When you have a hearing loss, social gatherings during the holiday season can lead to challenging listening situations. Here a few tips to help immerse yourself in the Christmas spirit with the best hearing possible.
First things first: If you own hearing aids, we strongly encourage you to wear them to your upcoming holiday events. They are designed to help you focus on speech, reduce background noise, and cut back on distortion. So, remember to wear your hearing aids. Next, check out these tips for an even merrier Christmas and holiday season:
- Find a quiet corner. Avoid standing too close to loudspeakers and noisy kitchens, and find the quietest area of the room. This way it’s easier to hear conversation rather than noise.
- See as many faces as possible. Seeing the gestures and faces of people speaking will help you lipread and understand what they are saying. Ensure good lighting, and remove decorations that prevent you from seeing the people around the table at dinner time.
- Buddy up. Find a friend or relative who can repeat things you may not have understood, so you can feel more confident and included in the conversation.
- Turn down the volume of background music to make the general sound level as low as possible. Even though everyone loves a good Christmas carol, people won’t hear them when they’re having loud conversations.
- Postpone dish duty. Ask your host to hold off on cleaning the dishes until everyone has left. For people with hearing loss, the clatter of kitchen dishes can distract from dinnertime conversations.
- Turn off the TV. It distracts from the conversation and makes it harder to hear.
Do you feel you or a family member are struggling to hear the conversation this Christmas? Please call our office today for a complimentary consultation. In most cases, if hearing instruments are needed, we can fit you or your family member on the same day! Give yourself and your family the gift of hearing this holiday season.
