For the last 18 months, face masks are required in public places to help prevent the spread of coronavirus. For people with hearing loss, this may be easier said than done. That’s because face masks add extra challenges for people with hearing impairments:
- It’s harder to understand people when they’re speaking to you with a mask on their face.
- If you wear hearing aids, the ear loops may tug on your hearing aids and cause other problems.
A common complaint from hearing aid wearers usually involve: “I have yet to figure out a way to remove my mask without the hearing aids also coming off”, especially when glasses are also worn. Now most patients have to contend with elastic ear loops on the backs of their ears, in addition to their glasses and hearing aids. “It’s a challenge.”
Wearing A Mask With Hearing Aids
If you wear behind-the-ear hearing aids, you will likely encounter some problems trying to wear a standard face mask with elastic ear loops. The ear loops may tug at the tubing that connects the hearing aid to the speaker that sits in your ear. You also may inadvertently pull your hearing aids out, fling them across the room, or drop them when removing your mask. What’s a hearing aid wearer to do? Because there are so many types of hearing aids, it’s recommended you reach out to your Audiologist who may have solutions they’ve come up with when talking to other patients. Also, there are other creative ideas floating around out there, including:
- Wearing a mask with soft fabric ties to relieve the pressure on the ears, instead of elastic
- Using a special mask extender with buttons or other plastic extenders to attach the mask loops onto, on the back of the head, instead of the ears
- Using simple tools like plastic s-hooks to loop the mask onto, instead of your ears
Speaking To People With Hearing Loss When Wearing A Mask:
In Medical Settings:
People with hearing loss also face challenges when trying to listen to someone who is wearing a mask, which can lead to very frustrating scenarios on both sides. “Masks pose two obvious problems for people with hearing loss: they cannot gain any cues from lip-reading, and the voice of the speaker is often reduced, muffled and distorted.
When combined with the usual background noise—and the lack of visual cues because the wearer’s mask is blocked,—speech could be “close to unintelligible” for many people with hearing loss.
To help, here is a checklist for talking to people with hearing loss:
- Reduce the room’s noise and get the person’s attention
- Speak slowly and clearly
- Do not shout (this can be painful to a person with hearing loss)
- Make sure hearing aid wearers are using them
- Rephrase remarks if not understood
- Take turns while speaking
- Do not talk while walking
“Speakers often naturally try to compensate by projecting, but a more effective approach is to speak more clearly, with greater enunciation,” explains Nicole Marrone, PhD, associate professor in Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences at the University of Arizona.
In Public Settings:
When out in public, such as at a shop, these tips can’t always be followed. But, for example, if you and your spouse are both wearing masks, make sure your spouse is aware they must speak more slowly and clearly to you. And speak up for yourself when talking to strangers, letting them know you can’t hear well and need them to speak more clearly.
If you’re the one trying to speak to someone with hearing loss, “use some creativity to get your meaning conveyed, instead of repeating the same misunderstood phrases over and over again,” recommends Dr. Mandy Mroz, AuD, president of Healthy Hearing. “Don’t underestimate the power of body language, eye contact and slowing down speech to be more clear.”