“WHAT, I CAN’T UNDERSTAND YOU”

Hearing loss occurs in almost everyone as we age; one in three people older than 60 and over half who are older than 85 suffer from problems with their hearing. Many adults at a much younger age, including many adolescents, have hearing loss as well. The causes of hearing loss may result from age, a condition called presbycusis, exposure to loud noise, virus or bacteria, stroke, head injuries, tumors or even some of the medicines we take. Many people deny their hearing loss for years even though others may notice that they have to speak louder to be heard or miss part of the communication. Overall, there are approximately 31 million Americans who suffer from hearing loss.

Some of the problems a person with hearing loss must overcome are basic to the communication process. Hearing on a telephone is especially challenging because a person with a hearing loss often depends on environmental cues to fill in the gaps for what is not heard. Lip reading, facial expressions, and hand gestures are clues that provide the context for communication. Hearing effectively is especially difficult in areas with a great deal of background noise. The background noise is often perceived as loud and can very easily overpower the speech tones a person is trying to hear. Even a person with normal hearing can have difficulty hearing where a large group of people are gathered. It takes a lot of energy and concentration for a person with a hearing loss to follow conversation especially in a crowd where two or more people may be talking at once. It is easy to miss a critical part of the conversation simply by looking at the last person who was speaking and not moving quickly enough to see the beginning of the new speaker’s conversation.

A person with a hearing impairment is unique in their ability to hear or not hear certain sounds at a variety of low and high frequencies. Depending on a person’s loss, certain sound frequencies may not be heard at all regardless of volume. This is especially true with high frequency hearing loss and damage to the part of the ear (semi-circular canal) that receives the signal and transports the signal to the brain. If the nerve receptors for a certain frequency are damaged or destroyed, then the sound cannot be heard. As a result, the person with hearing loss may say, “I can hear, but I can’t understand.” The speaker may be speaking clearly but the speech that is heard appears mumbled and garbled forcing the listener to struggle and oftentimes guess to fill in the gaps.

If you have a hearing loss or know someone who does, the most important advice is to see a doctor preferably an otolaryngologist (an ear, nose and throat specialist). From this physician a person is often referred to an audiologist so that a measurement can be taken of the hearing loss (audiogram). From there a person can access many types of assistive devices that make successful adaptation to a hearing loss more likely. Devices that can help the hearing impaired include hearing aids, personal listening systems, TV listening systems, telephone amplification devices, vibrating alarm clocks, or even a system of blinking lights to help a person become aware of a sound that may not be heard.

One of the most successful adjuncts to coping with a hearing loss is education and use of a support system composed of members who understand what the person is going through and can often answer questions, and point the person with a hearing loss to a resource they may not have been aware of.

One such resource group is the Hearing Loss Association of America (HLAA). This group has a web site and offers education, web based forums, and monthly support meetings. The web site for this group is http://www.hearingloss.org

In the interim here are some tips from HLAA to make the communication process easier:

TIPS FOR HEARING PEOPLE WHEN COMMUNICATING WITH THE HEARING IMPAIRED

- Avoid noisy backgrounds
- Get the person’s attention
- Have the available light facing your face – not behind you
- Don’t shout
- Speak clearly at a moderate pace
- Don’t hide your mouth, chew food, gum or smoke while talking
- Rephrase what you are saying if not understood
- Use facial expressions and gestures
- Give clues when changing the subject
- Be patient if response seems slow
- Stay positive and relaxed
- Talk to the person – not about them
- Offer respect to help build confidence


TIPS FOR THE HEARING IMPAIRED WHEN COMMUNICATING WITH HEARING PEOPLE

- Tell others how best to talk with you
- Pick your best spot – (light, quiet, proximity)
- Anticipate difficult situations and plan how to minimize them
- Pay attention
- Concentrate on the speaker
- Look for visual clues
- Ask for written clues if needed
- Don’t interrupt
- Let conversation flow awhile to gain more meaning
- React
- Let the speaker know how well he/she is doing
- Don’t bluff
- Admit when you don’t understand to prevent trouble
- If too tired too concentrate, ask for discussion later


Remember it takes both sides to eliminate barriers in the communication process.

              - By Don Doherty, MA, Ed.S.

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