Audiology
Hearing aids are a great help to people with hearing loss, but people can still struggle sometimes. Here are some tips you can try at home.
Wait
- Give the person time to follow what’s been said.
- Avoid shouting if they didn’t hear first time, just speak clearly, and wait to see if they answer. Rushing can make a person become stressed or upset, which makes it even harder to follow the conversation.
Look
- Have the person’s attention before you speak to them.
- Facing someone lets them know you are talking to them and can help them lip read.
- Speak slowly and clearly, avoid covering your mouth and check the lighting is good as these can all help with lip reading.
Listen
- Is there a lot of background noise in the room?
- Try and reduce the noise around you as much as possible as it is difficult to hear in noisy places, especially with hearing aids.
Think
- Are you sure they have heard?
- Is the person conversing with you?
- People who don’t hear the conversation often just agree with you, try to use more open-ended questions, give choices or ask them to repeat back what you have said.
Patience
- Hearing aids don’t mean you can hear everything.
- Sometimes you will have to repeat things, try rephrasing questions.
- Be realistic, sometimes even people with good hearing will struggle to hear.
Contact us
If you have any questions, please contact the Audiology department on:
Telephone: 01642 854436
Email: [email protected]
Further information
Please visit the RNID website: https://rnid.org.uk/information-and-support/how-to-communicate-with-deaf-people-hearing-loss/
Patient Experience
South Tees Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust would like your feedback. If you wish to share your experience about your care and treatment or on behalf of a patient, please contact The Patient Experience Department who will advise you on how best to do this.
This service is based at The James Cook University Hospital but also covers the Friarage Hospital in Northallerton, our community hospitals and community health services.
To ensure we meet your communication needs please inform the patient experience department of any special requirements, for example; braille or large print by emailing: [email protected]