I hear but I don't understand
Why speech doesn't sound clear
People mumble, speak too fast or slur their words
When people begin to lose their hearing, they invariably complain that the people around them are mumbling, speaking too fast or slurring their words. This reaction is understandable because before they started to lose their hearing, people did not seem to mumble, speak too fast or slur their words.
The first sign of hearing loss: loss of clarity
When clarity of other people's speech seems to go for whatever reason they may ascribe to it, it is often the first sign of hearing loss. Sounds can be heard coming out of their mouths but theirwords don't make sense. As a friend of mine once put it, 'They seem to be speaking a foreign language'. When other people do seem to understand it is particularly telling.
Only the profoundly deaf hear absolutely nothing or next to nothing. For most of us, the onset of hearing loss is signalled by loss of clarity of people's speech.
Loss of clarity is not necessarily due to hearing loss. It can also be caused by a blockage of some sort. One example could be ear wax but there are others - see the page on types of ear blockage.
People speak too quietly
During the early stages of hearing loss, a sign after apparent mumbling and slurring is is that people appear to be speaking too quietly - and this may be the case to some extent - although clarity can also be lost if the sound is too loud. For more information see the page on loudness and hearing loss.
Progressive loss of hearing higher pitches
For most people hearing loss is due to progressively losing the ability to hear higher pitches. This is pitch-related hearing loss which causes women's voices to be more difficult to understand than men's. For further information, see the page on pitch and hearing loss.
Can't tell direction of sounds
When hearing loss is greater in one ear than the other, the inability to pinpoint the direction of sounds together with loss of clarity makes them all merge together. This gives rise to the common problem of background noise - see the page of further information on background noise.
In practice, the causes of hearing loss are complex, and the above only considers common causes and is a simplification. The good news, though, is that digital hearing aids have come a long way towards addressing most of the problems. Where they can't, hard-of-hearing people have to find ways of coping - and that is what this website is about.
How to improve the clarity of what you hear
There is a lot that people can do for themselves to cope with hearing loss. There is also a lot that other people can do to help them - see coping strategies and helping people with hearing loss. Both pages link to further pages which explain and discuss more fully.
Disclaimer: The information on this site is for a lay
audience and I cannot be responsible for errors or omissions. The views,
strategies, advice and suggestions etc are based on my personal experience and
are not necessarily appropriate for anyone else. They should, hopefully,
stimulate individuals to develop their own strategies.