Holidays are fun times to be with friends and family, but they are also frustrating times for people with hearing loss. Understanding speech when there is background noise is the most difficult of all tasks that the hearing impaired face. Here are a few tips to help at the beginning of this holiday season:
1. Speak face to face with people and look at the speaker’s face when he/she is talking.
2. If possible, move away from background noise or turn down the background music in order to hear better.
3. Tell people what you need! Most people without hearing loss don’t know what changes to make to allow you to hear better. Slowing down speech, speaking face to face and rephrasing if you don’t understand are all excellent tips.
4. Don’t stress about it. No one hears everything at a noisy party or family gathering. If you have to ask for repeats occasionally, other people probably are, too.
5. If you notice your hearing aids don’t seem to be working as well as they used to over Thanksgiving, make an appointment before the busy Christmas season to have a check up.
Happy Thanksgiving!