Are you ready to celebrate Better Hearing and Speech Month? This annual event is organized by the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA), and this year we’re talking about Building Connections. Do you have a loved one who has a hard time hearing conversations? Join us in celebrating Better Hearing and Speech Month to find out how you can encourage your loved one to wear hearing aids.

Building Connections: Better Hearing and Speech Month

For over 90 years, the month of May has been recognized as Better Hearing and Speech Month. This time is used to raise more awareness about communication disorders and other conditions that can make it harder to hear or speak. 2021 has an important theme, and this year we’re talking about building connections. Hearing and speech are an important part of building relationships with your family and enjoying a fulfilled life. If you or a loved one has hearing loss, wearing hearing aids is a great way to have better hearing. 

Persuading a Loved One to Wearing Hearing Aids

If you have a loved one with hearing loss, you’ve seen firsthand how hearing loss has made it harder to connect with them. You want to build a strong connection, but if they can’t hear what you’re saying, it gets frustrating for everyone. Maybe your loved one is only missing a few words, but you can already see it’s getting worse.  Here are a few tips that will help you convince your loved one to wear hearing aids for Better Hearing and Speech Month.

• Talk About the Benefits: You don’t have to talk about the emotional side of hearing aids if that’s not effective in persuading your loved one to wear hearing aids. You can make a strong case for hearing aids by talking about all the benefits. There’s a wealth of research available online that demonstrates just how powerful hearing aids can be. Wearing hearing aids to treat hearing loss can slow cognitive decline, reduce the risk of dementia, lead to a higher earning power, and even reduce the risk of isolation and depression.

• Crunch the Numbers: Is your loved one on the fence because of the price? Hearing aids come in a range of styles to suit every budget. If your Medicare plan doesn’t cover hearing aids, hearing aids may seem like a big investment, but wearing hearing aids can actually save you money. Do the math with your loved one, and calculate how much you’ll spend on hearing aids per day. The average hearing aid lasts 5 years or more, so you’ll only be paying a couple dollars a day for great hearing! Not only that, but hearing aids help you avoid accidents, reduce the risk of falls, and have fewer hospitalizations. Hearing aids can actually save you money.

• Make it More Personal: This year, Better Hearing and Speech Month is all about Building Connections. Let your loved one know that their hearing loss is impacting the entire family. Everyone wishes your loved one could be more involved in the conversation, and they get annoyed that your loved one keeps missing words. Or maybe you feel like you can’t share the little things with your loved one because it’s too hard to communicate. Your whole family is adapting and making changes to help your loved one hear, and your loved one might not realize all the ways the family is trying to stay connected. Let your loved one know just how much you want them to hear clearly, and participate fully in every moment of family life.

Schedule a Hearing Test

Try these persuasion tips to help your loved one understand how important it is that they wear hearing aids. You can support them through this journey and help them recognize just how much their hearing loss is impacting the whole family. Offer to come to the hearing test with your loved one. We’re always happy to see both of you! Better Hearing and SpeechMonth is the perfect time to book a hearing test and find a hearing aid that will change your life. Your loved one will be able to hear conversations and improve their overall quality of life. They’ll also be able to build better connections with the people that matter the most.