Supporting your loved ones with hearing loss.

As an audiologist, I am always working with patients and their families to figure out the best hearing options for them. While people often think of an audiologist as working with hearing technology, they often forget a crucial part – the person in my care. Daily, I encourage my patients to bring their loved ones to their appointments. My main goal of this is to help them learn how to support their loved ones with hearing loss best. Often, we discuss many tips and tricks that can help support communication, which will be shared below!

1. It starts with attention!

I often tell patients to get their partner’s attention. This is important because someone not paying attention to you will not necessarily get the said phrase right away. For example, “Hey, NAME.” Then add a pause for the person to switch tasks. “I want to talk to you about our dinner plans tomorrow.” When we have attention, we can start the conversation right.

2. Face-to-face communication!

When someone has hearing loss, we need to ensure they can hear everything being said. This means face-to-face communication is essential. This allows lip reading, seeing facial expressions (such as raising an eyebrow for a question), and provides a clean sound to the ears and hearing aids.

3. Rephrasing is better than repeating.

Like many other people who love someone with hearing loss, I am sure you have heard “huh” or “what” more than you would like to admit. Consider rephrasing your statement or adding context to the content. For example, “I was talking about this morning’s doctor’s appointment. I was wondering if you had any questions about that.”

4. Setting up for success.

Typically, small changes in our environment can significantly impact how well we can hear. For example, reducing background noise level or distance from noise can help reduce its impact on sound quality. If you know you are going out to eat, consider making a reservation and asking for a quieter spot in the restaurant, such as a booth with a high back or table near a wall. Or, at an event, consider saying, “I really care about what you have to say. Do you mind stepping to the other room to pick up the conversation?”

5. Clear slow speech that enunciates the words.

When talking with your loved ones, shouting is not always the best solution. Try enunciating your words and adding pauses between important phrases to give the person’s brain time to catch up and process. For example, “We are going to dinner *pause* at 6 pm.”

Hopefully, you feel like you are more equipped to communicate with those in your life with hearing loss. If you have concerns or specific questions about how you and your loved one communicate, please talk to your audiologist so they can help!

Contributed by Kevin Kock, Au.D.