Supporting someone with a hearing loss

Having someone in the household with a hearing loss can be difficult.  Things having to be repeated, constantly changing the volume on the TV, voices being raised to be heard and issues with the phone make the day tiresome.  Not to mention how it effects those without hearing problems.  

Why don't we take a look at how to make life easier all round in the household of someone with a hearing loss?

Lets start first thing in the morning.  

Unlike glasses, hearing aids are not necessarily the first thing to be put in when getting up in the morning.  The level of hearing you wake up with is normal to you, so increasing the sound as soon as you wake is not a happy thought.  Having time to wake up and adjust to the day is important, especially for new wearers of aids.  Too much too quickly doesn't allow the brain time enough to learn that the hearing aids are now the new ears; it's a whole new way of hearing and the brain needs time to process that.  Even for long-time wearers instantly increasing the sounds can be unpleasant and some mornings putting in your hearing aids is just the last thing you want to do.

For a lot of people with hearing loss one ear is better than the other.  Making use of this can be much more relaxing for someone struggling to follow a conversation.  Try and stay on the side of the better ear to give them that little bit of an edge.  Trust me, you will be their best friend if they are not the one having to move around you all the time.  Having something as small as making an effort to be on the correct side can mean the world if you are the only one that bothers.

Okay, it really can be a pain in the proverbial that you're not heard when you call out from another room.  Well, yep, if they struggle when they are in the room they certainly won't have a hope when they are out of it.  So let's be honest, trying to have a conversation when they are out of the room is not an option.  The easiest way around this is to find them and talk to them face to face.  Sometimes that kind of defeats the purpose; in that case call them but have the grace to wait until they come into the room before you launch into the details.  If they can't respond to the call, well you can't do much about it.  Remember, they would give anything to be able to chat to you through the walls.

When you are chatting, remember that your body and face are going to be listened to as much as your voice.  Visual cues make up a large chunk of the puzzle when putting together the jigsaw that is conversation for someone with a hearing loss.  Keep hands away from the face and talking to your computer, book or iPhone is not going to be helpful.  Turn to look at them, give them the chance to read what you're saying even if they don't realise they are.  If you are sitting with your back to the window remember that you are only going to be a silhouette and the visual cues lost.  Swap with them if you can so that the light is falling on you and is behind them.

If you do need to repeat something try saying it in a different way.  It may be the actual words you are using are difficult to hear or understand.  If you've said it twice, chances are you will not be understood the third, fourth or fifth time. Using different words and changing the sound of the sentence makes it easier to be understood.

Raising your voice might not be of any use at all.  It might not actually be the volume that is the issue but the clarity of the speech. Again, finding different ways to say the same thing may help with this in conversation.  They may have the TV blasting trying to make the words clear not always because it's too quiet.   With the TV and phone, there are devices designed to support those with a hearing loss.  TV devices increase the volume for the wearer but also give a clarity to the sound that may be lost by just turning up the TV volume.  Your hearing services provider will possibly have a range of devices that work with hearing aids to make life just that much easier.

Having a hearing loss is not the end of the world and there are certainly much more demanding things some people have to cope with every day.  But it is a tiring and stressful issue and one that can be lonely and socially isolating.  Being aware of what a hearing loss really means, and the work involved in day to day living, shows you care and understand it's not a choice.  It's a struggle.  Mostly we go about our day without fully realising how well we cope.  Until you make the effort to take just a little of load for us. 

Surviving a Noisy Environment

A noisy environment can be an almost impossible situation for someone with a hearing loss. The stress of following a conversation while music, children or general din rage around you can make you throw your hands up in despair.


The other night I attended a party held at a pub in the city. Background noise was quite high, as I expected with that sort of situation. I have to admit conversation was difficult, but I was managing to cope without making a fool of myself!


It was when they started the karaoke that the real problems began. The level of noise was to the point where I was forced to actually turn my hearing aids off. This of course meant that I lost all contact with the people around me. All I could hear was the loud music muted with my moulds now acting as ear plugs (not a bad thing, by the way).


Fortunately those around me where well aware of my hearing loss and had no problem making sure I understood what was said. It still makes for a difficult time. At one stage someone I didn't know was asking me a question; my immediate reaction was to turn to a friend beside me for help. Of course she took over but it still unsettles you.


So how do you cope with these situations without totally withdrawing? Is there a way of dealing with a noisy environment without isolating yourself and losing that social contact?


I think there is. These are the things that I find make all the difference when background sound is overpowering conversation.

Sit in the right seat.

Where you sit can help your hearing aids do the best job for you if you have a directional program. Make sure the noise you don't want to hear is behind you; the microphones on your hearing aids are turned off at the back so you don't get quite so much of that sound from behind when you change to your directional program for noise.

Watch; use the visual cues

Often we can turn our head to get our ear closer to the sound we are straining to hear. However this causes us to lose our most valuable weapon in fighting the noise. Visual cues and watching the persons lips will give you half the story straight up. When people are in noise they can tend to give more of these cues anyway.

Make sure people know you will struggle

If people are aware of the fact that you have a loss often they will try and be as supportive as they can. Education is the key, and with hearing loss it is no different. "If I can't see you, I can't hear you," "You'll need to face me when you talk to me," "Try and rephrase instead of just repeating what you said" - these are all comments you can make to let others know how to support you.

Don't panic!

Try and relax, as hard as that it. The more stressed you are the harder it will be. Relax and focus on enjoying the time with friends and family - don't be robbed of that time because of the extra challenge.

These few tips will hopefully make life a little easier for dealing with a noisy situation. If you have any tips, let us know. The more we help each other the easier it will be.