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Summer is a great time of year to get together with family. Cooking out, going to the beach, and hiking in the woods are some favorite summer pass times that can bring family together from near and far. Travel is easier without inclement weather, and students and teachers have summer breaks to spend in leisure. Although summer is a fun time for families to get together, these happy times rely on good communication.
Though good communication is a work in progress for most families, the baseline of communication is active listening. Anyone who suffers from hearing loss will admit that active listening to your family members is held back by the physical limitation to hearing. Though you may want to express concern and attention to your family members at these fun summer events, struggling to hear can get in the way of communication. Take the following summer day from the perspective of someone who suffers from hearing loss and a family member. Though each experience is quite different, the struggle to communicate is real on each side.
Those Who Experience Hearing Loss
Perhaps the breakdown in communication begins as soon as you plan your summer outing. While discussing the plans for outdoor activities, the details are already unclear. You may wonder what is expected of you or where you fit into the process. Added to misunderstanding is a creeping sense of anxiety that you will be unable to easily communicate during outdoor activities. Swimming, eating outdoors, and walking in a large group through the woods can be noisy and sometimes distracting experiences to your ears. With children shouting in the background, the pool can be a loud environment. Add the sound of the waves to those loud voices, and the beach can be an even more difficult context for active listening. With these barriers, communication may break down between your closest loved ones. Though you want to hear about their lives and to remember details, these barriers to hearing make it impossible. As you wrap up a family activity with a cook out, you may already feel disconnected and exhausted by the struggle to hear what others are saying.
Family Members of Those with Hearing Loss
On the other side of the coin, communication can be difficult, as well. Though you would like to incorporate your loved one into the activities of the day, you may be wary of expecting too much or placing them into an awkward situation. As the outdoor activities take place, the misunderstandings may find you worrying if your loved one is having a good time. If you try to draw them out with questions, they may not be able to understand and might shy away. They may even change the subject and act as if you hadn’t asked a question in the first place. Beyond your concerns for your family member, your own emotional needs might not be met. It’s possible that you miss the days when your mother, father, or other family member was able to hear and understand you easily, helping you carry the load of life’s struggles. Sometimes these anxieties about their abilities combine with your own frustration and disappointment to create a downright unenjoyable time for all. The lack of communication is the culprit of the bad time, and hearing loss is the struggle behind the curtain making communication fall apart.
Treatment for Hearing Loss
Fortunately this spoiled family outing doesn’t need to happen at all. With proper treatment, hearing loss can be improved and even eliminated. The first step is to contact us at New Leaf Hearing Clinic for a hearing test. Once we have evaluated your abilities, we can recommend hearing aids or other assistive technology. This first visit will begin your journey to better hearing health!
Hearing aids must be used consistently at these family gatherings to reap the rewards. It only takes a bit of practice to be able to use them correctly and easily. Just imagine a day at the beach, in the woods, or cooking outdoors without a struggle to understand or to be understood. With assistive technology, you can be communicating freely in no time, making these summer time outdoor family events enjoyable once again for all involved.