Enhancing Communication & Safety with Hearing Loss - The Potential Ability Group (TPAG)

April 20th, 2023Cori KellyAdults, News & Information

Are you or someone you know impacted by hearing loss? If so, you’d be aware that hearing loss can affect a person in many different areas of their life, such as communication with loved ones, reduced social engagement and mishearing or being completely unaware of sound cues, such as warning signals or having their name being called out in a waiting room.

This can leave people affected by hearing loss feeling socially isolated, frustrated, and at times, scared. But all is not lost. There are many strategies, assistive devices, and services available to help people with hearing loss and those around them to have the best communication and engagement possible. Read on to see how you can help!

Hearing loss can be caused by many factors including exposure to loud noise, age related decline and medical conditions. If you or someone you know begins to show signs of hearing loss, such as…

Having the sound turned up loud on devices: phone, radio, TV.
Straining to stay engaged in conversations or mishearing others speak.
Asking people to repeat themselves or being unaware when people are speaking to you.
Ringing or muffled sounds in the ear.
Missing everyday sounds such as birds, people in the distance, or your feet touching the ground as you walk.

…then it may be time to get a hearing check. This can be completed with your local GP or through a Hearing Service. You will likely be engaged with an Audiologist who can run a few tests to see what your current level of hearing is and what can be done to help you to hear better. This may include implementing communications strategies, using assistive devices, and engaging in support services.

Communication Strategies

Enhancing communication when living with a hearing impairment:

Let people know you have a hearing impairment, so they are aware, and you can discuss how to best communicate with you.
Try to position yourself so you can lip read or see their body language for visual cues.
Don’t be afraid to ask them to repeat themselves or to rephrase their question.

Communicating with someone with a hearing impairment:

Face the person you are speaking with so they can see your facial expressions and body language for additional cues.
Speak clearly – try not to cover your mouth as they may rely on lip reading, use clear pronunciation, and do not shout, this will not help.
If they appear confused, politely check they have understood or ask if they would like you to repeat yourself.
Reduce competing noises by choosing an area away from groups of people and turning off devices such as the TV or radio.

Assistive Devices

There are many assistive devices and services available to help a person with hearing loss to communicate with others, enjoy leisure activities such as watching TV, and to increase their safety at home. Below are some examples:

Wireless headphones for the user to wear that connect to the TV. This way the user can have one sound level and others watching the TV can have another. This helps to make the TV volume appropriate for the user as well as blocking out competing noises.
Wearing hearing aids; there are many different options available. Your Audiologist will be able to determine the best option for your situation. Hearing aids can also be linked to your TV, phone, or other devices so that you can always use them.
Turning on subtitles when you are watching TV can help to ensure dialogue is not misheard.
Using an amplified phone with light cues may assist you to see when the phone is ringing and allow you to have the volume higher.
Hearing impaired fire alarms can be installed in your home to increase your safety. These alarms may have an amplified siren, flashing lights and a vibration pad that can be put underneath your pillow so you can feel when it is activated.
If you prefer to communicate by typing and reading, rather than speaking and listening then you may text, email, or write to your friends/family instead of calling or complete shopping orders online instead of over the phone or instore.

Services

The National Relay Service (NRS) is designed to assist people living with a hearing impairment to communicate with others. The user can call the NRS and a Relay Officer can type, speak or use AUSLAN (via video call) to relay information from one user to another, dependent on their personal preferences for communicating. The Relay Officer is there to aid communication and will not change what is being said. The Relay Officer stays on the line for the whole conversation to ensure communication can be achieved smoothly. To use the NRS you must be registered as a NRS User, this can be completed online via the NRS website.

Always remember, there are many ways to compensate for and to work with hearing loss. There is no need to be socially isolated or to feel unsafe. Try this 3 step plan to get started:

Get a hearing check. This may start with your GP who can give you a referral to an Audiologist.
Your Audiologist or Occupational Therapist can help you to find and set up assistive devices and services.
Remember to discuss your preferences for effective communication with those around you to ensure you feel safe and heard.

References

‌‌Australian Government Department of Health (2011). Communication strategies for people affected by hearing loss. [online] Hearingservices.gov.au. Available at: https://hearingservices.gov.au/wps/portal/hso/site/eligibility/abouthearing/communication_hearing_loss/.

Brooks Australia Pty Ltd. (n.d.). Mains Powered. [online] Available at: https://www.brooks.com.au/home-smoke-alarms/mains-powered/?gclid=Cj0KCQiAsdKbBhDHARIsANJ6-jcdvjt6yQZdKEaarK2PRgCCpWmpxz3BW9AaaO_O0A47SElRUfdCQXIaAjGtEALw_wcB [Accessed 17 Nov. 2022].

‌Department of Infrastructure, T. (2022). National Relay Service. [online] Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Communications, Australian Government. Available at: https://www.infrastructure.gov.au/media-communications-arts/phone/services-people-disability/accesshub/national-relay-service.

Hearing.com.au. (2020). Hearing Australia. [online] Available at: https://www.hearing.com.au/Hearing-loss.