44
• We hear in our brain, not in our ears . It will take your
brain some time to fully adapt to the new sounds
you are hearing . It is not unusual, for example, to
hear certain sounds, such as your own footsteps, or
a newspaper rustling, or the refrigerator humming,
that people with normal hearing take for granted and
thus don’t consciously process . Be patient and allow
yourself a few weeks to adapt . Your brain will learn
to ignore them if they are not important . Of course,
if sounds are too loud or uncomfortable for you, con-
tact your hearing care professional .
• Conversational speech has many redundant cues .
Worrying about a word you may have missed will
likely lead to additional missed words . Focus on the
essence of the conversation . It may help to ask some-
one you are comfortable with to subtly alert you
about the overall topic when listening in groups .
• Before going to a restaurant, call ahead and request
a seat away from the kitchen or bar area . Remember
that in noisy places, even normal hearing people may
struggle to hear .
For more activities, training materials, and helpful com-
munication hints please go to www .widex .com .
