The vast majority of people with hearing loss wish they could hear better in a noisy restaurant. Why is this so difficult? It turns out there are a lot of things working against us.
First is the setting itself. The trend in restaurants lately is lots of hard reflective surfaces, an open kitchen, and piped in music. This impacts everyone. In fact, excessive noise is the #1 complaint among diners, according to both Zagat and Consumer Reports, ahead of service, crowds, or even food issues.
Secondly, the majority of permanent hearing loss is sensorineural, due to damage to the inner ear or the nerve from the ear to the brain. This makes it hard to hear parts of speech on the path from the ears to the brain. In order to understand someone speaking in noise, the speech sound needs to be much stronger than the noise. This is the “signal to noise ratio.”
The third reason is that hearing aids have limits in their abilities. Expectations run high when people invest thousands of dollars in hearing aids and services. Unfortunately, some situations exceed the capabilities, even with directional microphones and speech-in-noise programs.
Aside from delicious food, it’s conversation that is at the heart of a great dining experience. We gather there with our family and friends to relax and share stories. It’s so hard to sit and watch your friends and family laugh together when you cannot hear them. Harder still is that you pretend that you do.
Remote Mics Can Help
A few years ago, I stayed at a bed and breakfast in Washington, D.C. Picture a grand old Victorian home with a big, shiny mahogany dining table. As I sit down for breakfast, two women seated at the table greet me. As they dine, they tell me they’re from Denmark. This intrigues me right away, because my paternal great-grandparents immigrated from Denmark. I am so curious about what it’s like to live there, hoping for some insight into ancestors I never knew. After a few moments, a young couple sits down with us. They introduce themselves and say they are Ph.D. students. I wonder about their area of research and want to hear more.
Things start out fine until the conversation picks up. I feel myself strain now to catch the words as the others banter back and forth across the large table. Finally, I can no longer participate. I still sit there, yet I can no longer fully connect. Now I must switch into the familiar role where I only pretend to understand the conversation.
I have a remote microphone right in my pocket. I bought it to help me hear better in a noisy situation like this. All I have to do is put it down in the middle of the table. And I can’t do it. This is the stigma of hearing loss. It defeats us and it takes time to move beyond it.
About a year later, I again find myself at a meal with strangers. This time it is a table of 10 people. I always feel weary going into these situations, but tonight I decide to try harder. Just after we take our seats, I hold up my remote mic. Everyone listens as I explain what it is and why I need it. I expect them to feel uncomfortable, and I am so wrong.
Everyone is on board to help me, especially a nurse named Kathy. Her caring nature is so obvious as I watch her tend to my needs. She quietly passes my microphone around from person to person as they tell their tale. I cannot express how included and grateful this makes me feel. I enjoy myself so much and no longer hesitate to bring out my remote mic. Once more, I can connect.
Learn more about remote mics and keep your connection to family and friends while dining out.