New Year's Resolution: Better Communication

As the new year approaches, we become more serious about setting goals for what we want to accomplish in the coming year.  Losing weight, spending more time with family, and paying off debt are all popular goals we set for the new year. One goal we often overlook, however, is "improving how we communicate."  Communication is foundational to every relationship.  We become isolated when our ability to communicate is significantly reduced by the presence of untreated hearing loss.  As more studies show how hearing loss worsens isolation, depression, and dementia, it's imperative that we and our loved ones take hearing healthcare seriously! 

If you're looking for communication and hearing healthcare goals to set for the new year, here are some ideas:

• Have your hearing health evaluated!
• How often should a person have their hearing evaluated?  Click here for general guidelines.
• How can we connect with people if we have difficulty hearing what they are saying? Hearing well is foundational to good communication.
• Help loved ones get the hearing healthcare help they need
• Recent studies show that it takes up to seven years before the average person with hearing loss begins to seek help.  Loved ones need help to understand what they are missing and how it is impacting their life. 
• Gently allowing our loved ones to safely experience the consequences of untreated hearing loss may be an appropriate step towards helping them seek the help they need.
• One simple action step is to stop repeating what you say to highlight the presence of the hearing loss and its impact on communication.
• Another action step is to write down what you're saying each time you are asked to repeat yourself.  This will help the hearing loss sufferer begin to understand how many times they are asking you to repeat yourself.
• Set volume limits on ear phones for all handheld devices to protect your hearing! A good rule of thumb is to set the volume limit to 80% of it's maximum capacity. 
• Schedule an appointment with a clinical audiologist to review new technology that could help you hear better and understand conversations more clearly.
• Schedule an appointment with your clinical audiologist every 6 months to have your hearing aids checked, cleaned, and potentially adjusted.