Caring for a Senior with Hearing Loss
Caring for an elderly loved one is always a challenging situation, but hearing loss can make communication and other tasks far harder than you might realize. Depending on other ailments and conditions, this can lead to awkward, embarrassing and even dangerous miscommunication as once simple functions like cooking, grooming and using the bathroom become major ordeals.
If your patient or loved one has recently started losing their hearing this is often far worse than for someone who has always been deaf since they likely do not know sign language or a basic way to communicate without the use of their voice. Full sign language may be too difficult and time consuming to learn for both the caregiver and the patient so other ways must be employed.
In order to increase your ability to understand your loved one with hearing loss and make sure they get proper care there are some things you can keep in mind that will make things easier on both of you, including:
Keep eye-contact throughout a conversation to better gauge facial expressions and gestures.
Don’t cover your mouth while speaking. Being able to see the way your lips move can help with some sound recognition so leaving your face unobstructed can improve communication.
Communicate in a well-lit and quiet area as much as possible. Background noise is distracting and being able to see your face and lip movements will help. Also, avoid light coming from behind you, this will make your face appear dark and unreadable.
Employ pen and paper or whiteboard communication.
Learn basic sign language gestures for common needs like hunger, thirst, etc.
If you are caring for an elderly loved one with hearing loss in the Santa Clarita, California area contact Comfort Keepers for information on the services that can help patients communicate more effectively. Comfort Keepers are specially trained, non-medical professionals who focus on proper and compassionate in-home care.
Santa Clarita Comfort Keepers
23900 Lyons Avenue
Santa Clarita, CA 91321
661-287-4200
