20+ Ways to Handle Communication Challenges and Wearing a Face Mask with Your Hearing Aids

To aid in the prevention of the coronavirus, it is now a requirement for everyone to wear a face mask in public. This can be complicated for anyone with hearing loss. 

Face Masks make Communication more Challenging for People who are Hard of Hearing

People's voices are muffled - making it very difficult to understand them, and their faces are covered - making it impossible to read facial expressions or lip read. For hearing aid users, the ear loops on your face mask could pull on your hearing aids and cause some issues. 

3 Tips for Hearing Aid Users when Wearing and Removing Your Face Mask:

1. Carefully remove your mask without accidentally pulling out your hearing aids.
2. Wear a mask with fabric ties that go around your head. Fabric ties can be loosened and adjusted so that they don’t get caught in your hearing aids. 
3. Wear a mask holder. These are worn near the back of the head. They can hold the ear loops of your mask, instead of placing the loops on your ears. This will reduce the ear loops from getting tangled with your hearing aids and/or eyeglasses. 

8 ways to Communicate while Wearing a Face Mask:

1. Be sure that hearing aid users are wearing their hearing aids and that the devices are switched on. 
2. Clearly speak at a slower rate and normal volume. If your communication partner has a clear face mask, ask them to speak at a normal rate so that you can accurately read their lips and observe their facial expressions.
3. Rephrase anything that was stated, if it was not immediately understood.
4. Try to communicate in an area that doesn’t have a lot of background noise.
5. Only allow one person to speak at a time. 
6. Face each other at a safe distance.
7. Use your body language, make eye contact, use hand gestures to reflect your facial reactions (use a thumbs up for a friendly smile) and speak a little slower.  
8. Use a pen and notepad, or piece of paper, to write a message and show it to the person. Use a caption app on your smartphone.    

     
How to Wear Your Face Mask with Hearing Aids

For anyone who wears behind-the-ear hearing aids, you will probably come across some issues when donning a standard face mask that has elastic ear loops. These ear loops could pull at the tubing that connects the hearing aid and the domes that rest in your ears. You may accidentally yank your hearing aids out and drop them while taking your mask off.

If you happen to be looking for new hearing aids, now would be a good time to ask your hearing instrument specialist for a trial of in-the-ear (ITE) or receiver-in-the-canal (RIC) hearing aids. These hearing aids do not rest behind your ears. Instead, they rest inside your ear canal. 

Alternative Face Mask Options:  

• Instead of elastic, wear a mask that has soft fabric ties. This will relieve pressure on your ears.
• Use a special mask extender. These have buttons or other types of holders that fasten the mask loops onto the back of the head, rather than looping them onto the ears. Most medical practitioners use these, because they have to wear tight-fitted masks throughout the day. 
• Use plastic s-hooks to loop the mask on your head, instead of looping them onto your ears. 

Many who are hard of hearing have been advocating for the public to wear clear face shields, but this has not been adopted yet. 

How to Speak to those with Hearing Loss when Wearing a Face Mask

Anyone with hearing loss can tell you the new set of challenges they face when interacting with a person who is wearing a face mask. This is especially true in medical settings, where there is high stress, and communication is almost equally as frustrating for both the healthcare provider and patient.  

There are two evident dilemmas. The patient cannot gain any facial or lip reading cues, and the healthcare provider’s voice is distorted and muffled.  

9 Ways to make Your Office, or Exam Room, more welcoming for those with Hearing Loss:

1. Be sure that hearing aid wearers are using their devices.
2. If necessary, consider having them use a portable hearing aid amplifier. 
3. Decrease background noise in order to hold the patient’s attention.
4. Discuss how the patient would prefer to communicate.
5. Speak clearly, repeat or rephrase things if necessary. 
6. Do not shout (this can actually be painful for anyone who suffers from hyperacusis - when normal sounds are heard at a louder volume, to the point where it hurts your ears when you hear them).
7. Only allow one person to speak at a time.
8. Do not speak while walking, or turning your face out of the patient’s view. 
9. If possible, get masks with clear plastic in order to make lip reading easier. 

Speakers may try to communicate with the hard of hearing by projecting their voice, but it’s actually more effective to speak clearly, at a normal volume and enunciate their words.  

When You are out in Public

When going out to go grocery shopping, or picking up a prescription, those previously mentioned tips may be impossible to follow. If you and your spouse are wearing masks, be sure that your spouse is aware that they need to speak clearly and at a steady pace when addressing you. Advocate for yourself when speaking to strangers. Tell them that you cannot hear very well, and let them know that they need to speak very clearly.

If you are speaking to someone with hearing loss, instead of repeating yourself, utilize body language by making eye contact, using hand gestures to reflect your facial reactions and speaking a little slower. If they read lips, speak at a normal, steady pace. 

Please be aware that Pure Sound services will only be available by appointment and for essential visits at this time. Essential visits include all appointments that require new hearing aid fittings, repairs and re-fittings. If you need a hearing aid repair, we ask that you please wait in your car, while wearing your mask, and place your hearing aids in a clean zip lock bag.  One of our staff members will come to your car to get them. If you are having any issues with your hearing aids, or need supplies for your hearing aids, please call us before visiting one of our offices.  

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