The COVID-19 pandemic has made this challenging since face masks are recommended in public settings and these masks muffle our voices and hide our faces.
“I have found it extremely hard to understand people wearing masks because of my inability to see their mouth. I rely on watching their mouths, even if I don’t get the hole sentence. Even though I wear a badge that states that I am hard of hearing, people are not understanding at all. They tend to end up shouting at you and then get agitated that you can’t hear them.” explains Jackie W.
NAL has tackled this problem by developing the NALscribe iPad app that hearing clinics can use to make communication easier for clients who often struggle to hear. The app has been made free for hearing healthcare clinics around the world to download and use. NALscribe is available on the App Store.
“As a hearing therapist with hearing loss, mask wearing during client consultations has made it harder to follow a conversation, especially if they are quietly spoken. Facial expressions and cues in conversation are missing and this can be challenging for both the client and hearing therapist” explains Hearing Therapist, Sharon Webber.
To further support our hard of hearing community, we’ve also created additional resources to help in overcoming these challenges. You can download the poster here and speak with your Hearing Therapist to get your supply of stickers.
