How to Create Hearing-Friendly Social Events and Family Gatherings
Inclusive family events
How can I create a safe space for guests with hearing aids?
Gathering with family and friends is one of life's best moments, and a few simple adjustments can make it much easier to manage hearing loss at family gatherings. From casual celebrations and family dinners to special occasions and seasonal festivities, hearing-friendly family and social events can be planned ahead to ensure all your guests feel comfortable, at ease and included in every moment.
Hearing care professional K. Durrheim recommends establishing an environment where guests who wear hearing aids feel safe to express any discomfort and where family members are open and responsive to the individual’s needs.
"Reducing unnecessary noise and setting up environments so that people can communicate more closely and face-to-face will always help," says Durrheim.
5 tips on how to plan a hearing-friendly event
How can I create an inclusive family get-together?
Here’s how to design a memorable event for all family members and create a sense of love and connection that will last long after your quality time together.
- 1.
Choose a quiet location if possible
Opt for spaces that minimise background noise, such as your home or a quiet community centre. If it’s possible, try to avoid crowded restaurants or areas where the noise can be overwhelming. Avoid rooms with a lot of reverberation; instead, choose spaces with better acoustics, and those with sound-absorbing elements like carpets, curtains and soft furnishings. - 2.
Encourage hearing assistance
Encourage guests who wear hearing aids to bring them along. Let them know the gathering could get noisy and their hearing devices will help them participate in conversations. - 3.
Use visual cues
Including visual elements, like banners or signs, with important information that can help your relatives navigate your social gathering. This can include written menus or schedules for activities to make sure everyone stays connected and included, no matter their hearing preferences or needs. - 4.
Check in with your guests
Throughout the event, check in with your guests to make sure everyone feels comfortable and has the chance to participate fully. Be flexible and ready to accommodate changes so every guest can enjoy the event. - 5.
Encourage guests to face one another during conversations
This allows for lip-reading and makes it easier to pick up on non-verbal cues, enhancing overall communication. When guests face one another, it’s easier to connect through both conversation and non-verbal cues, making every moment together more meaningful.
Eating out with friends who wear hearing aids
Restaurant tips for loved ones with hearing aids
But restaurants and cafes can be noisy spaces. There are often hard floors, which reflect rather than absorb sounds, background music, clattering of cutlery and chatter throughout the room. Imagine what this feels like for your friends who are navigating changes in their hearing health¹.
The Hearing Journal¹ recommends these restaurant tips for hearing aid users to make dining out a more pleasant and comfortable experience.
- 1.
Research quiet restaurants
Read reviews or ask around for recommendations of places to eat out that are in a quiet location or where they can accommodate your needs. - 2.
Request a quiet table
When booking, mention that one of the guests wears hearing aids and that you would appreciate a quiet spot. It’s a good idea to confirm this on arrival. Corner tables or those located against a wall can help with hearing, as well as being seated away from large group tables and the kitchen entrance. - 3.
Check the venue first
Venues that feature carpet, curtains, cushioned seats or fabric tablecloths can help absorb sound3. - 4.
Speak up
If the music is too loud or your table location is making hearing difficult, speak to the staff to better accommodate your hearing needs. - 5.
Ask for specials in writing
A verbal description of specials can be hard for most people to hear clearly – ask the waiter if they can speak slowly or request in advance that the specials are available in print. - 6.
Avoid busy times
Restaurants can have quiet periods so consider eating outside of peak times.
How to plan hearing-friendly social events for family and friends
Help a loved one with their hearing health
How to help a friend on their hearing journey
If you have a friend, family member or colleague who’s coming to your next social gathering and just starting their hearing health journey, offer your support and encouragement.
To learn how you can make family gatherings more hearing-friendly, reach out to one of our expert audiologists.
Sources:
1. The Hearing Journal: Dining out for people with hearing loss. The Hearing Journal (16 January 2020)
2. National Council on Aging. Managing Hearing Loss in Social Settings
