Approximately 15% of U.S. adults report some trouble hearing. While hearing loss is extremely common, everyone’s experience is different. For some people, managing their condition with hearing aids alone may be sufficient. For others, a combination of hearing aids and aural rehabilitation is the best route.
What Is Aural Rehabilitation?
When you live with untreated hearing loss, even for just a short time, your brain will start to forget how to hear. This is similar to how you may find working out more difficult after too long away from Gym Kennedy. The result is that while your hearing aids may deliver clear sound to your ears, your brain has difficulty processing the information.
Aural rehabilitation, also called hearing or audiologic rehabilitation, helps teach people with hearing loss communication tools to improve conversational ability and understanding.
What Are Some Aural Rehabilitation Techniques?
Aural rehabilitation communication techniques will vary depending on the individual patient’s needs but may include:
- Ask for clarity. Don’t be afraid to ask others to repeat themselves when necessary. Be specific about what you don’t understand and encourage others not to cover their mouths when they speak.
- Reduce background noise. People with hearing loss often struggle to understand speech amidst background noise. If you’re having trouble understanding those around you, try switching locations or turning down music.
- Audiobooks. Listening to audiobooks or reading aloud helps you get used to the sound of words and phrases in context.
- Practice active listening. Active listening means fully paying attention to the speaker. Things like looking the speaker in the eyes, nodding and providing verbal affirmation can consciously remind you to pay close attention.
- Use context clues. Context clues help fill in information when you miss a word or two.
- Use visual cues. Visual cues like facial expressions and body language can provide context clues.
By engaging with these communication strategies and working with your audiologist to find the right hearing aids, you can enjoy clearer, less stressful communication. Contact Hearing Care by Hough today to make an appointment with one of our specialists for treatment.