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I live in an independent living facility, and have difficulty communicating with some of the hearing impaired disabled residents who are accepted here. I know I'm supposed to face them when talking, and speak loudly and clearly, but that doesn't seem to be enough. This morning I tried asking a severely hearing impaired man whether he would like help with his laundry because he left the top of the top loading washer open, and kept staring into it. He didn't respond, so I called a staff member. Any advice?

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Hi, what a good topic and a kind one, as well. You may do this already, but be sure to use the most simple words possible. It may help to engage them first with hello's and niceties to get them 'going'... and to measure their ability or willingness to communicate. When the fellow was stuck staring at the machine, I think you were right to call a staff member. Did you stay to see what they did with him? Maybe you could ask to help or accompany the staff members in some of the more social tasks they have.
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My mom is hearing impaired and she says if you address her by name first it helps as she knows you are talking to her!
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Thank you for trying. Some of us were required to learn to speak loudly because of our work. (Now my 44-year-old son keeps saying, "Don't talk so loud Mom.") Now let me say something from the "other side." As a moderately hearing impaired elder, I find most people cannot change their way of speaking in spite of their good intentions. I am accustomed to that. I have been accused since young adulthood of "snubbing" people who addressed me from a distance. (I didn't hear them.) I tell people on the other side of the table once or twice that I can't hear them, but then I let it go. Occasionally I'll give a gentle reminder, but I don't let it irritate me. "Just reminding you that I can't hear." [smile] NOW add on a number of years and a little more mental confusion... well, you get the idea. It's a bit of a lost cause. Congratulations to you for making the effort. Just keep it gentle. And it's not always the ear that's the culprit... sounds can get mixed up in the mind. I agree... watch how the staff handle it (when they're successful.) Get the person's attention first. If possible, don't approach from behind. Use a light touch if appropriate. Be face-to-face... articulate... we automatically use your mouth movements to help understand. Smile.)
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My mom is totally deaf and does not sign. I would keep a pad with you and write the important words down with a Sharpie. Also, don't make your sentences too long or complicated. As you know, it's not the intelligence of the people that's at issue. They are having trouble hearing you. Also, don't forget to point, if it will help you get across the subject of your conversation. Pointing stops being rude when you are dealing with the hearing impaired or the deaf. Finally, if you are saying yes or no, make sure your head gestures accompany your words. I admire you for working to communicate better with the hearing impaired, and hope this helps.
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I've used a spiral bound notebook, in part b/c it will contain "conversations" with different people and sometimes could be used as a reference if the same issue arises again. I used to carry it with me whenever I visited my father when he was on a ventilator and couldn't speak unless the respiratory therapist made some adjustments to his tube.

I also had a word/picture sheet I created so he could just point. Items were basic ones such as "water", "cold", "bathroom", etc. Words were in large print, in a grid, so pointing to one would be easy and mistaking his intentions would be minimized.

I also used a clipboard, as generally there's not much support for writing in a hospital bed. Wobbling notebooks are certainly not encouraging.

If you interact with several hearing impaired people on a regular basis, bring a number of different colored pens, the fat ones with a little rubber grip so they're easier to hold, or as TMH suggests, a Sharpie; they're generally fat and easier for an older person to hold onto. You might wrap some white medical tape around the portion of the pen that would be held to add some additional traction for holding.

If you buy them in a set (and they're on sale now b/c of seasonal school sales), you can let the different people choose their own color, add their name with medical tape, and just keep that pen especially for them. That gives them a sense of personalization, and sometimes of feeling special.

There are also the colored pens that are thinner, but in a wider array of colors, sometimes a few dozen in a set. This allows more people to communicate with you, and each can feel as if he/she has a personal color of his/her own. Just a little personalization for people who could use a bit of the "reach out and touch someone" approach.

