Live Free Home Health Care, LLC. - Bristol, New Hampshire

All posts within: Hearing Loss

Thursday, October 27, 2011

Questions to Aid in Your Search for a Hearing Aid

A hearing aid is not an everyday, run down to the store and pick out kind of purchase. Today's hearing aids are highly advanced technologically and have the price tag to prove it! If you are in the market for a hearing aid, ask yourself and the retailer the following questions:

• What features will be most useful to me? Hearing aids have different functionalities and some are worn differently – over the ear, in the ear, etc. Determine what features make the most sense for you and what you can do without.

• What is the total cost of the hearing aid? Hearing aids are an investment, ranging from hundreds to thousands of dollars. Make sure you can afford the hearing aid you want or have a payment plan in place.

• What kind of warranties come with the hearing aid? Does the warranty cover future maintenance and repair?

• Does the retailer or manufacturer provide loaner aids if the hearing aid needs to be repaired?

• What kind of assistive devices can be used with this hearing aid?

Keep in mind that a hearing aid takes some getting used to. Most states have a law requiring a trial period before purchasing a hearing aid, so make sure to take advantage of that time. For more information about shopping for hearing devices, contact the home care professionals at Live Free Home Health Care at 603-217-0149.

Tags:   Hearing Loss

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Thursday, October 20, 2011

Handy Devices for Those with Hearing Loss

Today's hearing aids can usually compensate for the majority of hearing loss in individuals with decreased hearing. However, some hearing aid users continue to have difficulty understanding speech in noisy areas or may not be able to hear things like smoke alarms when they have their hearing aid out at night. For these instances, there are a number of hearing loss support devices to ensure that people with decreased hearing don't miss a thing.

Alerting Devices

Alerting devices are available for everything from smoke detectors to doorbells. For example, a doorbell alerting device would flash a light when someone rings the door bell or knocks. Alarm clock alerting devices come in versions that have adjustable volumes and pitches, flash lights, or vibrate to help wake the person up.

Assistive Listening Devices

Assistive listening devices are tools that help a person with diminished hearing hear things like the TV or speech over the telephone better. Voice carryovers (or VCOs) help those who cannot hear speech over the telephone. VCOs allow you to speak directly to the other party while an operator translates what the other party says to you in print displayed on a small LCD screen.

Those who have trouble hearing the television can consider headphones or wireless transmitters to help hear even when sitting across the room.

Where to Purchase Support Devices

Below are a few online stores that sell hearing loss support devices:

• Harris Communications: http://www.harriscomm.com

• Silent Call Communications: http://www.silentcall.com

• Products for the Deaf: http://www.productsforthedeaf.com

• NexGen Products: http://www.nexgenproducts.com

• HITEC: http://www.hitec.com

For more tips for those with hearing loss, click here.

If you or your loved ones need assistance with hearing loss or in-home care, contact Live Free Home Health Care  at 603-217-0149. We are happy to serve those in the Lakes Region and Central New Hampshire.

Tags:   Hearing Loss

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Thursday, October 13, 2011

Make Yourself Heard: Communication Strategies for Someone with Decreased Hearing

While we know how difficult it can sometimes be to communicate with someone who is experiencing hearing loss, we tend to forget that it is equally difficult for the person with hearing loss to communicate with those who hear normally. Those of us who do not have hearing problems tend to speak faster, mumble or speak less clearly than we could, and aren't bothered by background noises. For someone with low hearing, those situations can be quite annoying and can cause him or her to be left out of the conversation entirely.

If you or a relative are experiencing hearing loss, here are a few strategies to help you communicate:

• If you have a hearing aid, make sure it is working properly.

• Tell the people you are with that you have hearing loss; that way they know to adapt their speech, look at you when they are speaking, or make other accommodations to help keep you in the conversation.

• Sit or stand where you can see the faces of all speakers.

• Move away from noise or other background disturbances.

• Ask people to repeat themselves when necessary or repeat back the part of the message that you understood with a request for the speaker to repeat the part that you didn't hear. (For example, “You went where?” “Who called you yesterday?”)

• Use what you know about the speaker to help clue you in on what is going on in the conversation, including the speaker's interests or habits.

• Stay informed about current events.

• Make sure you are well-rested before attending an event where you will be listening to a lot of speech.

For more information on communication strategies for the hearing impaired, click here.

Often, people see their hearing loss as an embarrassment and fail to speak up to ensure that they are included in conversations. Don't be left out. Contact Live Free Home Health Care of the Lakes Region and Central New Hampshire at 603-217-0149 for more tips on living with hearing loss.

Tags:   communication tips, Hearing Loss

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Thursday, October 06, 2011

Can You Hear Me Now? Communicating with Someone with Hearing Loss

Hearing loss is a common part of aging, and will likely affect your elderly friends and family members at some point. Communicating with someone who is experiencing hearing loss can be delicate, as you never want to offend the person. Here are a few tips to help you communicate better with seniors who are experiencing hearing loss:

• Make sure you have the attention of the person before speaking, and always face him or her.

• Speak up, clearly and naturally.

• Do not shout, overemphasize your words or talk in slow motion.

• Turn off televisions or radios to cut down on background noise.

• If you are giving important information, like directions or instructions, write it down.

• Choose quiet, well-lit restaurants when going out for dinner.

If someone with decreased hearing does not understand you when you are speaking, follow these helpful tips:

• Slow down and repeat yourself.

• Speak slightly louder, but resist the urge to shout.

• Rephrase what you just said using common words.

• Present your sentences in short units that are easier to understand.

• Request feedback; for example, “Tell me what you understood.”

For further tips on communicating with someone with hearing loss, click here.

At Live Free Home Health Care of Concord, New Hampshire, our talented in-home caregivers have years of experience dealing with hearing loss and are happy to help you and your loved ones learn how to more easily communicate. Contact us today at 603-217-0149 to find out more about our in-home care offerings and learn if home care is a good fit for your situation.

Tags:   communication tips, Hearing Loss

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