considering a pet or a service animal. You want to pick an animal that’s going to meet your needs and that you will be able to adequately care for.
It’s also essential to mention that service animals can’t take the place of a pair of hearing aids, both in terms of the long-term benefits and in terms of their capabilities. Pets can, however, be great companions and can improve your overall quality of life. They can be a unique and valuable part of their life.
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