6 Hearing Loss Tips for Better Communication With Your Family This Holiday Season | Red Door Hearing & Speech
November 19, 2021
The holiday season is here and with it comes more time spent with your family. For many, this can be a great time for catching up and finding out about the new and exciting things going on in each other’s lives.
However, when it comes to communicating with loved ones who use hearing aids, or suffer from hearing loss in general, many of us can get intimidated.
To help ensure you are able to share the latest news and updates with everyone in your family, remember these six communication tips:
- Stay at eye level to help with visual cues.
- Use facial expressions and gestures to accentuate your message.
- Raise your voice slightly.
- Speak slowly and distinctly.
- Use short, simple sentences.
- To avoid distortion, don’t speak directly into a person’s ear.
If you are on the other end of this conversation, and often have a hard time understanding what your family is saying to you, it may be time to consider a professional hearing check.
When it comes to hearing loss, individuals usually lose the ability to hear certain frequencies before others, creating gaps in what they are hearing.
These listening gaps can make speech difficult to understand and conversations hard to follow, diminishing our engagement with the world. This can be especially difficult during this time of the year when we look forward to conversations and time spent with loved ones.
The following signs are symptoms of hearing loss and many of them can become more frequent and apparent during the holiday season:
- Difficulty hearing in restaurants and at family dinners due to background noise.
- Having a hard time understanding children
- Struggling to concentrate during group conversations or missing out on what's being said.
- Asking people to repeat themselves.
- Withdrawing from social gatherings due to irritability and fatigue.
If you find that you are having trouble in some of the areas mentioned above, Contact Red Door Hearing
We would be happy to get together and discuss your symptoms. We will empower you with the knowledge that can support your health and wellness, and an
appointment
will give us an opportunity to discover possible solutions that can help make the holidays fun and relaxing again.
There’s no single solution to hearing challenges — and that’s a good thing. Every person’s hearing loss is unique, shaped by their specific hearing profile, lifestyle, and overall health. That’s why at Red Door Hearing, we take a personalized approach to care. Even for something as common as hearing aids, the path to success varies from person to person. But while individual experiences differ, there are shared milestones and proven factors that contribute to long-term success in hearing health. What Does Success in Hearing Care Look Like? The definition of success in hearing care is different for everyone. For some, it means hearing conversations more clearly in noisy environments. For others, it means reducing the impact of tinnitus or improving their sense of well-being. Still, most journeys follow a similar path, built on three essential milestones: - Booking a hearing test - Committing to a treatment plan - Consistently using hearing aids in daily life The First Step: Booking a Hearing Test Getting your hearing tested is a major success in itself. Many people delay hearing exams — often because of uncertainty, stigma, or simply not realizing how much their hearing has changed. But early action makes a real difference. Key motivators that often lead to scheduling a hearing test include: - Support from family and loved ones - Missing out on favorite activities - Frustration with ongoing hearing issues Short-Term Success: Wearing Your Hearing Aids Short-term success means taking action — and actually wearing your hearing aids regularly. It’s more common than you’d think for people to invest in hearing aids, only to leave them unused. Maybe they’re uncomfortable. Maybe they don’t seem to help. Or maybe the style just doesn’t feel right. That’s why Red Door Hearing takes the time to find the right hearing aid for your needs and preferences. From fit to function to features, our audiologists help you choose devices that work for your life. Long-Term Success: Making Hearing Aids Part of Daily Life Long-term success happens when hearing aids become second nature. You put them in first thing in the morning without hesitation. You don’t feel the need to remove them throughout the day. And you notice the difference — from catching soft sounds to feeling more relaxed in social settings. That’s when you know your hearing care plan is truly working. What Factors Lead to Hearing Success? While the journey is personal, the following factors play a big role in achieving better hearing outcomes — and they don’t require any extra cost, just commitment. Involvement of Family Family support can be a game changer. For adults, bringing a loved one to your appointment can offer emotional support and help reinforce communication goals. For children, family involvement is even more critical in teaching advocacy skills and building confidence. Letting Data Guide Decisions A hearing test isn’t just a pass/fail check — it gives us valuable information about your hearing thresholds, potential causes of hearing loss, and treatment options. Our audiologists use this data to tailor your care, ensuring you get the right device and support. Choosing Technology Based on Your Needs It's easy to get caught up in features like Bluetooth and rechargeable batteries — and while they’re helpful, the most important thing is matching technology to your hearing profile. We focus on what will actually benefit you, not just what’s new. Professional Hearing Aid Fitting Even the best hearing aids need to be programmed correctly. Using real ear measurements, we fine-tune your devices to ensure they’re delivering the right amplification — exactly where you need it — while they’re in your ears.\ Staying Positive Adjusting to hearing aids takes time. Practice, patience, and a positive mindset can make all the difference. Celebrate your wins, stay committed to the process, and remember that better hearing is within reach. Ready to start your hearing journey? Book a hearing test with Red Door Hearing and let us help you take the first step.
A hearing aid fitting is a crucial part of your journey toward better hearing. After your hearing test and hearing aid selection, your audiologist will schedule a fitting — not just to ensure your devices are comfortable, but to fine-tune them so they work perfectly for your unique hearing needs. At Red Door Hearing, we believe professional hearing aid fitting is essential to long-term success with hearing aids. Why Hearing Aid Fitting Matters Many people think a fitting is just about comfort — but it’s so much more. A hearing aid fitting is a diagnostic and adjustment process that ensures your hearing aids match your hearing prescription. With expert fitting, you’ll get the most out of your technology and experience significantly improved results. Steps to Getting Hearing Aids Your journey to better hearing starts with a comprehensive hearing test and consultation. We’ll take the time to understand your lifestyle and listening needs so we can recommend hearing aids that fit both your hearing profile and your daily routine. Once you’ve selected your devices, we’ll book a hearing aid fitting. This isn’t the end of your care — we follow up within the first month to ensure your hearing aids are comfortable and effective, and we continue to offer support and adjustments as needed. What Happens During a Hearing Aid Fitting? The fitting process ensures your devices are properly programmed. Hearing aids arrive with default factory settings, but our audiologists use the results of your hearing test to adjust the volume, output, and features of each device specifically to your hearing needs. We also perform **real-ear measurements**, where a small microphone is placed in your ear canal to measure the actual sound delivered by the hearing aid. This confirms that the devices are meeting your prescription in real-world conditions. Why Real-Ear Measurements Matter Real-ear measurements are one of the most effective ways to ensure hearing aids perform accurately and comfortably. Since every ear is different, testing how sound behaves in your ear canal while the device is in use gives us the clearest picture of how well it’s working. This step isn’t offered at every clinic — but at Red Door Hearing, it’s a standard part of our fitting process because it leads to better outcomes and a more personalized experience. Your Role in a Successful Fit A hearing aid fitting is also a hands-on appointment for you. We’ll show you how to use, clean, and maintain your hearing aids. You’ll leave with confidence in your devices — and support just a call away. Have Your Hearing Aids Been Properly Fitted? Not every hearing clinic provides full professional fittings with real-ear measurements. If your current devices haven’t been properly fitted, we can help. Our team is happy to test and reprogram your existing hearing aids to make sure they’re working for you — not against you. Your hearing aids should feel comfortable, deliver clear sound, and help you stay connected. Book an appointment at Red Door Hearing and let’s make sure they do just that.