Today is World Hearing Day. Each year on this day, the World Health Organisation (WHO) focuses on a different aspect of hearing loss, and this year, the theme is \u2018Hearing for life: don\u2019t let hearing loss limit you\u2019. UK blogger, Angie Aspinall explores how we can all benefit from being more open about our hearing loss.<\/p>\n
According to WHO, \u201cOver 5% of the world\u2019s population \u2013 or 466 million people \u2013 has disabling hearing loss (432 million adults and 34 million children). It is estimated that by 2050 over 900 million people \u2013 or one in every ten people \u2013 will have disabling hearing loss.\u201d<\/p>\n
One of the main impacts of hearing loss is on our ability to communicate. When we have difficulty communicating with others, it can cause feelings of loneliness, isolation, and frustration.<\/p>\n
At times, we might feel stupid because we\u2019ve said the wrong thing in response to a question that we misheard. We might be considered insensitive because we\u2019ve commented inappropriately when someone has told us something sad, and we misread their body language and tone of voice, and rather than admit we didn\u2019t catch what they said, we\u2019ve nodded and smiled. And people might stop trying to talk to us because we\u2019ve \u2018ignored them\u2019 too many times.<\/p>\n
Besides seeking assistance from hearcare professionals, there\u2019s a lot we can do to improve our communication with others – and one is to be more open about our hearing loss and let others know how best to communicate with us.<\/p>\n
1. Improving and maintaining relationships<\/strong><\/p>\n Hearing loss undoubtedly affects our relationships. From superficial conversations with strangers to meaningful heart-to-hearts with loved ones, our communications are fraught with the possibility of mishearing and misunderstanding. This can leave us feeling embarrassed and others feeling frustrated or confused.<\/p>\n We don\u2019t want people to think we\u2019re rude, stupid, insensitive, or lacking a sense of humour, so the best course of action to avoid being labelled as such is to be open about our hearing loss so that others know that miscommunication is a possibility.<\/p>\n More importantly, we need to be clear in telling others what would help us to better understand what they\u2019re saying to us.<\/p>\n For example, it\u2019s more helpful to say, \u201cPlease could you walk on my right side, as I have no hearing in my left ear?\u201d or, \u201cPlease can you face me when you speak to me so I can read your lips?\u201d than it is to simply say, \u201cI have hearing loss.\u201d The latter leaves them to work it out a strategy for themselves, but the former educates the other party how best to communicate with you \u2013 and that in turn should improve the communication between you.<\/p>\n \u00ab\u00a0For many years, I was never open about my deafness. My confidence was low, I felt slightly embarrassed about it, and I wanted to fit in amongst the predominantly hearing people around me. But that was challenging.<\/p>\n \u201cAs I got older (and wiser), I got more comfortable with myself and slowly but surely, I opened myself up little by little until I felt comfortable enough to talk about it frequently on the internet and to my close friends and families. One of the biggest benefit for me in doing this is that it has \u2018set me free\u2019; there isn’t a weight on my shoulder anymore and I felt like I could be myself and not pretend to be someone who I’m not just because everyone else is hearing. 2. Understanding medical advice<\/strong><\/p>\n We all need to be able to understand information given to us by doctors, nurses and other healthcare professionals. No one should ever leave their appointment unclear about a diagnosis, treatment, or referral.<\/p>\n Worryingly, Access All Areas<\/em><\/a>,<\/em> a report by Action on Hearing Loss<\/a> highlighted that:<\/p>\n By being open about your communication needs when you make and arrive at your appointment, you enable healthcare professionals to ensure that they can communicate with you effectively.<\/p>\n Action on Hearing Loss<\/a> says:<\/p>\n \u201c[In the UK], there’s a clear legal foundation for providing access to health services for people with hearing loss. The Equality Act 2010 (the Disability Discrimination Act in Northern Ireland<\/a>) requires service providers to make reasonable adjustments to make their service accessible for disabled people.\u201d<\/p>\n 3. Getting support at work<\/strong><\/p>\n If your employer isn\u2019t aware that you have hearing loss, they won\u2019t know that they need to do anything to meet your access needs. If you need reasonable adjustments making at work, you need to let your employer know.<\/p>\n If you’re profoundly deaf and use British Sign Language you’re likely to fit the definition of having a disability as recognised in The Equality Act 2010<\/a>. Similarly, if your hearing loss substantially affects your ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities, for example, hearing and understanding another person speaking clearly over the telephone or understanding verbal instructions.<\/p>\n By getting the support and reasonable adjustments we need, we are all likely to feel less stressed and tired carrying out our jobs.<\/p>\n When we explain our hearing loss and how to meet our communication needs to colleagues, it means they are able to make communication more effective. As world-famous percussionist, Dame Evelyn Glennie told us:<\/p>\n \u201cI have to address my hearing loss almost each time I work with a conductor, orchestra, collaborator or stage crew whom I have not worked with before. This is important for many reasons because my performances and engagements are based on teamwork. It can be something as basic as the position of a conductor\u2019s podium so that I can see him\/her at all times or knowing when the lighting technician will switch off the stage lights in a rehearsal. Being open is essential because it brings better awareness and understanding and thus better action and harmony.\u201d<\/em> Dame Evelyn Glennie CH, DBE<\/a><\/p>\n For more information on the benefits of being open about hearing loss, join us today at 1pm (GMT) on Twitter for #HearingLossHour<\/a> or visit www.rayovac.eu\/WorldHearingDay<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Today is World Hearing Day. Each year on this day, the World Health Organisation (WHO) focuses on a different aspect of hearing loss, and this year, the theme is \u2018Hearing for life: don\u2019t let hearing loss limit you\u2019. UK blogger, Angie Aspinall explores how we can all benefit from being more open about our hearing […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":6446,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[41],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6445","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-non-classifiee"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n
\n\u201cI wish I had done that earlier in my life. But I’ve learned it’s never too late for anyone to be more open about their deafness.\u00a0\u00bb<\/em> Ahmed Khalifa, Founder, Hear Me Out! [CC]<\/a><\/p>\n\n
Further information<\/h2>\n