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Original poster

how do you cope with hard of hearing family?

82 replies

ElasticAnimal · 02/03/2026 17:18

DH is hard of hearing, tends to interrupt conversations, since he doesnt know people are talking
its exasperating

how can we overcome this?

OP posts:
purpleme12 · 04/03/2026 17:24

iPlayer definitely has subtitles. I mean all the channels do now

Coffeeandbooks88 · 04/03/2026 17:29

He should wear the hearing aids but people do underestimate how difficult it is to be hard of hearing/deaf. Sometimes even with my hearing aids in I interrupt. I would be very annoyed if my husband gets impatient.

repeatpleaseagain · 04/03/2026 17:35

For Those of us who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing Part 2 has lots of information on hearing aids and being deaf. Alas aids do NOT work like spectacles - they cannot replace areas that no longer hear only increase sound for working hearing. Badly put but hope it helps

damelza · 04/03/2026 17:43

As a severely deaf person from meningitis when younger, I can tell you that the day I got my digital bluetooth all tweaked for variation in each ear hearing aids, I thought I had won the lottery. OMG, it was absolutely amazing. I get them checked every so often with a hearing test in case further adjustments are needed and so on.

My life has been transformed by them, and I have to say the lives of everyone around me too! I wear them all day from the time I get dressed after my shower to when I lie down in bed, then I switch to other earphones that while not as clear as the hearing aids, will do the job.

Not being smart or anything, but deaf people, if they can and where hearing aids help them, owe it to themselves and others to be proactive about improving their lives and the lives of those around them by using the aids as much as they can.

Thedaysaregettinglongeryay · 04/03/2026 17:44

Automagical · 04/03/2026 08:30

My mother is now very deaf and the most frustrating thing is that she nods along, pretending she’s heard.

Yes, my MIL is like this, she has some age related deafness and it's really frustrating.

My mum is partially deaf (no hearing at all in one ear and slightly reduced in the other) and has been since childhood. No mumbling or hands in front of mouths allowed, always walk the same side of her so I'm on her 'good' side. But she's not shy about saying when she hasn't heard or asking people to speak louder and it makes it so much easier. She has no working auditory nerve on one side so hearing aids are not an option for her.

Show quote history

She might find a CROS aid useful. It’s just a mic on the side that has no useful hearing /no hearing. It looks like a hearing aid but isn’t, it just beams the sounds from that side to her better ear where a hearing aid picks them up and plays them into the better ear. Some people find it really helpful.

Thedaysaregettinglongeryay · 04/03/2026 17:57

Pistachiocake · 02/03/2026 23:40

There are Lyrics which are a game changer apparently ( I am not deaf but know children and adults who are, and they and their families have helped me understand how to be supportive) but the NHS won't fund them usually, even though they are the only thing which the people say help with tinnitus.
Hearing people can sometimes be very nasty and not understanding about how tiring it can be. I have been told how important it is to look at the deaf person and speak clearly but normally (not too fast, not too slow). There's videos on the Deaf Children's society page (I know this is an adult, but the principle is the same)

Lyrics are one type of hearing aid but, im not sure that they are different enough to have a different effect on tinnitus from other hearing aids.
This review of research studies found that in 68% of studies tinnitus was alleviated by hearing aids. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34865589/

Hearing more to hear less: a scoping review of hearing aids for tinnitus relief - PubMed

Scientific support for hearing aids and combination devices for tinnitus relief was found. The standalone effect of sound amplification and the added value of sound generators and adjustment of sound processing strategies needs further investigation. S...

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34865589/

brightnails · 04/03/2026 18:04

Hhhwgroadk · 02/03/2026 17:56

My DH has noise induced deafness. Hearing aids have only been effective for the last 20 or so years. When he got them he found everything was very loud, even birdsong which he hadn't heard for years. He missed so much before, childrens' voices, sounds in nature, alarms, car engines etc, but it wasn't his fault at that time.

To get the best out of the aids you must wear them all the time, just like false teeth and contact lenses. You don't get used to them unless you do that. It is very rude for everyone else to have to shout because you are too lazy (yes that is what it is) to wear them. I would/do refuse to engage with the person refusing to wear hearing aids. Would you feel safe if someone drove a car without them wearing glasses if needed?

no you need to remove full or partial dentures at night and clean them then soak them just in water, unless you’re in the post- immediate denture period when your dentist may ask you to wear them day and night for a few days. ask your dentist for advice

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