Are you one of the 48 million people in the US affected by hearing loss? If you are then you know how frustrating this condition can be. It’s not only a hearing issue but ultimately affects your daily communications between friends, family, and co-workers. You will find that you struggle to hear tiny parts of words and this can build up into misunderstandings, which then compile into rifts. 

Even if you have taken the leap and invested in hearing aids, it still takes more focus and understanding from the people you communicate with daily. One of the most empowering things you can do as someone with hearing loss, besides treatment, is to let people know you have an issue and what they could do to improve your experience in your relationship, and in the world. Being open about hearing loss starts with you but can quickly spread into a powerful movement.  What are some things you wish people knew about hearing loss that could make your experience a little easier every day? 

Hearing Loss can be Exhausting

While people understand the concept that you may struggle to hear, the implications of this often go overlooked. For instance, most commonly hearing loss means that you are missing certain tones, pitches, and frequencies. Parts of words and sentences start to go missing and your brain is forced to work overtime to fill in the blanks. This can be exhausting on your cognitive load but also your entire body. Let people know what a strain it is to hear, so they can understand when you need extra time to rest as well.

People with Hearing Loss Aren’t Rude

Have you noticed people becoming frustrated when you’ve struggled to hear? Perhaps you’ve missed what they said or didn’t realize they had even begun speaking. Clearly you are not trying to offend someone. It can help to let a person with hearing loss know when you have begun speaking so they can prepare to listen. Avoid speaking to someone with hearing loss from another room. It can also be helpful to make sure to maintain eye contact so you can understand if the person with hearing loss is following you and has not missed a portion of what you have said.

People with Hearing Loss Still have a Voice

Just because we don’t understand what you have said the first time doesn’t mean that we don’t have opinions and important things to say. Part of disability justice is taking time to listen to the voices who may struggle to be heard. It may take extra time and attention to communicate with someone with a hearing impairment but taking that time can be the difference between including someone who needs help and ignoring or assuming they have nothing to say.

Accommodations for those with Hearing Loss

People who struggle with hearing loss may be your parents, your child, a dear friend, or a valued co-worker/ employee. Taking the time to learn how to help this person participate in conversation is an investment in that relationship. Asking a person what communication strategies may work best for them is essential in the investment of that relationship. Often, an accommodation could be as simple as facing the other when speaking to allow a view of facial expressions, lip reading and body language. It could be as simple as making sure to speak towards the ear with stronger hearing or taking the time to write out important information, such as phone numbers and addresses, rather than relying on misunderstandings that could arise from oral dictation.   

Hearing Aids Don’t Work Like Glasses

When you put on a pair of glasses your vision is immediately corrected. Hearing aids are amazing electronic devices that are programmed to amplify the specific sounds you struggle with. However, on average people tend to wait 7 to 10 years from the time they suspect they have a hearing loss to seek treatment. This is a long time to go without hearing some of these lost sounds. They may sound shocking and distorted when you first start hearing them again.  It takes time for your brain to relearn to hear and process these sounds. Even the sound of your own voice may sound shocking at first. 

Over time we learn to hear with hearing aids and the results are invaluable. If you suspect you have a hearing loss, don’t wait for it to get so bad you can’t connect to the people in your life. Schedule a hearing test now and catch a hearing issue before it turns into something more severe.