Hearing loss and Helpful Communication Tips
Hearing loss affects approximately one out of ten people in our society. It is estimated that 30-40% of people above 65 years of age, and 70% of people above 70 years have some degree of hearing loss.
Unfortunately, quite big proportions of people deny that they are having trouble hearing and do not receive proper treatment. And as the problem worsens, people can become increasingly depressed and withdrawn because they feel frustrated or embarrassed at their inability to understand what is being said.
These simple steps will help you to get along and communicate with those who have impaired hearing and/or wear hearing aids but still have difficulty in hearing.
| Communication Tips | If you have a hearing loss | If you are speaking to a person with a hearing loss |
|---|---|---|
| Pick up best place to communicate. Avoid noisy background such as TV, Stereo | ✓ | ✓ |
| Share responsibility for communication | ✓ | ✓ |
| Keep a sense of humour. Be patient, positive and relaxed | ✓ | ✓ |
| Get the persons attention before you speak | ✓ | |
| Do not talk softly and do not mumble | ✓ | |
| Do not shout. It is embarrassing and can cause discomfort and distort speech | ✓ | |
| Give clues when changing the subject | ✓ | |
| Always use body language. It helps to project the meaning of what is being said | ✓ | |
| Be animated and use lots of facial expressions and hand gestures | ✓ | |
| Do not move around while speaking. Stand or sit still | ✓ | |
| Face the listener while speaking. Do not look the other way | ✓ | |
| Do not stand too far away or too close | ✓ | |
| Have good light on your face. This will help the person to lip read well | ✓ | |
| Speak clearly, naturally, perhaps a little slower than usual | ✓ | |
| Do not talk in noisy or dark places | ✓ | |
| Use short sentences. Try using simple words | ✓ | |
| Do you exaggerate your words | ✓ | |
| Do not cover your mouth with your hands | ✓ | |
| Don't hesitate to ask to repeat or rephrase if you don't understand | ✓ | |
| Look for visual clues to what is being said | ✓ | |
| Tell others how best to talk to you | ✓ | |
| Tell others about your hearing loss | ✓ | |
| Provide feedback to the speaker when you don't understand | ✓ |