Tips For Communicating With Loved Ones With Hearing Loss

Do you think your loved one might be experiencing a form of hearing loss? If so, then the first step would be to arrange a hearing test. A hearing test completed by a professional audiologist will provide details on the level of hearing loss they are experiencing as well as the type. Once your loved one receives a diagnosis, it’s important that you know how to communicate with them effectively. This is particularly important if you have never been around someone with hearing loss before. Here are a few tips that can help ensure your loved one doesn’t feel excluded from a conversation.

Lighting

First, you should make sure that you are speaking in an area or environment that is well lit. In doing so, you can make it easier for an individual experiencing hearing loss to see your face. They’ll be able to see your face and potentially read your lips. A lot of people with hearing loss do develop lip reading skills. This can help them understand sentences or words that they might have missed during the conversation. This is as simple as switching on a light in a dark room or moving to a location that provides natural lighting.

Low background noise

Next, you should think about the issue of background noise. Background noise can make it more difficult to hear an individual who is speaking to you directly and distort their speech. Eating in a crowded restaurant is an example of a place where there will be background noise.

Consider moving to a quieter location where possible. You can also get hearing aids with noise canceling technology. These can reduce high levels of background noise. This is an option worth exploring if you are experiencing hearing loss. An audiologist will be able to provide you more information on this possibility and ensure that you get the support you need.

Turn off the tech

Next, you should think about turning off tech in a room where you are speaking to someone who is experiencing hearing loss. Tech is an integrated part of society these days. As such, it’s common for individuals to have conversations, even when tech is on in the background. However, this can make things difficult for someone with hearing loss because the noise from a tech device will make it more difficult to hear. Switching off the TV or pausing a program is also more polite than simply speaking over it.

Don’t shout

It’s tempting to shout or speak at a significantly higher volume when you are communicating with someone who has hearing loss. However, this is a mistake as it often won’t help and a person with hearing loss isn’t deaf. You may not know the level of hearing loss they are experiencing. This means that you might be speaking far louder than necessary. Instead, you should focus on changing your speech in other ways.

Enunciate

Instead of speaking at a higher volume make sure that you are enunciating words as much as possible. You should also make sure that you don’t speak too quickly. If you speak rapidly then it’s easy for words or even entire sentences to be missed.

Be patient

Finally, it’s important to make sure that you remain patient when you are talking to someone with hearing loss. It’s possible that they won’t hear what you say the first time or even the second time. You may need to repeat certain words or part of the sentence. It’s easy to get frustrated or simply say it doesn’t matter and stop talking. However, this will make someone with hearing loss feel as though they are a nuisance and may even cause embarrassment. Instead, make sure that you remain thoughtful and take some extra time to ensure that you are getting your point across.

We hope this helps you understand some of the key steps that you need to take when you are communicating with someone with hearing loss. Taking these steps will ensure they never feel as though they are missing out when engaging in a conversation. The Hearing and Tinnitus center can provide more information on hearing loss that you may need and ensure that you receive the right support. If you are interested in learning more, get in touch on (720) 420-7780.