After the social transformations of 2020, many of us are looking forward to the summer of 2021 when we can take part in our favorite summer activities. The COVID-19 pandemic had many of us spending nearly all of our time at home, and the coming months are an opportunity to reconnect with our loved ones and to even meet some new people. When you think about building community connections, what comes to mind? Some of us form bonds with our communities through service. Faith-based groups and non-profit organizations are an excellent way to pair our values with opportunities to make others’ lives better.
Another way to form connections is to take part in a club, hobby, or leisure activity that revolves around group membership. For instance, taking part in quilting at home can be a very relaxing hobby, but talking with other quilters is a great way to improve your skills and make new friends. Yet another way to build community connections is through public service. Whether serving on a political campaign for a candidate whose platform aligns with your values or even running for office yourself, you can connect with your community through leadership. In each of these cases, communication is a crucial aspect of participation, and those who have hearing loss can sometimes struggle to take part.
With fragmented verbal information coming to a person, the meaningful connections in language can be difficult to perceive. For this reason, the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association has devoted each May to Better Hearing and Speech Month. This year’s theme is “Building Connections,” and what better time to celebrate our many ways of connecting with others, particularly when we have treatment for hearing loss.
Volunteer Organizations
If you are eager to get involved with a faith-based or non-profit volunteer opportunity, these roles can be quite multifaceted. Ranging from assisting with menial tasks to deeply serving the emotional needs to community members, organizations need help in many different ways. One of the benefits of serving is to connect with other people who care about the same values and issues that you do. No matter the task your volunteer services need you to perform, your ability to communicate with organizational leaders and fellow volunteers hinges on hearing ability. If hearing loss is forming a barrier between your community connections, the time is now to get the treatment you need.
Leisure Organizations
Our favorite activities in our free time say a lot about our values and interests, making them a great opportunity to connect with others. When we take part in these groups, much of the enjoyment comes from talking with others about our approaches and the skills we have developed. Sharing perspectives is a great way to connect, but hearing loss can get in the way of those fluid conversations. Engaging in these groups with hearing aids can transform them from a tense struggle to communicate into a meeting of the minds.
Public Service
One of the best ways to match our deeply held values with community connections is through public service. Whether volunteering for a political campaign or even running for office, our perspectives can map onto a political platform in ways that reflect what really makes us tick. These connections between people in support of the same campaign can elevate quite quickly from casual conversation to fundamental beliefs. These connections tend to be forged through verbal communication, and those with untreated hearing loss sometimes struggle to keep up with the flow of political discourse. The good news is that treatment can restore the ability to communicate with others in public service, and our connections deepen as a result.
If you are seeing yourself in some of these anecdotes of community involvement that is hindered by hearing loss, you don’t need to stay on the path of struggle. Contacting our hearing health specialists for a hearing test can provide a thorough diagnosis of your individual needs, and we can pair you with a set of options for hearing aids that will best serve those needs. All you need to do to begin this process is to schedule your appointment, so don’t delay getting the help you need to connect with your community.