This is an interesting question, one I don't recall seeing here before, and a very appropriate one. In fact, reading the other posts has given me some ideas for my own use, so thanks, everyone!
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My father was nearly deaf. We bought a small whiteboard that was easy to handle. His eyes were not so good, so we wrote large so he could see it. The message could be erased, so there wasn't any paper to throw away. The only inconvenience to you would be to have a way to carry it and a writing pen with you when you work. You can get the small white boards at any Wal-Mart-like store in the office/school supply section.
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I use hand movements like the ones used for training dogs. For Hubby's hearing aids and dentures, I point. I try to keep the hand signals to a minimum so it's not too much information.
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My Mom lives in A.L. and is quite hard of hearing, even with her hearing aids in. Her big complaint is about being in bigger places, like the dining room or an activity with a lot of people there. She says she hears better when visiting with only 1 or 2 people at a time, in a smaller, quieter space. I find that one thing I do, is say her name...(or another residents, if talking to them...) and then say, " Can you hear me?"....along with the other techniques you already use... looking directly at them etc. Then, I talk. Also, talk SLOWER. I am 72 now and have slight hearing loss in only one ear, and I can tell you, that many people these days, in public situations seem to talk so fast....I have to ask them to repeat or slow down! Also, be aware that many in a facility already have some dementia or Alzheimer's just because of their advanced age....and when the brain doesn't send signals around right, that also makes it harder to communicate....and even if a person appears to be social 'with it' just fine, they could still be having this brain 'slow down' happening. Another suggestion, if you are friends with people that you are regularly going to want to communicate with, you can find out which is their 'best' ear or 'worst' ear. For ex. my Mom has only 10% hearing in her right ear, and 45% in her left ear, before the hearing age corrections, so even with the best aids and correction in her right ear, she can only get to 40% correction. So I sit and talk to her on her left side, where she has much better hearing. And with some hearing aids, sometimes, it better NOT to talk so much louder, but to lean in towards the ear and then speak just a little bit harder. You deserve much blessings for being willing to work so hard to keep communications going!!
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The problem with elderly and hearing is they don't like their hearing aides. They also lost their hearing later in life and don't read lips, unlike my husband who has been hearing impaired as a young child. Another thing is Dementia. As they decline it takes them longer and longer to process what is being said.
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My husband is deaf due to a hearing disease and it's always iffy what and if hears he what I or anyone else says. And it's not just speaking loudly as some say to do, he does not hear the higher pitch tones in women & children's voices. He has two hearing aids which only modestly help, eventually all of his hearing will be gone. I have tried with limited success to teach him hand gestures to enhance what I am saying. He is not very good and at first was unwilling to learn "Charades" as he called the gestures. I am having some success with a product that was referred to me, it's called a Boogie Board. It is much like the Magic Slate pads that were around as a child. It's a digital device where you may write or draw your message using a stylus and then another can read it, with a press of a button the message is deleted. The company makes a variety of models with varying sizes and functions. I have a pocket size one for my husband when we are out shopping, it has a limited lifetime. And then for larger writing/drawing I have a tablet size one that is rechargeable. The company makes large ones that could be mounted on the wall. And that model comes with additional display and memory features. It would be good as message board. The biggest drawback that I would think this product may have is that if one had a strong vision impairment it may not work well for them. I did not know previously about the product and was very happy to finally have something that was quick and easy to use in my conversations with my husband. I don't know if this product would work for you. It's worth considering. And a lot shorter than explaining again my question to my husband .... and less arguments and frustration for both of us. I still worry about his hearing problems if he ever had to go into any kind of care, even temporary .... as I said ... speaking louder is not so effective. And even with health care people knowing he is deaf they won't take the time to write something down so he knows what is going on. He is often very frustrated and his interaction is "fogged" because he simply did not hear enough to be able to give a apt response to something. He answers to what he thought he heard and not what was really said. Mentally he is there it's only his hearing disease that makes problems. I don't know what I would do if he had a stroke or dementia to also deal with. I hope my reply may help in some way.
