Caring for a loved one with hearing loss can add additional challenges to what is already a tenuous job as a caregiver. As we age, hearing loss can become a natural progression, and if there is pre-existing hearing loss, it may become more prevalent. If your loved one continues to experience new or worsening hearing loss, you will likely have to adapt to this new norm and learn new ways to help improve communication.
There are many ways to improve a loved one's life who is losing their hearing, helping you both more effectively cope and communicate. In this article, we are going to break down just how to accomplish that.
Enhancing Communication
Learning to communicate with someone with hearing loss can be a challenge. It’s a new skill you may have to learn (so be patient with yourself if it doesn’t come naturally). It takes practice and patience to get it just right. But with that effort comes a reward. Learning to successfully communicate with a person with hearing loss can greatly improve their life and help build a stronger relationship between the two of you.
In this section, we will provide tips for how to better communicate with someone experiencing hearing loss. As you read through them, keep in mind that each situation is different and some tips may work better than others in your particular circumstance. Give yourself grace for a trial and error period until you learn what works best for both of you.
With all of that said, here are some tips for better communication in light of hearing loss:
Get Their Attention
Before starting a conversation with someone with hearing loss, it’s important to make sure you first have their attention. Without a clear focus on you, there may be confusion on their end about who you are trying to talk to, or frustration on yours because it may seem like they are intentionally not listening.
The best way to do so is to bring yourself into their line of sight and signal you are trying to communicate. This way they know you are trying to talk to them, giving them a chance to focus on you and see your lips moving.
It’s also important to note that making physical contact with someone can scare or startle them if they do not know you’re near. So avoid making physical contact and try to get in their line of sight before engaging in conversation or physical touch.
Make & Maintain Eye Contact
After making eye contact, make sure your conversation takes place face-to-face. This allows the listener to see your expressions and lips. This can help them understand the context, meaning, or mood of the conversation. Over time and with practice, people can also become good at reading lips to fill in the blanks if they miss a word here or there.
Enunciate
Another way to enhance communication is to make sure you are speaking clearly and reasonably slowly. Things like speaking at an elevated volume or speaking extremely slowly can actually make it harder for people with hearing loss to understand you.
Instead, speak clearly (slightly exaggerate some of the easy-to-slur sounds to keep them crisp and clear) while trying to keep your volume at a normal conversation level. It’s also important to make sure you are not chewing, slurring, or covering your mouth during the conversation.
Reduce Background Noise
Take a moment to become aware of surrounding noises before engaging in conversations. If you’re out in public, there may be conversations around you or kids screaming, which can make having a productive conversation even more difficult.
If you're out, try to find a quiet corner before engaging in a long conversation or find somewhere with fewer distractions. If you’re at home, it’s a good idea to make sure the TV or radio is off or muted before engaging in conversation. Remove any extra noise that will distract from your conversation where possible.
Pick a Side
If your loved one has one ear that hears better than the other, use this to your advantage and speak more frequently in that direction.
This goes for conversations but can also help with entertainment. By putting a speaker or radio on their dominant side, you can improve their overall quality of life by helping them not miss out on things like music or movies.
Give your Full Attention
Someone with hearing loss can have as much trouble communicating as they do listening. Their volume, pronunciation, or response time can change due to hearing loss. During conversations, it’s important to give them your full attention and pause at times to give your loved one a chance to respond or clarify something they said.
Avoid Repeating Yourself
If someone with hearing loss is not understanding something you need to communicate it’s important to not just repeat yourself over and over.
There might be words or sounds that are harder for them to hear than others. If repetition doesn’t work, learn to rephrase what you are trying to communicate. Over time, you will learn sounds or words to avoid and ones to use that are easier for them to hear. So try rephrasing instead of just repeating. Another option is to write things down if there is a continuous struggle.
Tools and Equipment for Enhancing Hearing
Beyond making simple accommodations during conversation, many tools can enhance both hearing and communication, which can make your job even easier. Let’s talk about a couple of them, next:
Communication Tools
There are many tools designed to help those experiencing hearing loss.
For example, you can take advantage of closed captioning during TV and movies. This is a great way to ensure your loved one does not feel like they are missing out on entertainment.
Notes and reminders are also good communication tools that do not require any hearing whatsoever.
We also recommend having a calendar with important dates, appointments, and medication times so your loved one can easily check the calendar to remind themselves of what they have going on that day without needing to try and communicate in a difficult conversation.
Finally, you and your loved one may want to consider learning American Sign Language (ASL). Even a few basic words/phrases, or the ability to spell out words using the ASL alphabet can improve communication as hearing loss worsens.
Hearing Aids & Adaptive Equipment
Although you may get pushback, hearing aids are a great tool to encourage. Hearing aids are an easy way to help the one you care for fully engage in conversations and entertainment without feeling like they are missing out.
Closing Thoughts: Engaging Activities for Seniors with Dementia
As a caregiver, accommodating hearing loss from the loved one within your care can be undoubtedly difficult. But over time, you can work together to adapt to new ways of communicating that will improve the quality of life for the loved one in your care.
The California Caregiver Resource Center of Orange County is here to provide assistance and guidance to help you do that. Check out our library of resources to help you navigate this experience. Together, we can navigate the healthcare landscape and help you provide the best possible care for your loved one(s).
Further Reading: Fitting in Fitness: Prioritizing Wellness as a Family Caregiver
It’s easy for family caregivers to feel secondary to their loved one’s more pressing needs. In this article, we’ll look at why focusing on your health as a caregiver matters, how you and the loved one(s) in your care can benefit from prioritizing exercise each day, and how to incorporate it into your routine.
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