Ask The Expert - Question 12

My mother currently wear hearing aids but because of the nerve damage in her ears she still doesn’t hear clearly.  Are there strategies I can use to help her? 

There are several strategies that you can implement to help you mother better hear and understand.  Make sure that you are facing the listener when you speak as this will allow her to lip-read.  Situational context is a major helping mechanism if you cannot hear. If a hearing impaired person has some inkling as to what is being said, the ability to follow the conversation is much improved.  Another form of context is the actual words people use in sentences. Hearing impaired people learn to hate when others speak in only one word utterances.  Where possible, carry on conversations in quiet places and always remember to speak slowly to allow time for comprehension.

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