Having hearing loss can make simple things like hearing your loved ones at the dinner table challenging. Struggling to hear can be incredibly frustrating, leaving you feeling isolated among your family.
Christmas is approaching fast and with families getting together in their Christmas ‘bubbles’, hearing each other at the dinner table is really important. We don’t want you to miss out on conversation so we’ve put together 5 tips to try and help you with your hearing this Christmas!
- Choosing Where To Sit
It might seem like a trivial thing, but where you sit could impact how you hear. Avoid sitting on the ends of tables, rather find a spot in the middle. If you are out in a restaurant pick a spot where the noisiest part of the room will be behind you. Your hearing aids will try to focus on sounds in front of you, so by keeping your back to the loudest part of the room it will dull down some of that background noise. - Keep The Volume Low
Having the TV or music playing in the background may be enjoyable and certainly helps set the Christmas mood but the competing background noises can drown out your family’s voices. Try removing the background noise altogether at dinner, or at least lower the volume considerably. This will allow you to focus more on the conversation instead of hearing the extra noise. - Speak Up
Don’t feel like you need to nod along to conversation you’re struggling to follow, be honest with your family and friends and ask them to repeat what they’ve said. If you’re a guest you could let your host know you’re having hearing challenges and let them know what they can do to help you keep up with conversations at dinner. - Improve Lighting
It might seem trivial but when we’re in situations that make it difficult to hear conversation, we try to compensate by reading the lips of whoever is speaking – with low lighting, this becomes difficult. If you’re better able to see your families lips moving you will be better able to understand what is being said. - Book A Hearing Test or Hearing Aid Check
If you’re finding it difficult to hear your family and friends, it might be a good idea to get your hearing checked in time for Christmas. One of our clinicians can assess the extent of your hearing loss and recommend the right hearing aids so that you can keep up with conversation at Christmas dinner. If you already wear hearing aids, we can check the settings to ensure they are giving you the best speech clarity.
To book a FREE Hearing Test or get your hearing aids checked call our friendly receptionist on 8331 8047 or come visit us at one of our clinics.
