6 Tips to Enjoy the Holidays with Hearing Loss
Everyone anticipates lots of fun, catching up, and spending time with family during the holiday season. However, if you experience hearing loss, you may be worried about how you will manage the festivities. If untreated, you may miss out on the laughter, clinking glasses, holiday music, and more.
Here are a few things you could do to make the holiday experience more enjoyable, despite your hearing loss.
How to Manage Hearing Loss Over the Holidays
Understanding the Basics of Hearing Loss
Hearing loss either presents as mild, moderate, profound, or severe. It inhibits the clear distinction of certain sounds and frequencies while making it harder to understand speech. This is typically made worse in noisy environments, such as those with loud music or many people talking at once.
To help ensure everyone understands how best to communicate with you, be open about your condition and include your relatives and friends in your hearing loss journey. Let them know if there are any accommodations you need, and ensure they understand how to help.
Catching Up with Conversations
The holidays are a great time to catch up with loved ones and update each other on what’s been happening in your life. When you sit down with them, be sure to maintain face-to-face contact. Also, speaking to one person at a time, although it may be challenging, makes communication more effective.
Turn Down the Music
Festive music does help create a holiday ambience, but if it’s too loud, it will prevent effective communication. If you are in a place where you can’t control the noise, make sure that people use non-verbal ways to get your attention before starting to speak with you. You can also request that the host lower the volume of the music.
Another option is to have the speakers turned away from the group. That way, the holiday mood still lingers, but the music becomes a background item and not the main focus.
Streamlining Travel Plans
A few easy steps during the holidays could make things easier and more fun. Be sure you have all the essential supplies for your hearing devices in an easily accessible location. For plane, train, or bus travel, this may mean a small carry-on bag that you keep with you. If you’re travelling by car, be sure they are visible and do not get buried beneath the gifts and luggage.
It can also help to set up text alerts for your travel plans, so you receive a notification if there are any changes. You can also print your itinerary so you have a hard copy, or keep it downloaded on your phone. This will ensure a smooth trip to your holiday destination.
Accommodating Family Activities
Some hearing aids may have a wireless connectivity option, allowing you to pair them with home entertainment systems using Bluetooth. If the activity supports this kind of connectivity, be sure to set it up so you can enjoy it as much as the rest of the group.
Take a Break
Your ears and mind will require rest after all the conversations and noise. Take a break away from the party in a quiet area or go for a quick walk. It will help you rejuvenate the energy needed to socialize again.
Consult Our Hearing Loss Specialists for the Best Solutions
This list of ideas from our experts can help you enjoy the holidays. However, if you are worried about your hearing ability or think you may need a new or different hearing device, be sure to visit us for a hearing test. You can book an appointment by calling us at 416-207-9711 or contacting us online.
