It’s a scary thing when we begin to lose our hearing. Most of us walk around with untreated hearing loss that puts a strain on our relationships. At first you might not notice the sudden gaps in conversation. You might keep asking, “What did you say?” We all age and hearing loss is bound to affect us. One thing for sure is that you can learn to handle you hearing issues. Here are some tips for learning to communicate with hearing loss.<\/p>\n
No one wants to constantly ask, “What? Can you repeat that!?” This gets annoying fairly fast. Find another way to talk to people around you when your hearing is going away. With the help of a hearing aid, you should be able to hear something. Trying gently asking, “Can you repeat what you said?” This is less harsh than yelling at someone that you can’t hear anything around you. This behavior only makes people reject you and not help when needed.<\/p>\n
When someone says something to you, try your best to repeat it back to them. This gives you confidence that you’ve heard what they’ve said, so you can act on it. Ask them if you’re correct when repeating the statement. Most people will say yes or either nod. The goal is to strengthen you hearing and avoid communication difficulties. It’s a frustrating thing to lose your hearing. Most people close to you will understand what you’re going through. However, when you\u2019re in unfamiliar environments, you’ll have to take things slow when communicating and ask for accommodations for your hearing loss.<\/p>\n
Untreated hearing loss could lead to fatigue, especially if you\u2019ve been struggling to hear all day. Keep up with your hearing health by scheduling an annual hearing test and staying on top of your hearing abilities.<\/p>\n
Share with others that you suffer from loss of hearing. Most people will figure it out when they see your hearing aid. Telling people what you\u2019re dealing with allows them to adjust to help. It informs them with information that they need to be mindful when talking to you. They’ll be aware your struggling with speech recognition and become a lot more patient. What you don’t want is for people to begin talking slow as if you’re deaf. You’ll be happy and feel more comfortable around people who get your situation. Begin telling them about things you need to make your experience smoother. This will reduce any awkwardness the next time you visit this area.<\/p>\n
It never hurts to write stuff down if you are struggling to communicate regarding your hearing. This gives everyone an idea of what you want and are experiencing. They can hang on to this piece of paper and refer to it when you engage with them. It puts everyone on the same page. This doesn’t mean you need to start walking around dropping off notes everywhere you go. However, it does soften the blow when strangers don’t know how to respond to your needs. Not all environments are as open as you think to those with hearing problems. It lets them know immediately you’re having challenges with speech recognition.<\/p>\n
These are some tips to use when communicating with hearing loss. It is important to remember that seeking treatment for hearing loss can drastically improve your abilities to communicate. Hearing loss is treated first with a hearing test, that allows our team to understand your abilities. The next step, if a hearing loss is detected, is to find the best solutions to meet your specific hearing needs. We will then fit you with hearing aids, which will amplify speech and environmental sounds, helping you hear with clarity.<\/p>\n