Planning holiday dinners involves a lot of moving parts. From putting together the guest list to counting the number of allergies and dietary preferences, there is a lot to juggle. Finding ways to manage your hearing loss during holiday dinners is one way to alleviate a little stress.
How Can Hearing Loss Impact Holiday Dinners?
Planning and executing a holiday dinner may rely more on hearing than initially considered. You depend on your hearing to understand your friends and family, listen for kitchen timers, communicate with the cashier at the Sugaree Baking Company and more. Hearing loss can make it challenging to do all these things and cause you to put out even more energy during your dinner preparation, leaving you tired before the event has begun.
How Can You Manage the Impact of Hearing Loss?
Managing your hearing loss can help lead the way to a more enjoyable and stress-free holiday dinner. A couple of tips for managing your hearing loss this season include:
- Wear hearing aids. Approximately 28.8 million U.S. adults could benefit from the use of hearing aids. The small but beneficial devices collect and amplify speech sounds while suppressing background noise to help improve communication clarity and ease.
- Bring a shopping buddy. The holidays may be the most stressful time of the year to go grocery shopping. Shoppers rushing about the store, calling out to each other and rolling carts through every aisle creates a cacophony of distracting noise. Bringing a shopping buddy to the store with you can make a huge difference in effort and stress levels. Your buddy can help you communicate with the cashier, tackle half your shopping list and provide a comforting presence.
- Go without music. Music is an excellent addition to the holiday dinner atmosphere but may also make communication more difficult. Opting for a music-less dinner will limit distractions and allow your ears to focus more on the people in front of you.
By wearing hearing aids, shopping with a buddy and turning off music, you can manage your hearing loss for a more enjoyable holiday dinner. To learn more about managing your hearing loss, contact Center for Hearing & Speech today to make an appointment with one of our specialists.
