Tips For Better Communication - Miracle-Ear EarENERGY 5 BTE R EV User Manual

Tips for Better Communication

Your Miracle-Ear ® Hearing Care 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
38
Tips for Better Communication
For Your Family and Friends
Your family and friends are also affected by your hearing loss.
Request that they:
• Get your full attention before beginning to speak
• Look at you or sit face-to-face in a quiet room
• Speak clearly and at a normal rate and level; shouting can
actually make understanding more difficult
• Rephrase rather than repeat the same words; different words
may be easier to understand
• Minimize distractions while speaking
39