Most people don’t understand what it’s like to have a hearing loss. Even if they want to be helpful, people who have normal hearing can’t know what it is like to hear but not understand, to hear noise more than voices, or to hear well in one situation but not in another.
Although hearing aids are the most important source of help for hearing loss, family, friends and co-workers can also be helpful. Here is a list of suggestions for the people who are around individuals with a hearing loss. I hope you’ll go over this list with your family and friends. Some information, some understanding and a little effort could make your life Ð and theirs Ð just a little bit easier.
Hearing aids provide very important help, but they do not restore normal hearing! Here are some suggestions:
Be polite. It’s good courtesy to get the attention of the person before talking to them. Getting their attention allows them to “get ready” to listen. And please don’t speak to them from another room! They may hear you call them, but don’t expect them to understand what you say!
Don’t talk fast. Perhaps the most difficult speaker is the person who talks fast. Individuals with hearing loss often have to “figure out” what someone says and simply can’t keep up with a fast talker. Slow down!
Face the person. Hearing impaired listeners will understand more easily if they can see your face. And please don’t chew gum, smoke or cover your mouth while you’re speaking; it makes lipreading much more difficult.
Come closer. When you stand a little closer, your voice is significantly louder and lipreading is much easier. Someone only three feet away is probably twice as easy to understand than someone eight feet away.
Reduce background noise. Noise interferes with hearing more for those with a hearing loss than it does for other people. If you want to speak and expect to be heard, please turn off the television, radio, or air conditioner. If you can’t, please understand that hearing in noise is much harder for them than it is for you!
Just because they heard you doesn’t mean they understood you! Hearing is not the same as understanding. That’s why people with accents and people who mumble or talk fast are so difficult for a person with a hearing loss. They hear themÉthey just don’t understand them.
If you follow these suggestions and the person still doesn’t always understand you, remember that they may not be rude or difficultÉjust having trouble with their hearing! For more information on communicating with the hearing impaired, or to schedule an appointment for a diagnostic hearing evaluation, please call us at:
Peninsula Hearing Services, Inc
167 Warehouse Ave
Soldotna
262-3224
Otolaryngology
