Gatherings. More, and more family gatherings.
During the holidays, it most likely seems like you’re meeting (or re-meeting) a new long-lost relative almost every weekend. That’s the appeal (and, some would say, the curse) of the holiday season. Usually, this type of annual catching up is something that’s pleasing to anticipate. You get to learn what everybody’s been up to all year.
But when you’re dealing with hearing loss, those family get-togethers may seem a little less inviting. What’s the reason for this? How will your hearing loss affect 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 others to communicate with you. The result can be a disheartening feeling of alienation, and it’s an especially disturbing sensation when it occurs around the holidays. Hearing specialists and professionals have formulated some go-to tips that can help make your holidays more enjoyable, and more rewarding, when you have hearing loss.
Tips to help you enjoy the holiday season
There’s a lot to see during the holidays, lights, food, gifts, and more. But there’s also so much to hear: how your nephew is doing in school, how your cousin’s pond hockey team is doing, and on, and on.
During holiday gatherings, use these tips to get through and make more memorable memories.
Steer clear of phone calls – instead, use video calls.
For friends and family, Zoom video calls can be a great way to stay in touch. If you have hearing loss, this is especially 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 represent a difficult conundrum when it comes to hearing loss and communication difficulties. The voice that comes through the phone speaker can feel garbled and difficult to understand, and that can definitely be aggravating. With a video call, the audio quality won’t actually improve, but you’ll have much more information to help you communicate. From body language to facial expressions, video calls offer additional context, and that can help the conversation flow better.
Be honest with people
Hearing loss is incredibly common. It’s crucial to let people know if you need help. There’s no harm in asking for:
- A quieter place to have conversations.
- People to slow down a little when speaking with you.
- People to paraphrase and repeat what they said.
When people recognize that you have hearing loss, they’re less likely to become irritated if you need something repeated more than once. Communication will have a better flow as a result.
Pick your areas of conversation wisely
You will always want to avoid certain topics of conversation throughout the holidays. So you’re careful not to say anything that might offend people, but instead, wait for them to mention any delicate subject matter. When you’re dealing with hearing loss, this even more important, only instead of scooting around certain topics of conversation, you should cautiously steer clear of specific spaces in a home which make hearing conversations more challenging.
deal with it like this:
- There will be quieter spots in the home where you have conversations. That could mean removing yourself from overlapping conversations or getting a bit further away from that loud sporting event on the TV.
- When you choose a place to sit, try to put a back to a wall. That way, at least there won’t be people talking behind you.
- Try to find well lit places for this same reason. Contextual clues, including body language and facial expressions, can get lost in darker spaces.
- Attempt to find spots that have less motion and fewer people walking by and distracting you. This’ll make it easier to concentrate on the lips of the individuals speaking with you (and help you read lips as a result).
Alright, alright, but what if your niece begins talking to you in the noisy kitchen, where you’re topping off your mug with holiday cocoa? In situations like this, there are a couple of things you can do:
- You can politely ask the host, if there’s music playing, to reduce the volume so you can hear what your niece is saying.
- Quietly lead your niece to a spot that has less happening. And remember to let her know this is what you’re doing.
- Ask your niece to continue the conversation someplace where it’s a little quieter.
Communicate with the flight crew
So how about less obvious effects of hearing loss on holiday plans? Like the ones that sneak up on you.
When families are spread out, many people have to fly somewhere. When you fly, it’s crucial to comprehend all the directions and communication provided by the flight crew. So you need to be certain to tell them about your hearing loss. This way, if needed, the flight crew can take extra care to provide you with extra visual instructions. It’s essential that you don’t miss anything when flying!
Take breaks
When you have hearing loss, communicating can be a lot of effort. You will often find yourself fatigued more often than you used to. As a result, it’s essential to take regular breaks. By doing this, your ears and your brain will get a rest.
Consider getting hearing aids
How are relationships affected by hearing loss? Well, as should be clear by now, in a lot of ways!
Every interaction with your family over the holidays will be benefited by hearing aids and that’s one of the biggest benefits. And, the greatest part, you won’t have to keep asking people to repeat what they said.
Hearing aids will allow you to reconnect with your family, in other words.
Remember that it may take you some time to get used to your hearing aids. So you shouldn’t wait until right before the holidays to get them. Everybody will have a different experience. But we can help you with the timing.
You don’t have to navigate the holidays alone
When you have hearing loss, sometimes, it can feel as if no one understands what you’re going through, and that you have to do it all alone. It’s as if hearing loss is impacting your personality in this way. But there’s help. You can navigate many of the challenges with our help.
The holidays don’t have to be a time of worry or nervousness (that is, any more than they usually are). With the right approach, you can look forward to seeing, and hearing, your family during this time of year.