If you have hearing loss, communicating can sometimes be a challenge. You spend a lot of energy straining to hear but it’s not always enough to help you hear what’s being said. If you’ve been having a hard time hearing, here are a few simple tips you can try to make communication easier.
Ask for Help
When you’re having a conversation with a loved one, you’re not the only one who wants you to hear. Your family and friends also want you to fully participate in the conversation. When you’re communicating with loved ones, ask for help. You can suggest ways to help you hear, for example asking them to sit on the side of your good ear. Communication is a two-way street, so ask for support.
Get a Head Start
Before your conversation partner launches into whatever they’re about to say, ask them to tell you the topic of conversation. This can give you a head start since you’ll have your mind on the right topic from the first word. You won’t need to spend several sentences just trying to figure out what’s being talked about and start focusing on what’s being said.
You can ask your family and friends to share the topic of conversation before they start talking, or let you know when they switch topics. For example, they can say “let me tell you about something that happened at work today” or “let’s talk about that show we watched last night.”
Turn Off Background Sounds
If you have the radio or TV on in the background, turn it off. This simple change can make communicating so much easier! When you have hearing loss, you can’t hear all the sounds around you. Your brain is scrambling to make sense of the words, but it becomes harder and harder to distinguish important sounds from background sounds.
Rather than hearing the conversation loud and clear and barely noticing the background sounds, your brain gives equal importance to the speech sound and the background noise, making it harder to hear. Turn off background sounds to help you hear clearly during conversations.
Face Each Other While Talking
Do you sometimes have conversations from across the house? Maybe your loved one yells to you from the kitchen to see if you want a snack. One simple tip to help you communicate is to always face each other while talking. Not only will this help you hear, but it also gives you a lot of extra cues. You’ll be able to see facial expressions or even read their lips. Remind your loved ones that they can help you hear if they face you during conversations. Have your friend or family member pull up a seat and sit down with you since this gives you the best chance of communicating clearly.
Use a Pen and Paper
There’s no shame in writing something down. If you have hearing loss, what’s the one thing you have the most trouble hearing? For many people, it’s dates and times. Next time you’re making plans with a loved one, have them jot down the date and time, just so you’re on the same page. Rather than asking them to repeat the time, and wonder later if you heard it right, using a pen and paper can ease communication. If you’re making plans on the phone, get your loved one to send you a text with the date and time so you have it in writing.
Are Your Hearing Aids Up to Date?
If you’re having a hard time communicating, the best thing you can do is wear hearing aids. These sophisticated devices will help you hear in any listening environment. You’ll be able to tune out background noise, focus on speech, and enhance the sounds you want to hear.
Have you had hearing aids for a while? Hearing aids should be readjusted every year, and you may need to upgrade them every three to five years. Your hearing slowly changes over time, and your hearing aids should change too. When you decide to upgrade your devices, you can explore all the new programs and features that can make it even easier to hear. Come see us today and find out what new hearing aids can do for you.