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Anny, my mom was deaf all my life, but was a champion lip reader. Since 2008, she has lost her vision and is now legally blind. She had a major stroke in 2013. Since you are still able to communicate with your husband, I really advise teaching him basic signs. Specifically, I wish I could say to my mom: Where does it hurt? How much does it hurt? What is making you uncomfortable? What do you want? We are home/at the hospital/at the store/etc. Also, Anny, make sure you have signs for the name of every family member. I hope this is helpful. I wish someone had suggested I do this with my mom...
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I wish we had learned some simple signing when he was younger, yet the hearing disease happened later and quite honestly both of us have issues with our memories. Also he was not told that it would be as damaging as it became. I looked into college classes yet they are a more complex learning of the signing - not just the basics. My husband wants understanding of his loss of hearing yet does not want to learn new skills. I agree that basic phrases like, "where does it hurt" are critical. I wish there was a course offered somewhere that would help people understand better the impairments that come with age or illness, between the visual/hearing/memory/mobility issues we are not well prepared either as the patient or the care taker. As young parents we can take classes for childbirth & parenting yet nothing prepares us for what aging and illness does. I think there should be something to aide us into the adaptation of these things. I wish when my husband was first diagnosed with the disease that he was counseled to start learning signing "NOW". Maybe he would be less resistant. I will have to check and see if there is a "Dummies" for signing book ... that series of books covers so many areas of interest so perhaps they have one. If so I'll encourage him to read it and try to learn some of the phrases. Thanks for the input. I appreciate it.
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My dad ( with whom I live) is very hard of hearing and uses a hearing aid. He should be using 2! What I have noticed is that he doesn't hear well and often (ok...mostly) assumes the worst of what ever you are saying. I've written down things for him and even though he doesn't have any dementia, he doesn't always understand the point you are trying to make. If a person is hard of hearing, and often resistant to wearing their hearing aid, their brain slowly forgets HOW to process the information they are getting in. So if you can get them wearing 'good' hearing aids it can take up to 3 months before their brain starts to process the information properly. Of course, if they're like my dad (who often goes without his aid) it will take much longer. Blessings to all of you! Lindaz
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All great posts. I was also going to add a dry erase board and to always make sure you have their full attention and they know you are speaking to them. My dad is very hard of hearing even with his top of the line hearing aids. IF he looks at me and I speak slowly he understands me. I always speak slowly with all elderly. I find myself doing that even when I go out with my friends and they probably think I have a problem but I'm with my dad 4 times a week and it's just a habit. :) Anyway, that's so sweet of you trying to help and I hope you continue. Hearing impaired already feel like they are missing out on a lot and I always try to remember that when dealing with them. I will be there someday and hope someone tries that hard with me. Good Luck and God Bless
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arianne777: I think you should have reworded your question.
Your question focused on hearing loss for the general population. By asking "how do I communicate with a hearing impaired individual?"-your questions are going to be #1 make sure their aide (s) are worn/batteries functional, #2 is the person facing you and #3 does the person know ASL?
The elderly person is an entirely different story when it comes to hearing loss.
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Thanks, all of you for your input on helping to communicate with a hearing impaired person. I will start following your suggestions within the scope of my relationship with these people. I live in an independent living facility where I interact with several hearing impaired people on a casual basis, like being in a situation where I can be heard when I ask, "may I help you?"
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arianne777: Let me give my take on dealing with an elder with hearing loss---
#1 Some have aides that they can't adapt to because of their ages
#2 Most (but some do) will not know ASL (American Sign Language)
#3 Boost up the volume when speaking to these people
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I would add that some people have the wrong hearing aids - either because their needs changed or because an audiologist would not listen and missed some specific need or problem they had and selected the wrong thing.

