I've Got My Sparkle Back

Missed punchlines and half-heard conversations made Wendy Clark realise her hearing was the issue.

Hearing loss is a problem for many of us, with one in six* affected to some degree as we age. The trouble is, it can creep up on us gradually, so it’s not always obvious. Yet not being able to hear properly can have an impact on every aspect of our lives, affecting our family relationships as well as our work and social lives.

By recognising hearing loss as soon as possible, you can access expert help, which will make all the difference to the quality of your life, as Wendy Clark, 56, discovered…

‘I’ve always enjoyed listening to the radio and watching TV,so I felt a bit miffed when my husband Steve kept turning down the volume when he was in the same room.

‘He’d say I had it on far too loud, but I thought it seemed fine – in fact, I reckoned it must be the sloppy speech and poor diction of the presenters that prevented me from catching what they were saying. It didn’t occur to me that the problem might be to do with my ears!

‘Gradually, my hearing loss began to impact on the way I behaved. Instead of joining in with family situations such as chatting over a meal, or laughing at a joke, I began to retreat into my own space. It was easier to read a book or listen to music through my headphones.