Understanding the Problem
Fifty percent of Americans over 65 suffer from hearing loss, although it
Improving the Listening Experience at Home
By practicing good communication skills, you and your family members can take steps to improve your listening experience:
- Wait until you are in the same room to talk with others.
- Ask your conversation partner to slow down their speech if you have difficulty following.
- Ask your conversation partner to face you when speaking—no backs turned or heads down looking at screens.
- Let the person speaking know if you are having trouble hearing or understanding (don’t pretend to understand).
- Use closed captioning when watching television or movies.
- Take some dedicated quiet time (listening breaks). It takes more energy to listen when you have hearing loss—and feeling tired can cause you to mix up conversations.
