Hearing over Christmas

Christmas is such a happy time! A time for friends and family, good food laughter and love. An occasion that brings lots of happy sounds and noises of music, laughter and chatting. This wonderful time of the year can present some challenges for people who suffer from hearing difficulties. We don’t want anyone to miss out on enjoying the festive season so here are some tips for hearing over Christmas.

Pick a good position

Pick a good seat in the middle of the dinner table so you can hear people on either side of you. If you are celebrating Christmas at home, then try be in the centre so you can see and hear everything. If you are out, for example at a restaurant, be sure to call ahead and book a table near the sides of the room, as tables in the middle of the room are usually much louder as the noise reverberates off the walls and into the middle of the room. Then make sure you choose the seat where you are FACING the wall so all the noise is behind you.

Buddy up

Find a friend or relative who can repeat things you may not have understood, so you can feel more confident and included in the conversation.

Turn down the volume

Christmas wouldn’t be Christmas without music and carols, but it’s a good idea to ask your friends and family to keep the carols on a lower volume so you can hear conversation around you clearer. Alternatively, why not opt for a singalong together instead!

See as many faces as possible

Seeing the gestures and faces of the people speaking will help you lipread and understand what they are saying. Ensure good lighting, and remove decorations that prevent you from seeing the people around the table at dinner time.

Be prepared

Make sure your hearing aid is in good working order. Make sure you do this in advance though as we will be shut for Christmas. We will be open the week after Christmas in case you experience any problems, don’t hesitate to contact us.

Wear in your new hearing aid

If you’ve got a hearing aid, we recommend wearing it in. This will help you get used to it and also train your brain. Believe it or not, we actually hear with our brain, not our ears.

Consider a new hearing aid

It is Christmas after all! Why not spoil yourself with a new hearing aid. There are some incredible devices in the market that do more than just help you hear. From rechargeable hearing aids to aids that can stream music from your phone, it might be time for an upgrade. You can even try the new hearing aids for free over the Festive Season with a free trial and see the difference latest technology can make, especially for hearing clearer in background noise.

When you have a hearing loss, social gatherings at Christmas can lead to challenging listening situations.

Stay positive and enjoy yourself!

Give us a call if you would like to trial hearing aids for the new year.