Hard of hearing vs hearing family

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Riley23

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When I return home I like to remove my hearing aids and wear headphones to watch tv with cc. What's the best way to explain to hearing family members why I want to have time without the hearing aids in from wearing them all day. And how to get my attention without getting frustrated and when they get frustrated with me it makes me frustrated.
 
Have them turn the TV off and that will get your attention . :giggle:
Or tell them to tap you on your shoulder if you don't mind this or turn a light off and on. There are a lot way to get your attention you just have find that works the best for you .
 
My husband and I jump around waving are arms when we want each other. I take my ha off when I get home also, I get tired of being hearing. Since my husbanf is hoh but doesn't have ha he understands that I need to return to the quite world at the end of the day, when I do wear my ha.

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so far as attention...flick lights, wave - that's what we often do. Hub hoh/deaf <deaf w/o aids, wears digitals. Raised Hearing>

I'm hoh.
Less often I might stomp on the floor.
 
I don't wear them unless really have to I understand you.stuck my HA in husbands ear once obviously not properly he nearly hit roof and felt sick all day.my HA are NHS ones so not top of the range but are worse.
I will wear them when traveling but I feel vey glad get them out also got skin problems in ears.
Flicking light how yo surppose to get attention was told th polite way
 
Lots of ways...

Here the upstairs hall light (switch at bottom of stairs) gets flashed when it's dinner time lol as they know sometimes I turn off or have the HAs out. Used to be that they'd ring the phone two times but that doesn't work anymore as no phone in my 'office' anymore.

Waving hands/arms.
I've had things thrown at me- soft things mind you to get my attention as sometimes I'm so focused on what I'm doing I wouldn't see the hand waving at all (at the time though to be fair my vision without glasses was something like 20/200- aphakic so poor peripheral vision).
Tapping on shoulder/arm or back. That will depend on how well you react/feel about people touching you though.

I'm not sure there's a 'best way' to explain why you want to spend time without the hearing aids... but best thing is just to be honest... "I want to give my ears a rest", "Too much noise". Whether or not they will understand or "get it" is on them but just be patient with them as much as you can.
 
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oh and I could feel them knock on doors, walls or stomp the floor.
 
I wear mine all day til it's time for bed. If I'm concentrating on something or the tv is on and I just didn't hear him speak to me, my husband will wave his arm near me. He has stomped on the floor a few times and that drives me crazy, I do not like that!. Told him, "don't do that!"
 
I think your family will forget after awhile that they to get your attention so you may have to remind them from time to time . I would tell my mom not try and talk to me if I have my back to her and she kept going this anyway. She just couldn't get what being hoh was like b/c she had such good hearing.
 
sonocativo said:
Day and Night.
My wife threw stuffed animals at me.
Be glad stuffed animals I thew Irish stew complete with pot his vinel records a radio DVDs to name but a few not my proudest moments
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I got a Nerf gun for Christmas. It was meant for startling the dogs if they were starting to fight, but I love it for getting my husband's attention.
 
whatdidyousay! said:
I think your family will forget after awhile that they to get your attention so you may have to remind them from time to time . I would tell my mom not try and talk to me if I have my back to her and she kept going this anyway. She just couldn't get what being hoh was like b/c she had such good hearing.
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That's what I'm trying to figure out how to say nicely without hurting feelings what I need from them.
 
Riley23 said:
That's what I'm trying to figure out how to say nicely without hurting feelings what I need from them.
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I think your family should be the one thinking about your feeling ! I can remember going downstairs to find no one home and about 2 hours later my parents and sisters and ex brother walk in the house saying they ate out and when they called me while I was upstairs in my bedroom with my solid wooden door closed . WT? ! They said they called to say the eating out and I never answered back. Hearing people just don't get it !
 
whatdidyousay! said:
I think your family should be the one thinking about your feeling ! I can remember going downstairs to find no one home and about 2 hours later my parents and sisters and ex brother walk in the house saying they ate out and when they called me while I was upstairs in my bedroom with my solid wooden door closed . WT? ! They said they called to say the eating out and I never answered back. Hearing people just don't get it !
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You are right, they don't understand, and we are completely on our own. It is so tiring and frustrating to have to be constantly be cueing others in to our disability, but that is the nature of deafness or hard of hearing. Grin and bear it!:lol:

That's sad that you missed out on eating out with the family because you didn't hear them. I've had similar occurrences in my life too. We all have, I'm sure.
 
Definitely don't understand and we have to accept them and the things they say but they don't. It's a struggle some times to deal with it not just at work but at home as well. They don't like the cc on tv even if watch a movie so I watch movies and tv alone.... I'm the only one on both sides of the family and no one else close family friends were them either only a few who lost hearing at adult. Not born and raised with it.
 
Riley23 said:
Definitely don't understand and we have to accept them and the things they say but they don't. It's a struggle some times to deal with it not just at work but at home as well. They don't like the cc on tv even if watch a movie so I watch movies and tv alone.... I'm the only one on both sides of the family and no one else close family friends were them either only a few who lost hearing at adult. Not born and raised with it.
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I am lucky my family don't mind putting the CC on for me , I don't have to ask what someone said and the volume doesn't have to be blasting away.
Yes it's hard being the only one hoh in a family of hearing people . I got my first HA when I was 8 yo so I missed out a lot at home and school . Our dog was the only one that didn't care that I was hoh and I think she got it better than my family .
 
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