Tips for enjoying social events with hearing loss
Social events are important for everyone to enjoy, bringing both friends and family together. However, if you suffer from hearing loss it is understandable that you may begin to feel anxious around this time. It can be uncomfortable to ask others to repeat themselves or be in an environment where you find it difficult to hear everyone around you.
However, everyone deserves to have a great time with everyone around them during any social event, so in this blog, you will find some tips to help you still enjoy your social events with friends and family.
Signs of hearing loss
Firstly, it is important to recognise if you are suffering from hearing loss. If you have recently had trouble understanding others around you or noticed a degradation of hearing it is important to look out for the signs of hearing loss. Some common symptoms are:
- Muffled hearing
- Hearing loss
- Consistently turning up the volume on devices and TV
- Difficulty hearing on the phone or in crowded areas
If you have noticed any of these symptoms recently we highly recommend that you book a hearing test. Or read our top 3 tips for protecting your hearing to avoid developing hearing loss at an older age.
Enjoying social activities with hearing aids
Everyone should be able to enjoy social events feeling comfortable among friends and family, so we have created a list of tips you can try to help you.
Partner up
Whether you’re going to a family dinner or a friend’s party, a great way to settle your nerves if you’re feeling anxious is to find someone you’re comfortable with and partner up. This person should be aware of your hearing loss, and you should feel at ease when talking to them. Having a buddy during a party or gathering can help you feel a lot less anxious, in addition to having someone to go to if you are struggling in the environment around you. This person can also help you feel more confident in group conversations or if you want to go somewhere quiet you still have some company.
Find a quiet space
Whether you have been to the location before, or it’s your first time it can be a good idea to find a quiet place to go before the event begins. Then later on if things get too loud and you feel uncomfortable, you know you have a quiet place you can move to. If you are at an event where there are no quiet spaces to be found, go to the toilets. There’s a high chance the toilets will be quiet and a more comfortable space, if not then see if you can go outside away from the noise.
Turn down the volume
If you’re at a friend or family gathering and music is playing, make sure it’s at a comfortable level. If it is too loud explain to the host first and then see if you can turn down the volume. If not, find a quieter space where you feel comfortable, however most hosts will be sympathetic to your request.
If you are only suffering from mild hearing loss, it’s important to consider the volume levels around you as you don’t want to damage your hearing any further.
Turn off the TV
Much like turning the music down, if the TV at the event you’re at is at a high level of volume explain to the host that you suffer from hearing loss and would appreciate it being dropped to a lower level or switched off so you can hear the people around you more clearly. Depending on the event, the TV may be turned on in the evening so everyone can start watching their favourite films together, or it will be off so everyone can enjoy some group games together. During this time since the people around you won’t be speaking, you can enjoy these films with the rest of your friends and family.
Speak to as many people as you can
Hearing loss can knock your confidence and make you feel a lot less confident in social situations. It is important to still remain confident whilst you have hearing loss so you don’t have to miss out on spending time with friends and family. So to tackle this, it’s important to continue being comfortable talking to people. When arriving at your party or event, make sure to try and speak to as many people as you can. If you continue speaking and listening to others you will naturally become more comfortable when engaging in a conversation. Although you may suffer from hearing loss you will be able to interpret people’s speech and body language much easier.
If you are anxious about speaking to a large number of people on your own, refer to our first point on finding a buddy to help you first settle into speaking in groups.
Preventing hearing loss
If you’re not currently suffering from hearing loss it is important to protect your hearing before it becomes damaged. There are many simple ways you can easily protect your hearing and protect yourself from hearing loss at a later age, some of these methods include:
- Invest in ear plugs – custom earplugs are preferable as they are shaped to your ear
- Turning down music or TV levels
- Don’t constantly wear earphones or headphones at loud levels of volume, the sound is travelling directly into your ears and can damage your hearing easily
Book an appointment
If you are concerned about your hearing or need any assistance with hearing aids, here at Nathan Gluck, we offer professional ear wax removal, hearing tests and hearing aid services. We’re currently based in the North London area and offer home visit appointments if you or the person in need of our services can’t attend one of our clinics. Click on the link to book an appointment online or call our number on 0800 781 0422.