We are in the last month of the year and preparations for Christmas are always exciting but can be scary for those who have hearing problems. Whether you are planning a large gathering for Christmas or a typical weeknight meal with your immediate family, you don’t want to miss out on the conversation.
If you have hearing loss, simple things like hearing your family at dinner can be challenging. And struggling to hear can lead to frustration among your loved ones and leave you feeling isolated and sad. Instead of feeling left out of family stories or missing the punchline to funny jokes, we want to share these five tips for hearing better at the dinner table.
1. Turn down the music
While you may enjoy dining with music or TV in the background, competing sounds can interfere with hearing them properly and make it difficult to hold conversations. Try eliminating background noise altogether, or at least consider playing it softly, so your ears can focus on the conversation instead of competing against the excess noise.
2. Improve the lighting
Those with hearing loss often try to compensate by reading the lips of whomever is speaking. However, this becomes more difficult in poor lighting. Improve your ability to see you family’s lips moving and better understand what is being said to shine more light at the dinner table.
3. Sit with your back to the wall
Where you sit at the table can impact how you hear. By sitting near a wall, you can block out excessive background noise behind you to help you hear the people at the table better.
4. Speak up for yourself
Instead of nodding along with a conversation you have trouble following, be honest and ask your family to repeat what they said. And if you are a guest at someone else’s dinner table, it doesn’t hurt to let your host know in advance that you have hearing challenges and what they can do to make sure you’re able to keep up with the conversation.
5. Get your hearing tested
If you find yourself struggling to hear your family each day, it’s a good idea to have your hearing checked. We at Strauss Audiology can properly diagnose the extent of your hearing loss and recommend the right hearing aids or treatment that will help you hear the important conversations you’ve been missing.
About Strauss Audiology
Strauss Audiology is a professional audiology business in the northern suburbs of Cape Town, offering expert, effective hearing advice that is tailored to clients’ unique hearing needs. We conduct hearing evaluations, hearing tests and vertigo assessments, and provide a range of solutions to improve and protect clients’ hearing. This includes providing hearing aids to Cape Town clients. With 16 years of experience, and with the qualifications and certifications to deliver leading hearing care, you can trust us to take care of your hearing needs.
Want your hearing tested? Need a solution for hearing loss?