Why let your summer be ruined by flawed hearing? If you’re not aware of your hearing loss, it’s probably even worse. Some ear diseases and aging carry a prolonged loss of hearing which you might not even recognize. When you don’t hear as well it’s very likely that you won’t enjoy many exciting summer activities. There are some solutions to your loss of hearing that will get you back out there having summer fun.

Summertime Cookouts

Cooking out during the summertime may be difficult when you have loss of hearing. Background noise is one big problem. All around you, people are talking. In the yard and in the pool kids are shouting and playing. You have the sounds of nature including singing birds, barking dogs, and the sound of cooking on the grill.

All that noise competes with any remaining hearing you have left. This amount of background noise can easily overtake someone that has hearing decline.

Try these things to compensate:

Sitting in a quiet place for short periods of time will help get rid of some of that overwhelming background noise. You might need to see peoples lips so put your back to the sun.

• You can turn down the volume of background music. You might decide not to have music if you are the host of the barbecue. If you are going to someone else’s cookout, explain the issue to the host.
• Get away from time to time. You use a lot of energy struggling to hear. Step indoors and away from people for a few minutes each hour and sit someplace quiet to recharge.
• Let others know when you can’t hear. It’s aggravating for you and those near you when you try to fake it. If you don’t hear what someone said, tell them. Cupping your ear and other visual clues can indicate that you can’t hear to others. Usually, people will step closer or speak up to help out.

Don’t try to hear everything. The fact that you can’t engage in every conversation is something you need to accept. Set reasonable limits for yourself and try to engage in smaller groups instead.

Head Outdoors

If you just remain indoors you don’t know what you’re missing. Don’t be scared to go outside and focus on the sounds of the natural world. You won’t hear everything, but with a little focus, you may be amazed by the things you can hear.

Make a game out of it and listen for:

• Birds chirping
• Buzzing insects
• Evening crickets
• The leaves blowing
• Falling rain
• Kids running around and playing
• Barking dogs
• Splashing waves

If you simply try to listen to one thing at a time, you can manage your expectations every time you go outdoors, head for the beach or walk in the park.

Enjoy a Vacation or Maybe Just a Day Trip

Isn’t that what summertime is all about? Decide what kind of vacation you would enjoy and if there are limitations that come along with your hearing loss. Sailing or fishing would be perfect but an amusement park could be a little too much. Going out into nature should also work. Going to a museum or taking a stroll on the boardwalk next to the beach are excellent choices.

You have an opportunity to travel this summer so you shouldn’t let your hearing loss take that away from you. If you’re going to fly, tell the airline that you have hearing loss when you book your ticket. Inform the hotel, as well, so they can give you a room that has accommodations for the hearing impaired such as smoke alarms with flashing lights or shaking beds and TVs that have closed captioning.

Work on Yourself

Look for ways to improve yourself this summer like taking a fitness class or learning how to paint. If you would like to find a spot in the front, be sure to get there early. Bring a couple of friends with you and have them fill you in on what you are missing during the session.

This Summer You Should Take Safety Measures

There are a couple of summer activities that require you to take precautions to protect yourself, your ears, and any expensive hearing assistance devices you own. Play it safe by:

• Taking care while at the pool or beach. Make sure you take care of your hearing aids from water damage and use some earplugs when you go swimming to avoid ear infections.
• Bring a friend with you on those enjoyable evening walks. You may miss the warning sounds from potential threats like oncoming vehicles or maybe even a threatening stranger coming up behind you.
• Wear ear protection at fireworks and at live shows.

Try to Make The Most of it This Summer

These summertime challenges can be mostly eliminated by doing three simple things.

• Have your ears checked by a hearing care specialist. It may be possible that your hearing loss is treatable.
• Get a professional hearing examination, so you know if you do actually have hearing loss.
• Wear good-quality hearing aids. They can filter out background noises so you will hear what’s important.

Summertime is all about having fun. Don’t allow hearing loss take it away from you.