Useful Tips from the Hearing Therapist
This page suggests some ways that a hearing
aid user can increase how much they hear and understand in everyday
conversation.
It includes information
for other people, such as family, friends and co-workers, who can
improve communication with hearing aid users by following some simple
guidelines.
The last part has information about ways the environment
can affect how well you can hear. There is also a list
of devices that are available to help around the home.
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If
you are a hearing aid user:
- Face the speaker
- 3-6 feet is ideal distance from the speaker
- Position yourself so that light falls on the speakers
face
- Don’t be afraid to ask for repetition
- Tell others about your hearing loss
- Make use of visual clues/gestures/expression
- Be assertive about your needs
- Use closed questions to confirm information (e.g. “did
you say 4 o’clock?” rather than “did you say 4 o’clock
or 5 o’clock?”)
If
you want to communicate with a hearing aid user:
- Attract the listeners attention
- Face the listener
- Speak clearly and slightly more slowly but don’t
overemphasise words
- Make sure the listener knows the topic
- Speak from within the same room
- Keep cigarettes, drinks and food away from mouth when
speaking
- Re-phrase any misunderstood sentences
Think about your environment:
- Reduce background noise where possible
- Rooms with soft furnishings (eg carpets and curtains
rather than wooden floors or shutters) have better acoustics
- Use tablecloths/mats
- Find a quiet corner of the room
Environmental Aids to
help at home:
There are a number of devices available to help you get
the most out of everyday appliances within the home, such as your TV,
telephone, and doorbell. You can find out more about these devices and
how to obtain them on the RNID
website.
- TV aids
- Domestic loop system
- Infra red
- Portable amplifier with neckloop/headphones
- Telephone devices:
If you have trouble hearing your telephone ringing,
you can attach either of the following:
- Extension bell
- Flashing light
If you have trouble hearing the person on the other end
of the phone, you could try:
- Portable amplifier
- In-line amplifier
- Amplified telephone
- Doorbells
- Extra loud doorbell
- Flashing light doorbell
- Portable doorbell
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