Isn’t it always better to speak louder to someone with hearing loss?
No. Many hard of hearing people report that they can “hear” but cannot understand the words people are saying because they may have a high frequency hearing loss and can no longer hear consonants, which are the keys to clearly understanding speech. (Words such as blue, shoe, true and too all sound like “oo” to a person with a pronounced high frequency hearing loss). Often, shouting only serves to distort the sound of your voice and makes it even more difficult for a hard of hearing person to understand what is being said. Enunciating without over-exaggerating mouth movement is often more effective than shouting at a person with hearing loss.
