Talking to someone with hearing loss
Make sure the person with hearing loss can see your face.
- Stand or sit 3 to 6 feet (90 to 180 centimeters) away.
- Position yourself so the person you are talking to can see your mouth and gestures.
- Talk in a room where there is enough light for the person with hearing loss to see these visual clues.
- While talking, do not cover your mouth, eat, or chew on anything.
Find a good environment for the conversation.
- Reduce the amount of background noise by turning off the TV or radio.
- Choose a quiet area of a restaurant, lobby, or office where there is less activity and noise.
Make an extra effort to include the person in a conversation with others.
- Never talk about a person with hearing loss as if they are not there.
- Let the person know when the topic has changed.
- Use the person's name so they know you are speaking to them.
Say your words slowly and clearly.
- You can speak louder than normal, but do not shout.
- Do not exaggerate your words because this may distort how they sound and make it harder for the person to understand you.
- If the person with hearing loss does not understand a word or phrase, choose a different one rather than repeating it.
National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD) website. Age-related hearing loss (presbycusis). www.nidcd.nih.gov/health/hearing-loss-older-adults. Updated March 17, 2023. Accessed June 13, 2023.
Walker LK. Patients with disabilities. In: Ritsema TS, Brown DL, Vetrosky DT, et al, eds. Ballweg's Physician Assistant: A Guide to Clinical Practice. 7th ed. St Louis, MO: Elsevier; 2022:chap 54.
Review Date:
6/4/2023
Reviewed By: Josef Shargorodsky, MD, MPH, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD. Also reviewed by David C. Dugdale, MD, Medical Director, Brenda Conaway, Editorial Director, and the A.D.A.M. Editorial team.
Reviewed By: Josef Shargorodsky, MD, MPH, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD. Also reviewed by David C. Dugdale, MD, Medical Director, Brenda Conaway, Editorial Director, and the A.D.A.M. Editorial team.
The information provided herein should not be used during any medical emergency or for the diagnosis or treatment of any medical condition. A licensed medical professional should be consulted for diagnosis and treatment of any and all medical conditions. Links to other sites are provided for information only -- they do not constitute endorsements of those other sites. No warranty of any kind, either expressed or implied, is made as to the accuracy, reliability, timeliness, or correctness of any translations made by a third-party service of the information provided herein into any other language. © 1997-
A.D.A.M., a business unit of Ebix, Inc. Any duplication or distribution of the information contained herein is strictly prohibited.
© 1997-
All rights reserved.
All rights reserved.
A.D.A.M. content is best viewed in IE9 or above, Firefox and Google Chrome browser.