Dear Eric: I have two friends who can’t hear very well. One of them had hearing aids but returned them. The other one has them but won’t wear them.

They frequently talk over each other and interrupt people all the time because they can’t seem to tell if someone else is speaking.

What’s really annoying is they keep telling me to speak up, then complain when I do so. They accuse me of mumbling, but everyone else understands me just fine.

I have to repeat myself over and over again, increasing my volume each time until they say, “don’t yell at me!”

I keep telling them that if they keep asking me to speak up until they can hear me, they shouldn’t complain when I finally reach a volume they can hear. Any thoughts?

– Raising Voices

Dear Voices: Navigating hearing loss can be tough. Sometimes it’s an issue of pride, sometimes people don’t realize how much they’re missing and have gotten used to getting by. It can be difficult to convince friends who haven’t found the right medical solution to keep trying.

But, in a non-charged moment, talk to them about what you’re seeing and encourage them to visit an audiologist, perhaps a different one than the doctor they saw before. Remind them that hearing loss is associated with an increased risk of developing dementia and that, according to the National Institute of Health, using hearing aids can help reduce the rate of cognitive decline in older adults by up to 50 percent. Additionally, hearing aids can help reduce social isolation by helping those experiencing hearing loss to better engage with conversation and the world around them. There are many benefits, but like many medical remedies, they sometimes take a minute to get used to.

Perhaps by focusing on their personal well-being and continued health, you’ll help them see that you’re not complaining simply for the sake of complaining, but rather because you want the best for them and for your friendship.

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Send questions to R. Eric Thomas at [email protected] or P.O. Box 22474, Philadelphia, PA 19110. Follow him on Instagram and sign up for his weekly newsletter at rericthomas.com.