By Rita R. Robison, Consumer Specialist
May is Better Hearing and Speech Month.
Hearing loss is a problem that affects millions of Americans. Nearly half of all baby boomers in the United States suffer from some degree of hearing loss, but few are doing anything about it.
Unlike other age-related health problems, such as vision loss, hearing loss is unique in that it often goes untreated for years. Of the baby boomers with hearing loss, only 26 percent are using some form of assistive hearing device, a study by the Ear Foundation and Clarity, supplier of communication devices, such as amplified telephones, shows.
If you notice a change in your hearing, contact your doctor. Your doctor can refer you to an ENT (otolaryngologist) or audiologist. Also, get hearing checkups if you’re exposed to loud noises regularly, for example, if you listen to loud music or work at a factory.
Carsten Trands, president of Clarity, offers this list of changes that can be made to how people communicate that will improve conversations:
- Don’t speak too fast. Don’t mumble. If asked to repeat yourself, try using different words than the first time.
- Be expressive. Hand gestures and facial expressions can help give clues about what you’re saying.
- Maintain eye contact as you are talking to someone with hearing loss.
- Use simple words and expressions. Plain language can make it easier to comprehend what is trying to be said.
- Don’t speak or answer for a hearing impaired person when talking with others. Give them time to respond.
- Everyone reads lips and facial cues to better understand conversations. Stand in well-lit areas to help with communication.
- If you have hearing loss, remind people and mention that they need to get your attention before beginning to speak.
- Don’t be passive. If hearing or understanding a conversation is unusually difficult, say so.
- Instead of saying “What?” when you don’t understand what you heard, repeat the parts of the statement that you did hear.
Hearing loss is becoming more common in the U.S. If you’re a baby boomer who’s experiencing hearing loss, take action to improve your quality of life.
For more information for baby boomer consumers, see my blog The Survive and Thrive Boomer Guide.