Gatherings. So many family gatherings.
During the holidays, it most likely feels like you’re meeting (or re-meeting) a new long-lost uncle every other weekend. That’s the charm (and, some might say, the curse) of the holiday season. Normally, it’s easy to look forward to this annual catching up. You get to reunite with everyone and find out what they’ve been doing!
But those family get-togethers may feel less welcoming when you have hearing loss. What’s the reason for this? How will your hearing loss affect you when you’re at family gatherings?
Your ability to communicate with others can be greatly impacted by hearing loss, and also the ability of other people to communicate with you. The result can be a disheartening feeling of alienation, and it’s a particularly distressing sensation when it occurs around the holidays. Your holiday season can be more fulfilling and pleasant by using a few go-to tips developed by hearing specialists.
Tips to help you enjoy the holiday season
Around the holidays, there’s so much to see, like lights, 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 pond hockey team is doing, and on, and on.
These tips are designed to help be certain that you keep experiencing all of those moments of reconnection during the course of holiday gatherings.
Use video chat instead of phone calls
Zoom calls can be a great way to keep in touch with family and friends. If you have hearing loss, this is especially true. Try utilizing video calls instead of phone calls if you have hearing loss and want to touch base with loved ones during the holidays.
Phones represent an interesting dilemma when it comes to hearing loss and communication challenges. It can be very hard to hear the garbled sounding voice at the other end, and that can certainly be frustrating. With a video call, the audio quality won’t actually get better, but you’ll have much more information to help you communicate. Conversations will have a better flow on video calls because you can read lips and use facial expressions.
Tell people the truth
Hearing loss is very common. If you need help, it’s essential to communicate that! There’s no harm in asking for:
- People to repeat what they said, but asking that they rephrase also.
- Your friends and family to speak a little slower.
- Conversations to take place in quieter areas of the gathering (more on this in a bit).
People won’t be as likely to become annoyed when you ask them to repeat themselves if they are aware that you have hearing loss. As a result, communication tends to flow a bit easier.
Choose your locations of conversation wisely
You will always want to steer clear of certain topics of conversation during the holidays. So, you’re strategic, you don’t just bring up touchy subjects about people, you wait for those individuals to mention it. Similarly, you should try to carefully select spaces that are quieter for talking.
Here’s how to deal with it:
- Try to sit with a wall behind you. That way, at least you won’t have people talking behind you.
- You’re seeking spaces with less commotion. This will put you in a stronger position to read lips more successfully.
- Attempt to find brightly lit places for this same reason. Contextual clues, like body language and facial expressions, can get lost in darker spaces.
- Try to find an area of the gathering that’s a little quieter. That may mean moving away from overlapping conversations or getting a bit further away from that loud sporting event on the TV.
So what if you’re in the noisy kitchen, filling up your mug of hot chocolate, and your niece starts talking to you? In situations like this, there are a couple of things you can do:
- Politely begin walking towards an area of the gathering place where you can hear and focus better. Be certain to explain that’s what you’re doing.
- Suggest that you and your niece go someplace quieter to talk.
- 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 how about less obvious impacts of hearing loss on holiday plans? Like the ones that catch you by surprise.
Lots of people go on planes during the holidays, it’s particularly significant for families that are pretty spread out. When you fly, it’s crucial to comprehend all the directions and communication provided by the flight crew. So you need to be sure to tell them about your hearing loss. In this way, the flight crew can offer you visual instructions if needed. It’s crucial that you don’t miss anything when flying!
Take breaks
It can be a lot of work trying to communicate with hearing loss. You will frequently find yourself fatigued more often than you used to. So taking regular breaks is important. By doing this, your ears and your brain will get a break.
Consider getting hearing aids
How are relationships affected by hearing loss? Well, as should be clear by now, in many ways!
Every interaction with your family during the holidays will be benefited by hearing aids and that’s one of the biggest benefits. And no more asking people what they said.
Hearing aids will allow you to reconnect with your family, in other words.
It might take a little time to get used to your new hearing aids. So it’s recommended that you pick them up well in advance of your holiday plans. Everyone will have a different experience. So talk to us about the timing.
You can get help navigating the holidays
It can feel like you’re alone sometimes, and that no one understands what you’re dealing with when you have hearing loss. In this way, it’s almost like hearing loss affects your personality. But you’re not alone. We can help you navigate many of these dilemmas.
Holidays can be tough enough even under typical circumstances and you don’t need hearing loss to make it even harder. With the correct strategy, you can look forward to seeing, and hearing, your family around this time of year.