Holidays are a time to share with friends and family, but hearing loss can interfere with even the best laid plans. As you’re getting ready for the Holidays, remember these tips!
Look out for these four elements to include EVERYONE in your Thanksgiving festivities this year!
- Pay attention to the acoustics of your gathering place. Does sound echo off the walls or absorb into the walls? Spaces that echo sound make it more difficult to hear, whether or not you have hearing loss.
- You want your centerpieces to be beautiful, but make sure they don’t obstruct the view from across the table. Oftentimes, people rely on reading lips without even realizing it.
- Do your best to decrease background noise. This can be as simple as turning off the TV or music during dinner. (Or just mute the football game!)
- Remember what I said about lip reading? Good lighting is a major help with this as well!
Set yourself up for a successful Thanksgiving while living with hearing loss!
- You know your ideal hearing situation. Try to pick your seat first to set yourself up for a good conversation!
- If you can sit with your back towards the wall, you will decrease the amount of background noise and distraction.
- It’s easy for multiple conversations to pop up at once, but keeping it down to one conversation at a time will help you follow the train of thought.
- Lastly, be patient with your loved ones who don’t understand hearing loss. You might need to explain your ideal hearing situations and advocate to make that happen.
Don’t leave your hearing impaired family members out of the Thanksgiving festivities! Here’s how to include them as you celebrate Thanksgiving this year:
- Seek them out! Hearing loss is an incredibly isolating thing, and simply seeking out a one-on-one conversation is a simple way to make sure your loved one isn’t left out.
- Try to keep the amount of conversations around the table to a minimum.
- Be patient. Sometimes it takes a few moments or a few tries to understand.
- Mute the football game during dinner. I promise everyone will get more out of the conversation with fewer distractions!