South Florida Health and Wellness Magazine Health and Wellness Articles
Related Articles
Thanksgiving is a time of joy, when we take a break from our hectic daily lives to enjoy food and one another’s company. Family members gather from all over and catch each other up on our lives around the dinner table. However, if one of our family members has untreated hearing loss he/she may be left out of the conversation, leading to feelings of isolation and depression.
Picture a big, extended family crowded around a long table — passing dishes, clanking silverware, getting up and down from the table to serve, and carrying on multiple conversations at the same time. This arrangement poses a challenge even for those with normal hearing.
Now imagine Grandma having diminished hearing in this situation. Little Sally’s high-pitched voice is difficult for her to understand already, let alone over all this noise and activity. After asking Sally to repeat herself numerous times, Sally gets frustrated and turns her attention to her other family members. Grandma then tries to join a conversation between Uncle Pete and Aunt Ellen. She thinks she hears Pete say something about a “chocolate chip trophy” and asks when he entered a cookie eating contest. But Pete actually said, “Championship trophy”, and he laughs off Grandma’s faux pas. Embarrassed, she goes back to eating her dinner in silence while her family enjoys themselves around her.
There are far better solutions than ignoring someone with hearing loss. Here are just a few suggestions:
• Reduce extraneous background noise as much as possible by turning off the television and not playing music
• Make an extra effort to enunciate and speak at an even pace
• Don’t shout at someone with hearing loss. You’re going for clarity, not screaming. Shouting will only irritate you and Grandma
• Position yourself so that you and Grandma are facing one another when you talk, if possible. If you know Grandma hears better out of the right ear, try to talk to her from that side
• If Grandma misunderstands or doesn’t hear something you said and asks you to repeat yourself, do it. Don’t ridicule her error or tell her “never mind”. Both are hurtful and will make her feel devalued
• Encourage the rest of the family not to speak over one another and to keep their conversations reasonably pitched. There’s no need for everyone to yell to each other throughout dinner, especially if most can hear just fine
• Keep any frustration you have with Grandma to yourself. Don’t scold her for not doing anything about her hearing loss yet in front of everyone. Shaming someone is a cruel and ineffective way to get anyone to seek help
Thanksgiving should be an opportunity for inclusion and bonding. Don’t leave family members with hearing loss feeling lonely in your midst. Once the holiday is over, that may be time to have an encouraging discussion with Grandma privately about her hearing loss, during which you offer to help her find a hearing care professional who can test her hearing, and offer to go with her to find a good pair of hearing aids. There are new hearing aid options available that are especially effective in difficult listening situations, such as parties or large gatherings like Thanksgiving meals.
Hear USA
Boca Raton • Delray Beach • Call Toll Free: 855.270.1587
