Julie Raney is a certified and licensed audiologist. She has a B.S. in Communication Sciences and Disorders and a Master’s Degree in Audiology from Idaho State University. She has worked as a clinical audiologist in Colorado since 2005. She specializes in hearing amplification for adults and delivers her services in both English and Sign Language.

Hearing Loss can be Exhausting

The ears collect sound but listening and comprehension occur in the brain. As this condition sets in slowly over years, parts of words and words in sentences start the disappear. Your brain simply can’t certain tones or pitches depending on the degree of loss. This is not only frustrating but very exhausting. The brain is scrambling during just about any conversation to fill in the blanks and trying to use the context to understand any of the missing pieces.

Not only do you not have energy to go out after work, but social situations might feel especially daunting, particularly in a large group. It’s all too common that incredibly social people start to avoid social events and feel a strain on the relationships in their life.

People with Hearing Loss Aren’t Rude

One misconception about people with hearing loss is that they are rude or ignoring you. In truth, it may be that they just can’t hear you. Particularly those with an untreated hearing loss are mistaken for being disinterested, confused, or distracted during conversation when they are just trying to keep up. However, even people who treat their hearing loss with hearing aids or cochlear implants struggle to follow conversation.

Tips for Communicating with People with Hearing Loss

To support the people in your life who have hearing loss, it can be helpful to employ communication techniques to help them have an easier time following what you are saying. For one be sure to keep eye contact – this way you can tell if they seem confused. Furthermore, its common that when hearing starts to degrade visual cues such as body language, lip reading and facial expression support in comprehension. Speak evenly and clearly, enunciating words and when you do choose to communicate with someone with a hearing impairment, choose a location that doesn’t have too much distracting background noise, like a restaurant or bar. Instead suggest moving to a quieter location.

People with Hearing Loss Still have a Voice

In ancient Greece, those with hearing loss were confused as unintelligent. Today we have a wider political scope of disability justice. Hearing loss is a permanent condition and a recognized disability. Hearing loss doesn’t make you unintelligent and just because you struggle to hear at times, doesn’t mean you don’t have important things to say. Those who support you may mistake speaking for you as supporting you. At a restaurant, you may wish your friend or family member wouldn’t assume that they should answer for you. Ask your loved ones to be patient with you and give you the time to listen and communicate for yourself, even if it may take just a bit longer.

Hearing Aids Aren’t the Same as Glasses

When you put on a new pair of prescription glasses, they should correct your vision instantly. Hearing aids take time to get used to. It takes most people 7 to 10 years from the time they suspect they have a hearing loss to act and invest in hearing aids. During close to a decade or more, it’s common that your brain simply becomes used to not hearing certain sounds.

Hearing aids are programed based on a hearing exam to amplify the specific tones and pitches you struggle with and when you first start wearing them, it may be jarring. Some of the tones you’re hearing haven’t been heard in years and it can take time for your brain to relearn to process them. Start slowly and don’t give up. At first try them for a few hours a day at home and over two weeks, build up to wearing them every day from the time you wake up till the time you go to sleep.

If you suspect that hearing aids may be right for you, don’t let it go on any longer. Schedule an appointment with us today and discover a clearer and more audible world.