How to Communicate with Family Members Who Suffer from Hearing Loss

Reviewed by Dr. Porter on December 19, 2019

Millions of people across the world live with some form of hearing loss. This hearing loss doesn’t just make their lives difficult—it puts a strain on their relationships with their loved ones. Continue reading to learn a few tips on how to properly communicate with loved ones, and how hearing aid devices in Tacoma, WA can help with communication.

Get their attention

The first thing you’ll want to do before speaking to someone with hearing loss is grab their attention. Having their attention before you start speaking helps increase the chance that they hear you correctly. Tapping them on the shoulder or arm is typically the most successful way to get their attention, as saying their name doesn’t really help if they can’t hear you in the first place.

Speak slowly

This holds true for any conversation—the faster you talk, the harder it is for people to understand you. When talking to someone with hearing loss, talk more slowly than you might to an individual who hears just fine. Even if a loved one uses hearing aid devices in Tacoma, WA, you still need to speak slowly when talking to them.

Stand close

Trying to talk to someone with hearing loss from a distance just simply won’t do, especially if you’re in a loud environment. To improve the odds that your loved one hears you, stand as close as you can to them. Standing close not only makes it easier for them to hear you, but they can also try to read your lips or at least see your facial expression for better clues on what’s going on.

Find a quiet place

Even if you have the best ears around, hearing is hard for anyone in a crowded and loud environment. Imagine how difficult it is for those with hearing loss! To help facilitate a more productive conversation with your loved one, try to find a quiet area to talk to them. Hearing aid products in Tacoma, WA are much more successful if there isn’t a ton of background noise.

Rephrase your wording

Your loved one might not hear you properly on the first, second or even third attempt at saying something. Instead of repeating the same thing each time you say it, rephrase your wording. Repeating the same thing over and over won’t do anything if your loved one is having trouble hearing specific words.

Write down important details

If you have something urgent to tell your loved one with hearing loss, we recommend writing it down to ensure they get the message loud and clear! Getting the exact details on addresses, phone numbers and even names can be difficult with hearing loss, so write it down or send them a text message with the information.

Instead of coping with hearing loss, have your loved one come to Harbor Audiology & Hearing Services Inc. for a hearing evaluation. Based on the outcome of the test, our doctors will recommend the right hearing aid products in Tacoma, WA to improve your family member’s life.

Categorised in: Hearing Aids