Several months ago I was diagnosed with a hearing loss in both ears. Now I wear two hearing aids and they have improved my life. I can hear whole conversations, not just snatches, and pick up on subtleties. Most of the time my hearing aids work well, but they don't work as well if there's lots of background noise.

Even with hearing aids I can misunderstand conversation. One snowy morning my husband looked out the window and called, "Deer have been on our front steps." I heard the sentence as "Beer is on our front steps." "Why would anyone put beer on our front steps?" I asked. Though the conversation didn't make any sense, it did make us laugh.

You may have a relative or friend who has a hearing loss. Communicating with this person can be difficult, but you can do things to foster communication. Before you say anything move closer to this person, within two or three feet. To get the person's attention you may have to say their name.

SPEAK IN A NORMAL VOICE. Shouting at a person who wears a hearing aid may cause the aid to turn off automatically. Besides, nobody likes to be yelled at. Of course, there are times when talking loudly is the only thing that works.

LOOK AT ME WHEN YOU ARE SPEAKING. A person who wears a hearing aid may still rely on lip reading. Seeing your lips form words, phrases, and sentences helps me to understand what you are saying. I can see the difference between the letter d and the letter b and won't mistake beer for deer.

PLEASE SPEAK SLOWLY. Several of my friends are so smart they speak at double speed. I can hardly keep up with what they are saying. If you speak normally, or even a bit slower, I can understand you better. I also feel like you really care about me.

SPEAK CLEARLY AND PRONOUNCE ALL OF THE SYLLABLES. People who speak fast often slur their words. It can be hard for those of us who have a hearing loss to understand these people. On the other hand, if you speak clearly and pronounce all of the syllables you will be understood.

EXPERIMENT WITH PITCH. Some people have a high frequency loss, others have a low frequency loss, or something in between. I have high frequency loss, so a low pitch works best for me. Ask the person you are speaking with which pitch works best for her or him.

USE SHORT SENTENCES. It's easier for a hearing impaired person to track short sentences. You can still have long conversations and tell long, involved stories, but please use short sentences when you speak.

REPHRASE IF NECESSARY. My father-in-law is profoundly hard of hearing. He has a hearing aid and a cochlear implant. Still, he is unable to hear many of the words I say. I've tried many things, such as moving closer to him and speaking loudly, but rephrasing works best. Believe me, I've learned lots of synonyms.

SIGNAL A TOPIC CHANGE. Telling me when the topic has changed helps me to track conversation. My husband also uses a hearing aid so I come right out and say, "I'm changing the topic from ________ to ________."

DON'T TALK WHEN YOU ARE LEAVING THE ROOM. People who have a hearing loss miss miss key words if you speak to him or her when you are turned away or moving away. Though it has taken us months, my husband I have learned to speak face-to-face.

ASK "DID YOU HEAR WHAT I SAID?" This question is a question of caring. Don't be afraid to ask it if you think the person you're speaking to has missed a key point. From experience, I can tell you the person will be grateful.

Last, and most important, remember that hearing impaired people aren't intellectually impaired. We're the same people as we were before, tuned into life and raring to go!

Copyright 2006 by Harriet Hodgson

Harriet Hodgson

Harriet Hodgson has been a nonfiction writer for 27 years. She is a member of the Association of Healh Care Journalists and the Association for Death Education and Counseling. A prolific writer, she is the author of 25 published books and hundreds of print and electronic articles.

Hodgson has written about parenting, recycling, sexual harassment, aging, Alzheimer's disease, caregiving, communication, nutrition, physical activity, weight management, anticipatory grief, and many other topics.

She started out as a teacher and earned a B.S. with honors from Wheelock College in Boston, MA. She went on to earn an M.A. in Art Education from the University of Minnesota and did additional graduate work. After spending a dozen years in the classroom Hodgson changed careers and turned to writing.

All of her writing comes from life experience. Hodgson has talked about her experienes on some 150 radio talk shows, including CBS Radio, Minnesota Public Radio, WCCO Radio and "Coping With Caregiving," an Internet-only radio program broadcast worldwide. In addition, she has appeared on dozens of television programs/stations including CNN.

Hodgson is a Past President of the Wing of the Aerospace Medical Association. A past president of the Minnesota Medical Association Alliance (MMAA), she represented MMAA members on the Minnesota Medical Association Health Care Reform Task Force. She is an active community volunteer and all of her volunteer efforts focus on health.

Hodgson is cited in "Something About the Author," "Who's Who of American Women," "Who's Who in America," "Who's Who in the World," "The Dictionary of International Biography," and "Contemporary Authors," published by Gale Research.

Hodgson lives in Rochester, Minnesota with her husband, C. John Hodgson. She enjoys learning, travel, antiques, singing, and spending time with her twin grandchildren.