If you are hard of hearing or have any degree of hearing loss, the holidays can be a frustrating and challenging time. However, no one should ever hermit themselves away during the holiday season. Unfortunately having any degree of hearing loss can make it difficult to follow and stay involved in conversations and can quickly leave a person feeling overwhelmed and disconnected. Knowing that it’s a struggle to remain engaged in a conversation can make someone feel like they can’t stay long, or feel like they shouldn’t leave the house in the first place.
During the holidays, nobody should ever feel left out. To help you enjoy this holiday season, check out these helpful tips and strategies that you can implement to make the holidays more hearing friendly.
Wear Your Hearing Aids
If you have them, use them. Many people often feel ashamed when wearing hearing aids, so they don’t use them. However, there is nothing to be ashamed of, many people in the United States need hearing assistance, so you are not alone. Wearing your hearing aids will make it much easier to hear and decipher what others are saying. Best part, you have control over the volume, so you may be able to use this feature to your advantage (hint, hint). Can your hearing-able friends and family do the same?
Come Prepared
If you wear hearing aids, make sure you bring them and any additional batteries you may have. Otherwise, bringing along a simple notebook and pen can help you stay afloat in conversation, so don’t leave home without it. You can use these tools to your advantage if you become lost during the conversation and the best part? You can keep this low-key if you choose, so others won’t know what you are doing. Also, if you have any kind of assistive listening devices bring them and use them.
Sitting Strategy
When you get to the gathering, scan the room first for potential areas to sit. You will want to sit yourself strategically so you can limit the number of sounds and clatter surrounding you. While the holidays are never a quiet time, there are certain locations that are louder than others. For example, make sure you place yourself far away from the kitchen and kids table, as much as you can. Neither location will be quiet or free from excess chatter. Also, if you can sit with your back to the wall, this way the sounds can bounce off the wall behind you.
Stay Focused and Speak Up
If you are at a small gathering, ask if everyone could speak one at a time and don’t be afraid to remind them if they forget! Otherwise, if you find yourself in a large group, try to focus your conversation with only one person at a time. Following one person is much easier than trying to follow two or three. However, this is not always possible, so if you are engaged in a conversation that has a lot going on, don’t be afraid to speak up if you get lost or confused and make sure you are practicing mindful listening. However, make sure you are specific about what you missed, so the speaker isn’t left wondering which part of their conversation they need to repeat.
Frequently Asked Questions
Wearing hearing aids during the holidays helps individuals with hearing loss to better hear and understand conversations, reducing feelings of frustration and isolation. Many people avoid using them due to shame, but using hearing aids allows you to control the volume and stay more engaged in social interactions.
It’s essential to bring your hearing aids along with extra batteries to ensure they function properly throughout the event. Additionally, carrying a notebook and pen can help you discreetly follow conversations if you miss parts, and any assistive listening devices should also be brought to aid communication.
Select a seat away from noisy areas like the kitchen or kids’ table to minimize background noise. Sitting with your back to the wall can help because sounds bounce off the wall behind you, making it easier to focus on conversations and reduce overwhelming noise.
Focus on conversations with one person at a time, especially in larger groups, to make following the discussion easier. Politely ask others to speak one at a time and don’t hesitate to speak up if you miss something. Be specific about what you didn’t hear to help the speaker repeat clearly.
Hearing loss can make it difficult to follow and stay involved in lively holiday conversations, leading to feelings of frustration and disconnection. This struggle might cause individuals to cut social interactions short or avoid gatherings altogether, increasing feelings of isolation.
Mindful listening involves actively focusing on the speaker and the message, which helps individuals with hearing loss better process conversations. Pairing mindful listening with clear communication, such as asking for repetitions when necessary, improves understanding and engagement.