How to Hear Better at Your Next Picnic

For those with hearing impairments, the noise at family meals within family events can cause frustration and feelings of discomfort. They may find it difficult to understand their surroundings and even forgo the chance to participate in such events. So what can be done? Here are some important and helpful tips to ease your holiday meal experience.

Although hearing loss is mainly attributed to older people due to aging, there are also quite a few young people who suffer from hearing impairment due to various factors.
Here are some tips for better hearing during family and social events.

1. Don't hide - Share with those around you and tell them about your hearing difficulty. If you find it hard to hear and understand what's being said, just say so. Let new friends or those unaware know that you have a hearing impairment and use hearing aids or cochlear implants to hear.
2. Get closer - Ask your friends to come closer and speak to you face-to-face. Sometimes the necessary distance for understanding can be short, as much as 0.5 meters, depending on the level of hearing impairment. Don't expect to understand a distant conversation when there are other conversations in the background.
3. Don't shout - Ask your friends not to shout but to speak clearly and naturally. It's advisable to ask them to slow down their speech. This will help understand speech more than raising their voice. Many think that shouting will help you hear better. The way to prevent this is simply to explain that it's not the case.
4. Repeat - If you haven't heard a word or a certain sentence, don't hesitate to ask your friends to repeat themselves.
5. Face-to-face - Ask your friends to look in your direction and face you during the conversation. This way, you can also rely on lip and facial movements, read body language, and get additional non-verbal cues, especially in a noisy environment or with competing speech in the background.
6. One at a time - If you participate in a group conversation, sit or stand where you can see the speakers' faces. If needed, ask them to speak in turns so you can follow the conversation.
7. Comfortable environment - The environment has a significant impact on hearing ability and speech understanding. If you're in a noisy environment with background audio systems on, it's advisable to turn them off if not in use.
8. Let there be light - If the place is dark and you can't see the speakers' faces, ask to light up the room or move the conversation to a well-lit area.
9. Use accessories - Use assistive devices such as an induction loop with a wireless microphone. You can place the microphone near the speaker and hear well even from a distance.
10. Attention grabbing - If your child uses a hearing aid, it's important to grab their attention before starting a conversation. When a hearing-impaired person is aware that they are being spoken to, their understanding ability improves significantly.

In recent years, new and advanced technologies have been developed for hearing rehabilitation. With the help of these technologies, such as cochlear implants, people with hearing loss can hear and actively participate in any setting they find themselves in. However, it is important to remember that adapting and integrating hearing technology is a key component in the hearing rehabilitation process, which is a journey towards improving quality of life.

Efrat Mor is a Senior Speech Therapist at Medtechnica Orthophon