How can a very hard of hearing person stay social in activities?

My mother is also very hard of hearing. We got a Bluetooth adaptation for her hearing aids which allows her to hear my dad better when he wears a microphone in his shirt pocket so what he says goes directly into her hearing aid. She can also use the microphone placed near the television so the volume doesn't have to be turned up for her to hear. We also got an adapter that was connected to her cell phone so she could hear the conversations directly in her hearing aid. This ended up being too difficult for her to understand how to use, so she no longer uses it. This was not a cheap enhancement, but it is a one-time expense, and it has made things much easier for my folks to communicate.

What good ideas! My 90 year old 'End of Life' dad is very hard of hearing. I've temporarily moved in with to do the palliative stuff. He's doing amazing well. He hadn't addressed the hearing issue for 5 years and neither had his girlfriend? We should be collecting new aids this week? He's not the most sociable person but prefers to garden and I've introduced him to a local history group.

My mother in law was very hard of hearing but remained social. She took a lip reading class, and she wore hearing aids. She was in a bridge club and other activities. The way she managed is she told people riight away that she was hard of hearing and that she would understand them better if they faced her when they spoke. She got along well. It became habit for me to face her when I spoke and she didn't miss out on anything. I worked with a friend who was hard of hearing who wore a tag on her blouse that said speak up , I am hard of hearing.

Hello ayamesan,

I can certainly understand your frustration. My husband is very hard of hearing and that has curtailed our social activities.

Do you mean that the "din" of the group makes it hard for you to hear? Parties with music are hard, of course.

Why don't your hearing aids work? I was having a terrible time making myself understood to my husband until I became more pro-active in having him change the batteries and the tips. Now we do that once a week and life is much easier.

Are you able to have conversations one to one?

My suggestion at this point would be to encourage activities that do not rely so heavily on conversation, as such, like going for walks with people, playing cards, fishing with the guys, etc.

What is it that you like to do?