COVID-19: Tips for Communication with People with Hearing Impairment
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Read these tips produced by Salisbury District Hospital Audiology Department to help overcome barriers to communication through the wearing of face coverings:
• Speak slowly and clearly- Our brains need time to put all the clues together, especially in difficult environments
• Reduce noise and obtain the person’s attention – do what you can to remove noise sources or move the person into a quieter space if possible
• Ask how the person prefers to communicate
• Re-phrase sentences if not heard – Use different words, avoid repeating a phrase which has already proved difficult to hear
• Give time for the person to respond, they may still be working out what you’ve said
• Avoid shouting, over-emphasising, or exaggerating your words - this can be more harmful than helpful and can be misunderstood as aggressiveness
• Face the person – Don’t turn or walk away while finishing a sentence, this only adds to the attenuation offered by face coverings
Also take a look at [Live Transcribe App] a Google App that you can download on to your own device that translates voice to text.
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