Hearing loss affects many areas of a person's life. As they hear certain sounds less well, it becomes more difficult to follow a conversation.
For example, try reading the following sentence:
"I _urprised a mou_e"
A person who has difficulty hearing small sounds like "S" might understand something like the example above (instead of "I surprised a mouse").
Compensating for missing information
The brain is still capable of what's called auditory supplementation, i.e. replacing the missing parts of a word or phrase we've heard. For example:
"I'm going to _ange the tires"
Thanks to the context, you've probably come up with the right answer (I'm going to change the tires), because usually we don't randomly go change the tires for no reason.
However, the more little bits of sentences and words we miss, the more effort it takes us to listen to something. So people with hearing loss may have to put in a lot of effort to try and fill in anything they haven't understood. This constant effort can cause mental fatigue, and some even come to isolate themselves so as not to have to follow a conversation.
The conversation is between two
It's rare that we make conversation on our own! Usually, this activity involves at least two people. So don't put all the responsibility for understanding the conversation on yourself. The person you're talking to also has a share of the responsibility. Each of you can do your part to facilitate communication.
To learn more about strategies for facilitating communication, click here.
Help yourself with the visual clues
Sometimes it's beneficial to observe the person for visual cues. A large part of communication is non-verbal, such as posture, facial expressions, frowning, speed of speech, voice intonation and so on. Pay attention to all these clues that can help you understand the intentions and context of the discussion.
Many people also help themselves with lip-reading which involves reading lips. For example, when someone makes the letter "O", their lips round out, giving us a clue as to the sound that has been produced. This technique, in conjunction with communication strategies, gives you an extra boost. In hearing rehabilitation centers and some organizations, it is possible to take lip-reading courses to improve this ability.
Helping with signs
You've probably already heard of LSQ, Quebec Sign Language. It's a language in its own right, used by some deaf people to communicate. Each sign represents an idea, a word or an expression. It's a language with its own syntax, which is different from that of French.
Not all hearing-impaired people communicate in LSQ. Some use sign language because, from birth, their hearing loss is very severe and/or because it's part of their culture. There are also signs as a support for learning oral language in children with or without deafness.
Also, there is the langage parlé complété (LPC) which consists of 8 hand positions to be placed at 5 locations on the face. Each hand movement on the face corresponds to a sound. This gives the hearing-impaired person a visual clue as to which sound has been pronounced. This is a method that can be useful for children as well as adults.
Helping with technology
What can help a hearing impaired person understand the sounds they hear poorly... is hearing them again!
Depending on the severity of hearing loss, there are different technological solutions such as hearing aids and cochlear implants. If you'd like to know the difference between the two, click here.
There are also solutions for amplifying the sound of certain everyday objects, such as landline telephones, cell phones, doorbells, smoke detectors or televisions. These are known as assistive listening devices.
In combination with the other tips mentioned above, these technologies can come to the aid of people with communication and listening difficulties.
