36 | Tips for Better Communication
Your hearing professional will recommend an
appropriate schedule to help you adapt to your
new hearing aid. It will take practice, time and
patience for your brain to adapt to the new sounds
that your hearing aid provides. Hearing is only
part of how we share thoughts, ideas and feelings.
Reading lips, facial expressions and gestures
can help the learning process and add to what
amplification alone may miss.
Please review the following simple communication tips:
For You
• Move closer to and look at the speaker
• Sit face-to-face in a quiet room
• Try different locations to find the best place to listen
• Minimize distractions
• Background noises may be frustrating at first;
remember, you have not heard them for a while
• Let others know what you need; keep in mind
that people cannot “see” your hearing loss
• Develop realistic expectations of what your
hearing aids can and cannot do
• Better hearing with hearing aids is a learned skill
combining desire, practice and patience