How Does Hearing Loss Affect Communication

Hearing loss is a growing epidemic in the United States, with one in four adults suffering from some level of hearing loss. Hearing loss affects many aspects of your life, including your ability to communicate effectively. If you or someone you love has hearing loss and needs help finding the right solution for their unique situation, read this post on how hearing loss affects the ways of communication.

How hearing loss occurs

In order to understand how hearing loss affects communication, it is crucial to understand how hearing loss occurs. Hearing loss occurs when there is a disruption in the transmission of sound from your outer ear to your inner ear. There are many factors that can contribute to hearing loss, including age and heredity. Hearing loss caused by injuries such as noise exposure or head trauma can be more challenging to treat than hereditary hearing losses because these types of losses cannot typically be reversed.

Ways of communicating

Non-verbal communication is a form of communication that relies on facial expressions, body language, as well as tone. I often think about nonverbal cues while talking with someone who has hearing loss because it can be difficult to understand specific phrases or words when you do not know the context in which they were used. Therefore, if you are communicating with someone with hearing loss, you should speak clearly and slowly to help them understand what you are saying. Below are a few ways that people with hearing loss can communicate in their everyday lives.

Gestures

Gestures are a type of communication that is based solely on the speaker. While gestures are extremely important, they are not always practical when communicating with someone who does not know sign language or cannot see your hands while you gesture.

Reading Lips

Another way to communicate without hearing involves reading lips. However, Lip-reading requires immense concentration and can be very strenuous for the listener. While lip-reading can be an effective way to communicate with someone not fluent in sign language, it should only be used when speaking one-on-one.

Using Technology

Technology such as hearing aids and other assistive listening devices can help those with hearing loss hear better. Many different types of assistive listening devices are available to help match the solution with your specific needs. The ability for those with hearing loss to communicate effectively varies from person to person. Hearing aid technology can actually improve your quality of life no matter how severe your degree of hearing. However, technology cannot always compensate for the complete loss of hearing. Hearing instrument specialists can help those who have hearing loss find the right solution for their unique situation.

Writing Notes

An effective way to communicate, especially when working in a group setting, is for someone who can hear well to take notes. Those that cannot hear should be able to see these notes if they need clarification on what was said or done at any given time during communication. Taking good meeting minutes is an essential part of every business and only makes sense if everyone present has access to them simultaneously without having to wait their turn.

Facial expressions

Facial expressions are another form of nonverbal communication that can be effective in some instances. However, facial expressions cannot always replace the tone and inflection associated with spoken words, which is why they should only be used as a supplement to other forms of communication. Because there are many ways hearing loss can affect your ability to communicate effectively, it is essential to seek help from a hearing instrument specialist.

Body language

Body language is another form of nonverbal communication that can be effective when communicating with someone who does not know sign language. While body language cannot always replace the tone and inflection associated with spoken words, it can help you effectively convey emotions such as happiness and sadness. Because there are many ways hearing loss can affect your ability to communicate effectively. In conclusion, hearing loss can make communicating difficult, but there are many ways to overcome this. In some cases, using more than one form of communication can be helpful. In other situations, you may need to seek help from a hearing instrument specialist who will help find the best solution for you. If you have a hearing loss impairment or know of someone close to you, call the Hearing Guy at (828) 333-5781.