Hi, I’m noticing some people avoid talking to me knowing I may not hear what they say. My friend told me she can’t have a conversation with me. I told her its because we are always in a noisy enviorment.
So, I’m feeling a little inward.
Any suggestons, or should I just be with people who project their voice better and understand?
Thanks, Karen
My thoughts are 1)Try to avoid conversations in noisy environments, especially with soft spoken people.
2) If that’s not possible or too limiting, consider additional tech like a remote microphone.
I’ve found Live Transcribe on my cellphone has helped immensely in situations where I can’t hear my friends/others well. You just have to let them know why you’re looking at your phone. And they seem to accept it well. I have an Android cellphone.
Does the live transcript record others conversation on screen?
It will save for 3 days if you put that setting on.
My husband and I had become friends with another couple we were bowling with. I told them as I do everyone we meet about my hearing loss, and that I have a tendency to talk on the loud side.
We went out to eat a few times, and every time we sat in the restaurant the husband would remark on how loud I talk. After the third time, he remarked "you don’t need to talk that loud, I’m right here. "
I just looked at him, and replied " do you honestly think I do this on purpose ? "
Needless to say we do not socialize with these friends anymore.
We became friends with another couple recently. I could be screaming from the top of my lungs, and they wouldn’t care. We just enjoy each others company.
Pick your friends wisely. There are true friends out there. They are just hard to find sometimes.
Laura
If you have MFI hearing aids you also have Live Listen on your iphone. It streams conversations directly to your ears. I use it a lot in crowded situations.
I read a review here. The book was most helpful
HEAR & BEYOND
Live skillfully with hearing loss
Shari Eberts
Gael Hannan
The writers are amazing. Both are hard of hearing.
In spite of that, I’ve had no luck promoting this book at home.
Deaf-piper I don’t have MFI. Darn. I have an android phone.
DaveL I just ordered the book.
Laura B, I certainly get it. We need understanding friends.
Maybe of help:
Tried it. At the time I was wearing a cross. It just didn’t do anything for me.
I also tried the com pilot.
I guess I’ll just have to learn to read lips.
The Speak See device immediately transcribes speech to text. I’ve used it in business meetings with multiple speakers (which it will color code so you know the speaker). I like the utility of it. Happy to follow up if you want more info. I don’t find encouragement to keep receiving information via my ears always the most helpful approach. There are others. Part of it is meeting others halfway in the best way we can. That may not feel fair, but it works with most folks.
Thank you. This works really well.
Just started using this as well, In certain situations it’s awesome. To the original poster- if its too much work for someone to speak to you…move on. Life is too short to waste it on people not interested in making the effort.
Being a friend doesn’t mean he or she would have the skills to communicate with someone with hearing problems. Guilting or blaming them for the lack of communication is not as effective as teaching them how to do it so you can understand. If your hearing loss is moderate, tell your friends to speak slowly when they talk to you. Comprehension is not just about how loud the words are but how quickly they are spoken. Face your friend and look at her when you converse. Don’t try to multi-task with your hearing. When I was young, I could listen to a song in the background and have a serious discussion conversation. I can’t anymore. I was once on the phone with a friend with moderate to severe hearing loss. She kept saying I should speak louder. I told her she won’t hear a bomb going off if she doesn’t put on her hearing aid and simply rely on turning up the phone volume. Luckily she wasn’t upset because she couldn’t hear my remark.