Thursday, March 18, 2010

Problem communication situations for the family members of HoH


  • I forget to speak up
  • I forget to face the hoh person
  • The tv/radio is too loud and disturbs the rest of the household
  • I have to repeat a lot
  • We sometimes become frustrated or bothered because of the hearing issues
  • Not sure what to do when I know that he/she is not understanding someone else who is talking to them
  • Dependency - having to interpret in social situations
  • He/she doesn't pay attention to what I'm saying 
  • Ability to understand what I'm saying is not consistent, it's varies
  • Conversation length has decreased and we talk less
  • Not doing things we used to enjoy - movies, plays
  • Not getting any feedback as to whether he/she understands or doesn't understand what I'm saying
  • Having to repeat when under stress e.g. emergency situation
  • Doing things for her/him that she/he could do if she/he tried
  • Isolation - not seeing family and friends as often, not traveling or going to new places as often
*paraphrased from "Staying in Touch" by S. Trychin

2 comments:

SpeakUp Librarian said...

So true, communication problems affect more than the person with the hearing loss. Thanks for posting the other perspective on this.

Frostbite and Sunburn said...

Having grown up with a brother who was very hard of hearing, I am familiar with some of your list. But much of the nuances of communication comes second nature to me now, and we communicate well.

So much so in fact, that I am surprised other (hearing) people are not as in tune with a HOH person's needs!

Glad to have found your blog - another interesting perspective - thanks ...