And also - if the hearing impaired person repeats back what they think you said, it can be helpful, but USUALLY you should repeat the words they did NOT get, not start over louder from the beginning repeating the whole sentence and maybe not saying the words in question any differently at all, or maybe write down just those words. Plus never ever try to tell them it does not matter and refuse to repeat or clarify. They know darn well that it mattered enough for you to try to say it and do not want to be isolated, discounted, or devalued. When I fail to get what someone is trying to say, I always indicate that I will have to get someone to interpret and apologetically frame it as my problem. My hearing aids are not very conspicuous, so I sometimes pull one out and SHOW them as well as tell them my hearing is an actual problem. People still blame and judge sometimes on both sides of the fence, I wish everyone understood!

L, you and I need some buttons that say "I'm not ignoring you, I'm just deaf!"
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vstefans - I like the button idea! My husband has two hearing aids from the VA, they are good quality yet he has lost the hearing in one ear completely and the hearing aid is suppose to help give a the dual hearing sound. They really don't do that well and he has little hearing in the other ear left, it has continue to get less each as time passes. He uses the hearing aid as without it he hears nothing - can't hear the phone or smoke alarm, etc. We checked into security systems for the deaf and they don't really make them. I know that if we can go out to a restaurant or other activity it has to be during an odd time as all of the accumulative noises make it so even a simple conversation is impossible. I am still trying to get him to repeat he hears so that I know what he is missing. He does not like doing this and in public it isn't always convenient or possible. I have seen they now have pocket size translators and I wish they would create that for the deaf public. Recently we have had to do some remodeling of our home due to some storm damage and I have had to take over what would have been his role with the contractors because his hearing is not fluid enough to catch all the details. I relay to my husband what is going on so I can get his input yet I think he is frustrated he can't step forward as he once did. Maybe some day the docs will figure out what causes his hearing disease and have a better fix or cure for it. Here's hoping things get better for those dealing with deafness later in life.
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There are also smoke detectors with lights instead / in addition to sounds. And special headphones for the TV so everyone else can be at regular volume. Helps to not have to yell over the TV
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I did not read all the answers but if my dad doesn't have hearing aids in and he can't guess what I am saying, i take my phone out, open a blank text and type what I want to tell him. Then I had him my phone. I have found this lowers my level of frustration.
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I don't agree with writing it down
What if the elder has macular degeneration?
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What if they don't have macular degeneration?

Writing something down seems a logical first step to communicating with someone who is hard of hearing. If they then can't read what is written due to poor eyesight then move on to other types of communication, but why not try it first?

The consensus among my grandmother's and father's docs - both who were hard of hearing but my father isn't any longer - is that earwax build up is responsible for a large percentage of elderly who have hearing problems.

Both of them had improved hearing after I did a home regimen to remove the earwax. With my dad, an ENT nurse did the removal and sent him home with some drops.

This may not be possible to do to the residents in the facility. Maybe you can suggest this to a family member of those residents who are most affected. All it takes is ear drops or irrigation over a few weeks to see if it helps.
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AliBoBali: You could attempt to write it down. Here's the thing-
Most elders have hearing loss, vision loss and olfactory loss. And hearing deficits are not just about wax.
Ask me about a cholesteatoma and a tympanomastoidectomy.
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My only point was why not try writing things as a first step. Seems logical enough.

I understand there are countless ways that elderly experience impairments as their senses wane.

I'm not sure why I would want to know about a cholesteatoma or a tympanomastoidectomy.

I was relating how removing earwax buildup in my 103 yr old grandmother's and 78 yr old father's ears led to significant hearing improvement for both of them. It was their doctors/nurses who told me that my experience wasn't unusual, that the removal of wax drastically improves the majority of hearing-loss cases they see.

Have a good night. :-)
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We have tried the headset for the television - it did not work out so well. The thing with the smoke detectors is that he has to be awake and looking at it. Our floor plan is as with many older homes and it's not an open floor, lots of walls. I have been looking at the catalogs and what options are available. I also checked with a school for the deaf to see what security systems they used and I was told they used no alarm as it was not heard by the students. My husband is using the close caption for the television which does help as he ran it excessively loud. I am still thinking over making some flash cards so at least he could use them with others if he had to go into any temporary care. At least he would have a way to better communicate with others. Talking louder is often of no help and often he takes it as yelling - which in a way it is - it is very hard to talk loudly with a friendly-sweet tone of voice .... yelling by it's nature is just more aggressive sounding. Thanks for the reply!
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All very helpful answers in helping to communicate with a hearing impaired person but I'll take a different spin on answering this question. Communicating verbally can be difficult but it seems like you're trying to not only communicate with these other residents but also connect with them. If that's the case, there are many other ways that you can look to achieve this. Below is an article that is very helpful, with a list of different activities you can do with hearing impaired people.
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ale423.....please attach article. I would love to read it.
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Anywho, they also make vibrating pads that will shake them awake in bed. And I may have posted before - but instead of yelling do the cheerleader voice thing - big deep breaths, loud, low pitched with a smile.
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BIG letters if you write it down.
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