NEW YEAR IS A WONDERFUL TIME to celebrate with friends and family, eat delicious food, and attend parties. However, for people with hearing loss, New Year and the preceding holidays can be a frustrating time filled with social anxiety and isolation. It can be hard to participate in the festivities and be included in the conversation if you can’t hear what’s being said. Being unable to hear clearly can impact the emotional well-being of a person at any time of year, but during holiday celebrations like New Year, these feelings can get worse and often make them feel left out.
Here are some ways to improve New Year parties and other celebrations for those with hearing loss:
Video chat those New Year phone calls
At the stroke of midnight on New Year’s Day, many people like to call and catch up with friends and family they haven’t seen in a while, but phone calls can be a difficult option for those who are hard of hearing. One solution to the phone call problem is video chat. It allows the person who is hard of hearing to lip read and see expressions. With Facetime, Amazon Echo, Google Home, Facebook video calling, and even WhatsApp, the person can amplify the sound on the device to hear what the other person is saying much easier and see facial expressions at the same time.
Don’t fake it
When talking to family, friends, or colleagues at parties and family gatherings, it may be tempting to nod along and pretend you know what they’re saying when, in fact, you can’t hear them properly. You might laugh along with others even though you couldn’t hear the jokes or react to stories the same way as other people around you are doing. This can be risky, especially if it ends with somebody asking you a question.
Be honest with your friends, family, or colleagues about your hearing difficulties. Let the people you are socializing with know you cannot hear them well. Simple things like turning the music down, closing doors to noisy rooms, or turning off televisions or other sources of noise can help you hear a little better.
Take care of your hearing aids
If you wear hearing aids, get them cleaned and checked, put in fresh wax guards, clean earpieces (domes or earmolds), and install fresh batteries. Bring them to your audiologist or hearing aid dispenser if you’re unable to do this yourself.
Consider location, location, location!
If you’re attending a party or event where the noise level might be high, here are a few tips to help you with your evening:
• Find a quiet area away from the music so you can talk to people more easily.
• Find areas with fewer people passing by and good lighting so you can lip-read and see facial expressions.
• If the party you’re attending has multiple rooms, situate yourself in the quietest one and ask your friends to join you.
When going to a seated dinner:
• Seat yourself nearest the people you’d like to talk with the most.
• Try to sit with the wall to your back to help drown out any background noise if you are not wearing a hearing aid.
• If you are wearing a hearing aid, place your back to the noise.
• If there’s music playing, ask the host if it can be lowered so you can hear better. Chances are, other people are also struggling to hear and they’ll appreciate the lowered music volume too.
• Ask somebody to continue the conversation with you when you have a chance to be closer.
Take a break
Don’t be afraid to take a break from the party. Listening to speech in noise is fatiguing to your brain. Your ears and mind will need a rest after a lot of conversation, so head to a quiet area to take a moment for yourself. A break will help you recharge and give you the energy needed for another round of socializing so you can enjoy every moment of the party.
We hope this list of hearing loss communication tips will help you, your friends, and your family with New Year and other holiday celebrations this year and every year. Hearing loss shouldn’t stop you from socializing and enjoying the party!
If you have concerns about your hearing, don’t hesitate to get your hearing tested. Rush ordering of hearing devices is available! Call Northwest Ohio Hearing Clinic to schedule an appointment at our Toledo (419-383-4012) or Perrysburg location (419-873-4327). We look forward to hearing from you.
Shelly Horvat, AuD, is a Doctor of Audiology with Northwest Ohio Hearing Clinic, located at 1125 Hospital Dr., Suite 50 in Toledo (419-383-4012) and 1601 Brigham Dr., Suite 160 in Perrysburg (419-873-4327).
