Happy memories of a cherished pet is a common experience for many people. 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. Quality of life and symptom management for people who have hearing loss can also be improved by having a pet buddy.
Sometimes, pets are specifically trained to provide special benefits. Service animals for people with hearing loss can be trained to provide specific forms of assistance or even perform special tasks. Sometimes, though, that isn’t the case. Even a common animal companion with no special training can offer comfort and friendship. That’s why, in many cases, people with hearing loss and their animal companions develop a special and unique connection.
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. This gap in communication can cause the person with hearing loss to isolate themselves.
So, is having a pet helpful for people with hearing loss? It sure is! There are lots of non-verbal ways that a companion animal can communicate. And while clear communication is essential with animals, it does not rely on verbal language. People with hearing loss can successfully bond with a wide variety of pets (this is typically dependent on personal preferences), and these pets can provide comfort and emotional support during what may be a very lonely time.
This does not replace human-to-human social connection, of course. But when making human relationships is a challenge, it can provide some comfort and support. Additionally, pets can offer you more opportunities to connect with other humans. 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 give aid
Service dogs, as an example, make use of 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 might otherwise miss.
Some of the things a service dog for those with hearing loss is trained to do include the following:
- Observing (and alerting their human) to everyday sounds like tea kettles, alarm clocks, or the phone ringing.
- Detecting hazardous sounds like approaching traffic.
- Letting their human know that the smoke detector is sounding.
- Service dogs can even be trained to recognize their human’s name, and when that human is being spoken to. People with hearing loss will have an easier time communicating with others as a result.
- Detecting a knock at the door or a doorbell ringing.
Service animals are specifically trained to detect these sounds and communicate them to their human. But other non-service animals can also be helpful to somebody with hearing loss. Even a dog with no training will often bark when someone rings the doorbell or knocks on the door. Cats and other animals will also often react to abrupt or unfamiliar sounds which their owner will recognize 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 daily life. They need to be fed, walked, and given love on a regular basis, for example. This structure can be an essential source of comfort. Many different kinds of animal-assisted therapies exist because of this.
But it’s essential to be thoughtful if you’re thinking about getting a pet or a service animal. You want to pick an animal that’s going to meet your requirements and that you will be able to properly take care of.
While a service animal can be a great help, they aren’t capable of providing the same degree of long-term benefits or the same capabilities as a hearing aid. Pets can, however, be wonderful companions and can improve your overall quality of life. They can be a unique and valuable part of their life.
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