Include your partner

Our hearing is important to the people close to us and to our quality of life. When we talk to someone, we share our thoughts, feelings, and ideas. If you tell others what makes it easiest to talk to each other, you can work together to find ways to improve your daily communication.

For example, you can:

  • Tell your partner when you find it easiest to communicate with them and why
  • Ask your partner when they find communication with you easiest 
  • Talk about how your partner can support you in large groups or background noise
  • Ask your partner how your hearing loss affects them

Anne is a former president of HLAA and has had a hearing loss for 30 years.She and her husband, who also has a hearing loss, support each other. They keep coming up with new ways to communicate well with each other.

Nicky has had a hearing loss since birth. Her husband, Justin, is a wonderful  ally to her. He makes a conscious effort to adjust his speech in ways that will make it easier for Nicky to follow conversations.

John has a severe hearing loss and got cochlear implants late in life. Before he got his CIs, he used to take his hearing aids out in the evening, which made it difficult to talk to his wife. Here John’s wife shares how they continued talking.

Gill has a severe hearing loss. Her husband, John, often acts as her earpiece at social events and often listens to conversations that don't really interest him. They share how they both feel about these situations.