| Communication |
| The ability to
communicate is likely to be affected
when a person has hearing difficulties.
Communication is a basic need for all
of us, so it is important to remember
that good communication requires the
efforts of at least two people. It is
consequently very important that you
play your part in ensuring optimum communication
when you are together with hearing impaired
people. This link contains some helpful
advice and tips for communicating with
hearing aid users and people with hearing
difficulties. |
| Becoming accustomed
to hearing aids |
| It is a great advantage
to have some knowledge about hearing
aids when someone close to you is a
hearing aid user. Many people commonly
believe that hearing aids can completely
restore people's hearing, but this is
unfortunately an exaggeration. Hearing
aids are an invaluable help to hearing
impaired people, but first-time users
usually need time to adjust. The overall
sound of the world around them is changed,
their own voice sounds different, and
sounds that have been "lost"
for years may now be heard again. It
takes time to become accustomed to hearing
aids, but the support of family members,
friends and colleagues can make a big
difference. |
| Lip-reading, eye contact
and physical contact |
| People with hearing
loss come to rely to a greater extent
on their other senses. Sight, touch
and intuition are valuable communication
tools. As hearing aid users make extensive
use of lip-reading, either consciously
or subconsciously, you should try to
keep your whole face in clear view when
speaking. When you address a hearing
aid user, try to make eye contact and
perhaps say the person's name. If you
know each other well you can touch,
for example, the person's arm to catch
his or her attention. |
| Distance |
| Another significant
factor is distance. It is crucial that
you are positioned close to the person
you wish to speak with. The level of
your voice is halved when the distance
is doubled so even a small increase
in distance may cause communication
to fail. |
| It does not help to
shout |
Many people
with normal hearing believe they have
to shout to be understood by hearing
impaired people. However, the hearing
aid user's main problem is usually
not the volume of your voice, but
the articulation of your words. So
it is far more helpful to simply
speak clearly and more slowly without
exaggeration. In fact shouting is
usually as uncomfortable for a hearing
aid user as it would be to someone
with good hearing.
|
| Some sounds are more
difficult to hear than others |
Hearing problems
often manifest themselves as the inability
to hear certain sounds, or the confusion
of some sounds with others. People with
a hearing loss may hear some of the
words of a sentence, but fail
to understand the spoken message. In
such situations it can be a good idea
to rephrase your sentences, as you might
when communicating with someone from
overseas who has not yet mastered English.
It is important to remember that any
kind of background noise makes it much
more difficult for a hearing aid user
to communicate. As people do not generally
want to appear to be a nuisance by asking
favours, it helps considerably if you
can remember to switch off any sources
of noise, such as the radio or television,
before communicating with a hearing
impaired person. Noisy children or parties,
where everyone is speaking at the same
time, are other situations where people
with a hearing loss may give up communicating
and appear to isolate themselves from
events going on around them. |
| Psychological consequences
of hearing loss |
| Some people can
develop emotional or social difficulties
due to their hearing loss. The inability
to understand what is being said can
lead to isolation, loneliness or depression.
It can therefore mean a great deal if
the people around them are supportive
and encourage them to seek professional
advice if necessary. Some people with
a hearing loss struggle with a feeling
of embarrassment if they misunderstand
what is being said, or respond inappropriately.
Your support and understanding in such
cases can make a big difference. People
with hearing difficulties often spend
a great deal of their energy just in
concentrating on listening, which can
lead to tiredness and stress. So it
is important that others are equally
understanding, for example colleagues
and management at their workplace. |
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