Helpful Information
Helping Me Hear
The support and understanding of family is very important for any person with a hearing difficulty – child or adult.
“Can you imagine hearing only 50% of a conversation and still be expected to give appropriate answers?”
Many people who find it difficult to hear can feel isolated, frustrated, and embarrassed. These suggestions can make communicating easier and more enjoyable for everyone.
Tips for People with Hearing Loss
- tell others about your hearing loss
- share with others the best way to speak with you
- provide feedback to the speaker
- choose the best place to communicate
- avoid noisy backgrounds
- face speaker while listening
- ask specific questions to get the words you have missed
Tips for Friends and Family
Get my attention BEFORE speaking:
- say my name or touch my arm
- come close – no more than 1.5m
- turn down the radio/TV
- “the person who talks, walks’
Face me:
- stand or sit still – with light on your face
- avoid covering your mouth
- people rely on facial expressions, gestures and lip reading to support their hearing
Speak Clearly:
- at moderate speed
- only slightly louder than usual
- get to the point
- use sentences – not single words
If I don’t understand?
- check for ques – am I embarrassed or puzzled
- find a tactful way to ask if I understood
- only repeat once – if I still do not understand please choose different words
- consider writing the key words
Give me time to respond:
- sometimes it takes time to unscramble the message that I did hear
- if I‘m tired, worried, unwell or distracted, it may take me longer to understand
Things to avoid:
- showing frustration
- shouting or yelling
- speaking too fast, not clearly
- tuning away or having your back to the person
- walking away while talking
- speaking from another room
- covering your mouth/face
- too many words/parts to the message
- saying “Oh, it doesn’t matter”
- speaking in loud background noise