When speaking to a person with hearing aids it is not necessary to shout at them. In fact, shouting distorts the speech signal, making it even more difficult to understand. Shouting can also be uncomfortable, if not painful to the person who wears hearing aids. If the hearing instruments are doing their job, speech will be amplified to an appropriate level.
If the person still has difficulty understanding, it may be necessary to slow down your speech. Often times, the listener will do much better if speech is slowed down. Ask anyone with hearing loss and they will tell you that telemarketers are very difficult to understand. Often times this is because telemarketers speak quickly and sometimes with an accent.
Another tip is to look at the person while you are talking. Don’t start a conversation, turn around and continue talking while walking out of the room.
And finally, reduce ambient noise. Sophisticated hearing aids detect speech, however they cannot determine which person you would like to hear. If you are having a conversation while the television is blaring, don’t expect the hearing aid to amplify your voice over the voice on the television.
– Dr. Krukemyer
