Communicating with Your Loved Ones who Have Hearing Loss

When your family member has a hearing loss, and even the smallest of communications becomes a difficult task, it is normal to feel frustrated, ignored, and even resentful. Your hard-of-hearing loved one is also feeling the stress of this strained communication, with the added difficulty of working extra hard to understand you. It is undoubtedly a challenging situation for everyone involved, but with a little extra effort, family life–and yes, conversations–can still be enjoyable. Here are ten helpful tips to keep in mind.

 1. Before talking, get the listener’s attention.

 When asked what simple technique makes listening more straightforward for them, many hard-of-hearing people say that a person getting their attention before speaking helps a great deal. 

Gently touch your family member’s shoulders to let them know you want to speak to them, mainly when they are occupied with a task. Another option is saying their name and waiting for them to face you before speaking. This will allow them to focus their attention on listening, look at your lips, and reduce background noise if necessary. As a result of this moment to prepare, the hard of the hearing listener will be less stressed overall, and their family member will feel they are being heard rather than ignored. 

2. Try not to take communication challenges too personally.

 Even if you or your loved one has a hearing aid, difficulties and misunderstandings in conversation will still arise. The important thing is not to become angry or resentful when this happens. Instead, take a deep breath and either try to fix the misunderstanding or move on. Remember that your relationship with your family member is what matters.  

3. Repeat it clearer, not louder. 

 If your hard-of-hearing family member didn’t catch something the first time and needs you to repeat it, you may instinctively want to raise the volume of your voice. What helps the most is repeating the phrase more clearly, enunciating each syllable, and making sure not to mumble. 

 4. Pauses help more than slow speech. 

 Another common way family members try to aid understanding is to slow their speech down and lengthen each word. But this is not as effective as slowing down speech by putting a slightly longer pause between each word. Say the words clearly and at an average speed, but put a little space between them rather than running your words together. 

 5. In noisy situations, closer is better.

 Remember that the added background noise can make listening quite challenging when speaking to your hard-of-hearing family members in a noisy public area, such as a restaurant or party. Hearing aids amplify background noise, so your conversation partner will need you to make a little extra effort. Make sure you are facing them in a well-lit area so they can see you and your expressions and gestures. You may also need to sit a little more closely so that they can focus on your voice.

 6. Don’t give one-word answers.

 It’s natural to shorten language and give one-word answers when speaking. But an answer like “yes,” “sure,” or “no” can be easily misunderstood by someone with hearing loss, especially in a situation where there is background noise. 

Lengthening your answers with a few different words–”Yes, I did,” “Sure, no problem,” “No, he isn’t” –can significantly help your listener understand what is being communicated. “Cannot” is much easier to distinguish than “can’t.” Also: avoid contractions when possible.

7. Try rephrasing the sentence.

 If your loved one lets you know they didn’t hear or understand you, you might try rephrasing the sentence rather than repeating the same thing. Stating something differently can help clarify meaning by allowing them to pick up different keywords, such as “Did you like the movie?” or “What did you think of the movie?”

 8. Seek out professional help if necessary.

 If family conflict due to communication difficulties is becoming too much to handle, getting unbiased advice and guidance from a third party can help to smooth things out. Most hearing care specialists have expertise in helping families with communication strategies and would be happy to help. 

 9. Become informed about your or your loved one’s hearing loss 

 If you or your loved one has a hearing loss causing difficulties within the family, the first step is to find out what’s happening. A hearing exam with a professional, licensed hearing care specialist is the first step, and it’s an important one. Treating hearing loss with hearing aids can help dramatically in restoring communication and rebuilding family relationships.