The other day a patient was in for a routine appointment for cleaning of their hearing aids and ear wax removal when I asked; “How have you been hearing? Do you need any adjustments?” Hmmm...the response was interesting...so I thought I would share!
The answer to my question: “I don’t think I need any adjustments...I hear fine... It’s the people I hang out with that just don’t talk. They mumble!” Now, I know you are thinking...Yeah, right! (probably just bad hearing). But as I was told this; I was hooking up the hearing aids to the computer and reading the datalog to see exactly what was happening in their different listening environments. Everything looked really good. Speech signals were coming in at a good level and noise was being separated into the 7 different processors smoothly and effectively. The directional microphones were kicking in over 53% of the time... I then asked; “Where are you when they are mumbling?’ “Are they loud enough...just not clear?”
The answer was priceless. “REALLY, I hear my wife fine. I understand TV fine. I understand my family fine. When I go out to dinner with some people they speak so softly and hide behind the menu no one can hear them. My wife can’t hear or understand them and she doesn’t have a hearing loss.” After some discussion, we all know people who speak so softly that you can not enjoy a conversation with them. I tweaked the soft speech spectrum in the hearing instruments and we continued to discuss this ever-so-common problem. We discussed my weekly article and perhaps a need to mention this problem. So...Here it goes...
Are you often asked to repeat yourself? When you are out to eat with friends are they leaning forward and staring hard at you? Maybe when you are in the car you are constantly being asked to repeat. You may actually be a “mumbler”. As we get older many things can contribute to mumbling.
- You may have worked for years in an environment that did not cause you to speak up. (For example: most teachers or coaches project very well).
- You live by yourself and do not speak to people for long hours or even days and thus you are naturally softer and may not realize you are not pronouncing all the letters completely.
- You may have a hearing loss. A hearing loss causes you to not hear the consonants with appropriate intensity. After a while, a person will eventually not pronounce all the letters in the word. The brain starts to repeat words just as they hear them. I have many patients and their spouses tell me after they are fit with hearing instruments that they are easier to understand because they have better pronunciation.
So what to do? Maybe you mumble...maybe you don’t think you do. One thing is for certain. If you are constantly being asked to repeat yourself or people just stare at you, or dully nodding as you speak (definitely a sign they didn’t understand you) don’t just assume it is because they have a hearing loss. Try being proactive to make the communication situation better. If it is noisy then it is harder for EVERYONE to understand. Look up and look directly at the people you are speaking to. Put the menu down or look up from it. Don’t look away. Slow down your speech just a little. We all know this... it is hard to understand someone who is talking with food in their mouth. If it is really noisy then SPEAK UP. That is the reason it is noisy. People are speaking up to be heard. You too will need to speak up. Obviously, in our community, there are a lot of people with hearing loss and hearing aids. Hearing aids amplify the speech signal and control and separate the speech from the noise. The person to whom you are speaking, wants to hear you. Be observant. Do what you can to make sure your voice is strong and clear enough to reach their ears. If everyone makes a conscious effort to “hear and to be heard” then a greater time will be had by all. Everyone should have a complete hearing evaluation after the age of 50. To Hear Better Is To Live Better!
By: Roseann B. Kiefer, B.A., BC-HIS