Coronavirus safety measures create challenges for hard-of-hearing. Here’s how to help

May 14, 2020

Hospitals across the country are assuming everyone who walks through the door is a potential Covid-19 case, so they are requiring patients to wear a mask and come alone.

Along with my audiology and public health colleagues from the Hispanic Hearing Healthcare Access Coalition, we strongly recommend that communities take special measures to stay connected with the hard-of-hearing at this time.
Mask wearing and social distancing present a real problem for many people with hearing loss.

Face masks muffle speech

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Human brains are designed to use visual cues, like watching one another’s lips move, to help understand speech. Wearing a mask eliminates this vital visual information.
Acoustically, face masks muffle speech. Donning a mask over a hearing aid or cochlear implant can be problematic or uncomfortable — causing some to remove their hearing devices.
The need to stay at least 6 feet apart for social distancing can also make hearing and understanding speech more difficult.
As distance increases, sound levels decrease. Research shows that moving farther away makes it more challenging for people with hearing loss to focus their attention on understanding speech.
Related story: Chronic conditions worsen coronavirus risk — here’s how to manage them amid the pandemic

Background noise interferes

Research shows background noise in a hospital makes it difficult to hear, understand and absorb key information, with memory disrupted even if what was said in the moment was heard.

After measuring sound levels in a Portland, Oregon, Veterans hospital, researchers recorded background noise from medical and surgical wards then tested acutely ill patients.

In the best-case scenario with low noise, hospitalized patients with mild to moderate hearing loss could recall only 58% of key words. This dropped to 30% recall at the highest levels of hospital noise tested. All these disruptions can have serious consequences.

Related story: Deaf Christians often struggle to hear God’s word, but some find meaning in the richness of who they are

Some hearing loss is undiagnosed

People with hidden or undiagnosed hearing loss may now be revealed, as their coping strategies falter.

In this new reality, those who are hard-of-hearing and deaf may be unable to access public health recommendations, learn about available services or make informed decisions about their own care when speech is only auditory.

This is especially true for people in hospitals, nursing homes or quarantine, who may find themselves suddenly isolated without assistance from family or friends.

Related story: Older Americans are risking coronavirus exposure to get their medications

There are simple ways to help

The good news is that simple, effective strategies can boost communication during this time of wearing masks and beyond.

Face each other at a safe distance of at least 6 feet. Maintaining eye contact enhances social connection and keeps attention focused on communication.

Speak more slowly and with care to make it easier for listeners. Speakers often naturally try to compensate by projecting, but a more effective approach is to speak more clearly, with greater enunciation.
Ask others to repeat back what you said to confirm the message is being understood and not just heard. For health care providers, this “teach-back” strategy is essential to ensure understanding, whether the discussion is in-person or remote.
Related story: Doctors facing grim choice over ventilators told to put patients with disabilities at the back of the line

Ask people how they want to communicate

Ask the deaf or hard-of-hearing person, “How can I best communicate with you?” Try re-phrasing the information if the listener is having difficulty understanding your message. Write your message down or try speech-to-text if someone is having trouble hearing you.
Select quiet spaces with little background noise for improved listening. If available, use or make clear masks or face shields, which will help by restoring visual information in speech.

Seek out and offer multiple forms of communication, such as written text or real-time captioning and assistive technology. For those who use American Sign Language, qualified interpreters can be accessed through video relay.

People with hearing loss (PDF) or combined hearing and vision loss (PDF) may want to bring a printed communication card along with them to the hospital.
The Hearing Loss Association of America and National Association of the Deaf are sharing guidance for patients and providers.

Following these recommendations can empower people to communicate more effectively with the hard-of-hearing. While many things are out of control at this time, everyone can choose communication strategies that will help each other.

Nicole Marrone is an associate professor in speech, language and hearing sciences at the University of Arizona.

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