The holidays can make communication feel especially challenging for more than one in ten Americans living with hearing loss. If you’re part of this group, you may be wondering how to stay connected and enjoy conversations during this busy, social season. With a few simple strategies, you can make communication easier and focus on sharing meaningful moments with the people you love.
1. Wear Your Hearing Aids
Your hearing aids are the number one tool for helping you navigate this season. They’ll collect and amplify speech sounds and suppress distracting background noise to help you understand and participate in the conversation.
Before your next holiday event, clean your hearing aids thoroughly with your cleaning kit and check that they’re fully charged.
2. Watch Out for Listening Fatigue
Listening fatigue refers to the mental tiredness that people with hearing loss experience after attending communication-intensive events—the kind that are especially common during the holidays. This fatigue happens because of the extra mental effort your brain exerts to understand speech, almost like every conversation is a riddle you have to solve.
Avoid listening fatigue by blocking out some quiet time for yourself. You can take a calming walk around Pease Park Conservancy, read a cozy book or do an online meditation video. Giving yourself time to relax without the need to converse with other people will help your brain reset and rest for the next big event.
3. Lean on Your Loved Ones
Don’t be afraid to lean on your loved ones for support when you need it. Ask them to clarify missed points, help you navigate social gatherings or create a distraction-free environment by turning down music. They’ll appreciate that you felt comfortable asking for their help.
4. Schedule a Follow-Up Audiology Appointment
Quality time with your loved ones is the backbone of a great holiday season, and we want to help you make the most of it. If it’s been a while since your last hearing aid cleaning, call us at River ENT today to schedule a service & repair appointment. We’ll thoroughly clean your devices and check that the programming still matches your unique hearing needs.
