For people with low hearing, communicating with fast talkers and mumblers—or with distracting background noise—is pretty tough and can cause someone to be left out of the conversation entirely. Have you been in this situation? If so, you’re not alone. Millions of Americans have undiagnosed hearing loss.
Don’t let your hearing interrupt your relationships. Here are a few strategies to help you “stay in the conversation”:
- If you have a hearing aid, make sure it is working properly
- Tell the people you are with that you have hearing loss
- Sit or stand where you can see the faces of all speakers
- Move away from noise or other background disturbances
- Ask people to repeat themselves when necessary or repeat back the part of the message that you understood with a request for the speaker to repeat the part that you didn’t hear
- Use what you know about the speaker to help clue you in on what is going on in the conversation, including the speaker’s interests or habits
- Stay informed about current events
- Make sure you are well-rested before attending an event where you will be listening to a lot of speech
Often, people see their hearing loss as an embarrassment and fail to speak up to ensure that they are included in conversations. Don’t be left out. Contact A Nurse in the Family of Santa Fe at 505-954-1435 for more tips on living with hearing loss and for exceptional RN managed care at home.
Tags: hearing loss, home care, relationships