How To Cope With Hearing Loss

March 25, 2020


Pixabay. CCO Licensed.

Hearing loss doesn’t have to be debilitating. If you’ve noticed that you’re losing your sense of hearing, there are many steps that you can take to cope more easily. Here are just a few ways to make hearing loss simpler to live with.
Get the right hearing aid
Getting a hearing aid fitted is often essential for being able to hear normally again. You’ll need to first take a hearing test with an audiologist. You can then be prescribed a hearing aid with the correct amplification to meet your level of hearing.
On top of the level of amplification, you may want to consider where the hearing aid is fitted. Some hearing aids can be fitted inside the ear and others can be fitted behind the ear. If you don’t want it to be too visible, you may want one of these BTE (behind-the-ear) models, although they’re not available to everyone.
The type of battery could also be worth looking into as certain batteries can be more expensive or more long-lasting. You can learn more about types of batteries online. Maintaining your battery can often help it to last longer.
Specific hearing aids may be required for those with conditions like tinnitus.
Turn on the captions
Many movies and TV programs are able to have captions enabled, which could allow you to more easily follow on if you’re struggling to hear properly. DVDs, TV providers and streaming services all often have closed caption options.
As for watching movies in the cinema, there are a growing number of cinemas that show screenings of films with captions.
Reduce background noise
A lot of people with hearing loss find it easier to hear what people are saying when background noise is reduced. This could include turning down the TV when people are round or asking to sit in a quiet area of a restaurant when dining out with friends or family. Try not to hold conversations in noisy environments when you know it will be a struggle to hear.
Help others to communicate with you
Conversations can be frustrating when you can’t hear what others are saying properly. While it’s up to other people to make an effort with you, it’s important that you also guide them on how to communicate with you more effectively.
For instance, you could encourage others to call your name before talking to you so that you’re more likely to recognize that they’re speaking to you. Facing people as you speak them is likely to also make things easier as you can pick up facial expressions and lip read, which can help you to interpret what people are saying more easily. Don’t be afraid to also ask people to repeat things if necessary – it may feel like you’re annoying people, but it’s better than pretending to follow what people are saying.
 *contributed post*

Post a Comment