Hearing Aids in Noisy Places: Restaurants, Cafés and Family Meals

Why noise is the hardest test

Many people say the same thing: "At home, one to one, I hear fine. In a restaurant or at a big family meal, I am lost." That experience is common. Oticon describes noisy environments as the most challenging situations for understanding speech.

Hearing aids help, but they have limits. The US National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD) explains that a hearing aid does not completely separate the sounds you want to hear from the ones you do not want to hear.

So the best results come from combining three things: where and when you go, how you and your companions communicate, and what your hearing aids and accessories can do.

Before you go: choose the place and time

The American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) offers practical advice:

• Pick a quieter restaurant, and go at times when it tends to be less crowded and noisy.
• Check reviews for noise and call ahead to reserve a quiet table if possible.
• Smaller groups are easier than long tables where conversation splits into several at once.

At home, the host has more control: turn off background music during the meal, and sit the person with hearing aids in the middle of the table rather than at the far end.

At the table: where you sit matters

• Away from the kitchen or bar. ASHA advises asking for a table away from the kitchen or bar area to reduce crowd noise. NIDCD also suggests not sitting near the kitchen or near a band playing music.
• Window behind you. ASHA suggests sitting with a window at your back, facing the speaker, which makes it easier to see the speaker's face.
• Face your main companion. NIDCD suggests asking friends and family to face you when they talk, so you can see their expressions and lip movements.
• Good light. A dim corner makes faces harder to read.

During the conversation

• Tell people. ASHA encourages telling others that you have a hearing loss. Most people are happy to adjust once they know.
• Say what you missed. ASHA notes that saying "Huh?" or "What?" does not tell the speaker which part you did not hear. Try "I missed the name of the place", so they repeat only that part.
• One conversation at a time. At a family table, ask that people take turns rather than talking over each other.
• Take breaks. Listening in noise is tiring. Stepping outside for a few minutes can help you keep going.

Share communicating with someone who wears hearing aids with family before a big gathering.

What your hearing aids can do

Hearing aids differ, but many include features designed for noise:

• Directional microphones. NIDCD explains that directional microphones can make it easier to hear a single conversation.
• Programmes for different places. The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) explains that digital hearing aids can store multiple program settings, and describes noise reduction, which lowers background noise compared with the sounds you are trying to hear.
• Remote microphones. The FDA notes that some hearing aids can connect to a remote microphone or an FM assistive listening system.

NIDCD describes assistive listening devices as helping to amplify the sounds you want to hear, especially where there is a lot of background noise, and notes they can be used with hearing aids.

Which features your hearing aids have, and how they are set, varies by model. Learn how to switch programmes, if your model has them, before the evening out, not at the table.

Ask for an adjustment

ASHA suggests making an appointment with your audiologist to discuss technology options and hearing assistive equipment that can help reduce background noise. Bring specific notes: which place, how many people, what kind of noise. "Friday dinner, twelve people, couldn't follow anyone at the far end" gives the professional something to work with.

See follow-up and adjustments and accessories and connectivity. For larger rooms such as a synagogue, a lecture or a hall, see hearing aids in synagogue, lectures and events.

If your hearing aids are new, noisy places may take longer to get used to. See your first weeks with new hearing aids.

G-Sound offers Philips and Oticon hearing aids. Call G-Sound in English with your hearing-aid make and model and the situations you find hardest.