Christmas is a social time, a family time. It\u2019s nice to sit back, relax\u00a0and<\/span>\u00a0catch up with family\u00a0and<\/span>\u00a0friends who we haven\u2019t seen in a while. Sometimes it\u2019s noisy, sometimes it\u2019s hard to hear over the kids playing, or other conversations.<\/p>\n Often it is helpful to sit with a wall behind you and in the centre of the table. This gives a better chance of hearing more of the conversation and not being distracted by sounds from behind. Try not to be be shy about talking to family and friends about which might be a better seat for you.<\/p>\n Turn the TV off and the music down during dinner. Added noise causes something called the\u00a0Lombard effect \u2013 when it is noisy people talk\u00a0louder. This can significantly increase the overall noise level making it quite difficult to follow conversations. \u00a0Others may not even notice if you turn it down before the meal. \u00a0Hearing in noise is very challenging even for people with minimal hearing losses.<\/p>\n Try and avoid conversations across large distances. If you need to talk, move closer, or ask that you continue later, when you can sit\u00a0closer together.<\/p>\n Wearing your hearing aids keeps your brain and hearing system active. \u00a0People who only wear their\u00a0hearing aids \u201cwhen they need them\u201d tend to be the same people who are unsuccessful with hearing aids. \u00a0This is because their brain never has time to adjust to hearing various sounds. \u00a0If you only wear your hearing aids in noisy group situations your brain will probably\u00a0find the sound\u00a0over whelming \u2013 a bit like running a marathon with out doing any training.<\/p>\n Wearing hearing aids all the time, creates a new normal \u2013 normal to hear sounds (rather than normal to miss sounds). \u00a0Your brain works out which sounds are important and which sounds are not important.<\/p>\n When you first get hearing aids you become very aware of all the sounds around you. \u00a0The more you wear the aids the more your brain adapts, it will decide \u201cthat\u201d sound is not important and it will no longer jump into your attention and you will no longer notice it. \u00a0This process happens very quickly with the current hearing aids as they work so well.<\/p>\n So if your hearing aids are \u201cin the draw\u201d start\u00a0wearing them\u00a0in the few weeks coming up to Christmas. \u00a0If you are not happy with the way your hearing aids are working for you, make an appointment to come in and we will set up correctly for you, so you can wear them all the time.<\/p>\n Remote microphones allows you to hear a person who is further away. The person you are talking to can clip on a microphone or you can placed it at the other end of the table. The microphone picks up the conversation and transmits it directly to your hearing aids. This has the effect of bringing the sound directly into your ears, removing the effect of distance.<\/p>\n Most hearing aids can now connect directly to an iPhone (with connecting to Android phones just around the corner). This connectivity allows your iPhone to be used as a remote microphone. You can put your phone near the person you want to listen too and hear them easily. There are many technologies available now that connect up with your hearing aids. \u00a0They connect to your phone, TV, computer and sound system.<\/p>\n You may not hear everything that everyone says \u2013 and\u00a0that\u2019s okay. Enjoy talking to the people near you and seek out the others and talk to them later. \u00a0Could you suggest you all rotate seats for dessert?<\/p>\n It can be hard to keep it all in perspective during Christmas festivities, especially if you feel like you are missing out on some of the fun. \u00a0Try to laugh a little and be grateful for the wonderful friends and family around you. You may not hear every word they say but you can partake in all of the good feeling around the table. Enjoy the moment.<\/p>\n<\/div>Is hearing loss getting in the way of your relaxing family time?<\/span>\u00a0<\/span> \u00a0<\/strong><\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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7\u00a0tips for managing Christmas Day<\/h2>\n
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1. Sit in a good spot<\/h4>\n
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2. Keep the volume down during Christmas dinner<\/h4>\n
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3. Talk to those sitting next to you<\/h4>\n
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4. Wear your hearing aids \u2013 all day every day<\/h4>\n
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5. Try connectivity to other technologies<\/h4>\n
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6. Have reasonable expectations<\/h4>\n
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7. Bring your sense of humour<\/h4>\n