Gatherings. More, and more family gatherings.
During the holidays, it probably seems like you’re meeting (or re-meeting) a new long-lost uncle every other weekend. The holiday season can be fun (and also difficult) because of this. Usually, it’s easy to look forward to this yearly catching up. You get to learn what everybody’s been doing all year.
But those family gatherings may feel less inviting when you have hearing loss. Why is that? How will your hearing loss impact you when you’re at family get-togethers?
Your ability to communicate with others can be greatly effected by hearing loss, and also the ability of other people to communicate with you. The resulting experience of alienation can be particularly discouraging and stressful around the holidays. Hearing specialists and professionals have formulated some go-to tips that can help make your holidays more pleasant, and more rewarding, when you have hearing loss.
Tips to help you enjoy the holiday season
During the holidays, there’s so much to see, like decorations, gifts, food and so much more. But there are not only things to see, but also things to hear: how your nephew is doing in school, how your cousin’s pick-up basketball team is doing, and on, and on.
These tips are developed to help be certain that you keep experiencing all of those moments of reconnection over the course of holiday gatherings.
Use video chat instead of phone calls
For friends and family, Zoom video calls can be a good way to stay in touch. If you have hearing loss, this is particularly true. If you have hearing loss and you want to connect with loved ones during the holidays, try using video calls instead of traditional phone calls.
Phones present a difficult conundrum when it comes to hearing loss and communication difficulties. It can be really difficult to hear the garbled sounding voice on the other end, and that makes what should be a pleasant phone call vexing indeed. With a video call, the audio quality won’t necessarily get better, but you’ll have much more information to help you communicate. From body language to facial expressions, video calls supply added context, and that can help the conversation flow better.
Tell people the truth
It isn’t uncommon for people to have hearing loss. It’s important to let people know if you need help. It doesn’t hurt to ask for:
- People to repeat what they said, but requesting that they rephrase as well.
- A quieter place to talk.
- People to slow down a little bit when speaking with you.
People will be less likely to become aggravated when you ask them to repeat themselves if they know that you have hearing loss. As a result, communication tends to flow a little bit easier.
Find some quiet areas for conversing
During the holidays, there are always subjects of conversation you want to avoid. So, you’re strategic, you don’t just bring up touchy subjects about people, you wait for those people to mention it. When you’re dealing with hearing loss, this goes double, only instead of scooting around certain topics of conversation, you should carefully steer clear of specific areas in a home which make hearing conversations more difficult.
Handle it like this:
- When you choose a spot to sit, try to put a back to a wall. That way, at least there won’t be people talking behind you.
- You’re looking for areas with less commotion. This will put you in a stronger position to read lips more successfully.
- Attempt to find well lit places for this same reason. If there isn’t sufficient light, you won’t be capable of picking up on contextual clues or read lips.
- There will be quieter spots in the home where you have conversations. Possibly that means sneaking away from the noisy television or removing yourself from locations of overlapping conversations.
Okay, okay, but what if your niece begins talking to you in the loud kitchen, where you’re topping off your mug with hot chocolate? In situations like this, there are a few things you can do:
- Suggest that you and your niece go somewhere quieter to chat.
- Politely begin walking towards a spot where you can hear and focus better. Be certain to explain that’s what you’re doing.
- If there’s music playing in the area, politely ask the host to turn the music down so you can hear your niece a little better.
Communicate with the flight crew
So, you’re thinking: what are the impacts of hearing loss at family gatherings that aren’t as apparent? You know, the ones you may not see coming?
When families are spread out, lots of people have to fly somewhere. When you fly, it’s crucial to understand all the instructions and communication provided by the flight crew. So you need to be certain to let them know about your hearing loss. That way, the flight crew can give you visual instructions if needed. When you’re flying, it’s important not to miss anything!
Take breaks
It can be lots of work trying to communicate with hearing loss. You might find yourself getting more tired or exhausted than you once did. So taking frequent breaks is essential. By doing this, your ears and your brain will get a break.
Invest in some hearing aids
How does hearing loss affect relationships? Well, as should be clear at this point, in a lot of ways!
One of the greatest benefits of hearing aids is that they will make nearly every interaction with your family through the holidays easier and more fulfilling. And no more asking people to repeat themselves.
Hearing aids will let you reconnect with your family, in other words.
Keep in mind that it might take you some time to become accustomed to your hearing aids. So it’s advisable that you get them well in advance of your holiday plans. Naturally, everyone’s experience will differ. So talk to us about the timing.
You can get help navigating the holidays
It can seem as if you’re by yourself sometimes, and that no one can relate to what you’re going through when you have hearing loss. In this way, it’s almost like hearing loss affects your personality. But there’s help. You can get through many of the challenges with our help.
The holidays don’t need to be a time of worry or anxiety (that is, any more than they usually are). With the correct approach, you can look forward to seeing, and hearing, your family around this time of year.
