Why do I have more trouble hearing in restaurants then I do at home?

Hearing in noisy places can be difficult and frustrating.  The first and best thing you can do hear in noisy places is to keep both ears hearing.  It is necessary for the ears to work together to hear well inn noisy places.  Be sure to wear two hearing aids when you have difficulty hearing in both ears. Second, studies show that those who use hearing aids with directional microphones hear better in noise.  Directional microphone help you focus on the person you’re talking with and reduces the impact of the background sound.  Third, the restaurant you choose and where you sit in the restaurant affect how well you hear in noise. Here are a few things to keep in mind.

1.       Choose a quiet restaurant.

2.       Go to restaurants at less busy times.  For example, have lunch at 1:00 instead of noon.

3.       When you are being seated, ask to be seated along the wall or in a corner away and from the kitchen.

4. Avoid dark restaurants.  You will be better able to pick up lip clues and facial expressions in a lighted restaurant.
5. Go to restaurants with carpeting, drapes and tablecloths. These all absorb sound and create a quieter atmosphere.
6. If the music is too loud, ask to have it turned down.
7. Pick restaurants that don’t have a bar, or those where the bar is in a separate room.  This too will reduce the background noise.
8. Last but not least, simply ask for a quiet table! There’s bound to be at least one.

Planning ahead and carefully choosing where to go will help ensure a pleasant evening.  

Life sounds great!  Enjoy every moment!

Jane Kukula, AuD & Ashley Spisak, AuD

8897 Mentor Ave

Mentor, Ohio 44060

440-205-8848

Fax: 440-205-9818

http://aacHEAR.org

I’m getting ready for the upcoming holidays and I’m finding myself trying to plan where I sit at our dining table because often times I cannot hear well during such a large gathering, even with my hearing aids. Is there anything else I can do, or is there anything else that can help me?

Listening in situations with significant background noise and with multiple conversations happening all at once can be difficult for those with hearing loss.  It can be difficult for those without hearing loss for that matter!  It is especially difficult if you’re trying to follow multiple conversations.  It sounds like you are very proactive with your listening, especially if you’re planning how you can hear best in advanced. Good for you! Taking charge of your hearing and being proactive is a great first step. However you are correct, in some cases even with the best of planning and top of the line hearing instruments, hearing in a complex listening environments can still be a challenge.  There are assistive devices that can help your hearing aids achieve an even better performance in noise.  The assistive accessory technology that comes to mind is what we call Roger.  Roger technology was developed to help speech understanding in the most complex of environments.  The Roger Pen is a nice option as it camouflages well because it looks just like a pen.  It has multiple automatic modes to help you hear the best you can, including pointing mode so that you can point to a conversation and pick it up, up to 17 feet away!  If you are interested in knowing more about assistive technologies that can help you hear for the holidays you can call 440-205-8848 and make an appointment for a consultation.  

Life sounds great!  Enjoy every moment!

Jane Kukula, AuD & Ashley Spisak, AuD

8897 Mentor Ave

Mentor, Ohio 44060

440-205-8848

Fax: 440-205-9818

http://aacHEAR.org