subject: How to Speak With Someone Who Has Hearing Loss [print this page] How to Speak With Someone Who Has Hearing Loss
When you first find out that a loved one or a close friend is experiencing hearing lost, your first reaction is probably to feel a sense of sadness over what they are going through. You realize that certain situations in life are going to be more difficult for them. After you consider your loved one's bad luck, the next thing you might begin to think about is how you should act around the person to support them and to try to make the transition into a new life with a physical disability a little bit easier. Should you address it regularly? Should you try to get them to talk about it, to open up to you? Should you talk with a louder voice when having a conversation with them? Should you mention your friend's issues with hearing loss to other mutual friends and family members so that they will be prepared and not surprised by it? All of these questions will likely be swirling around in your head, and you might feel overwhelmed. But fear not, because situations like this can generally be handled with more grace than you are imagining in this specific moment.
The first thing you should do is talk to your friend or loved one about it. Get a sense for how they are feeling about their hearing loss. Are they accepting of it, and taking it with a good sense of humor? Are they nonchalant? Are they bitter and angry, feeling that they have been hit with yet another streak of bad luck? Assessing their mood can help you know how you should proceed. Regardless of their attitude, you also want to ask them if there is any way you can help, at this moment or at any time in the future. Letting your friend or loved one know that you will be there for them as they go through this period of coming to terms with their hearing loss will hopefully be a comfort. What's more, if they want you to do something like tell other friends, or try to speak more clearly when the two of you are in a conversation, this might be a time for the person suffering the hearing loss to mention it. If they mention nothing of the sort, you want to ask them directly. You can ask, for example, something along the lines of "Do you have difficulty understanding conversations sometime? Does it help you if people talk more clearly? Or will your hearing aid take care of that?" They can let you know how to speak with them for maximum effectiveness.
If your friend or loved one is either super-nonchalant, or dismissive of their loss, you might want to do a few things on your own, even if they tell you there is nothing to be done. Trying to enunciate a little bit more, or speaking at a slightly louder volume without being too obvious or dramatic is a start. Letting people who are close to both of you know is a bit more complicated, and one really has to assess his or her own specific situation more particularly.
