|
HOW TO HELP SOMEONE
WITH HEARING LOSS
If you know someone with hearing loss -
A) PROVIDING HELP
The first thing to do is to
gather lots of information. The more you understand about what your friend
or family member is experiencing, the more help and advice you can offer. Bearing in mind that your
friend or relative might resist the idea of testing and treatment, you
must try to be helpful and supportive without being forceful or
condescending.
B) IMPROVING COMMUNICATION
When someone you know has a hearing loss, communicating can
be challenging. Developing a few good communication habits will make
conversation easier for the hard of hearing person.
- Talk face to face
-
Face the person you are
talking to. Don't try to converse from a different room or with your
back turned. It is easier to hear what people say when you can see what
they are saying. Visual clues like facial expressions and lip movements
do a lot to help listeners understand your words
-
Stand where your face
is well lit. This makes it easier to see your facial expressions and
read your lips
-
Try not to talk while
chewing or smoking - it makes it harder to understand what you are
saying, and almost impossible for others to read your lips
If you talk while reading the newspaper, or lean your cheek
on your hand while talking this will also make lip-reading difficult for
others
- Speak at a natural pace
-
You don't need to
shout. Speaking at a normal conversational level when talking with
someone who wears a hearing aid is perfectly ok. Most instruments are
programmed to amplify a normal level of speech, so if you shout, it may
be too loud or even painful for the listener
-
Try not to talk too
fast. Speak naturally, but try to pronounce your words more clearly.
This will naturally slow your speech, but be careful not to overdo
it
-
If you are having
trouble being understood, try re-phrasing your sentence rather than just
repeating yourself. Some words are more easily heard or lip-read than
others
When you are in a group, take turns at talking and try not to
interrupt each other. If the conversation changes suddenly, try to inform
the person with the hearing loss: when they know what the subject is, it
is easier to understand what is being said
- Try to reduce background noise
For someone who is
hard-of-hearing, the most difficult listening environment is background
noise. Voices are difficult to hear because they are in competition with
all the other noise, so:
-
Try to eliminate
background noise when holding a conversation. Turn off the television
and close any open windows to reduce any noise from traffic
-
Move closer to your
listener so your voice is louder than the background noise. This will
also make your face and lips easier to read
|
