08 Dec Hearing Over the Holidays – Holiday Productions
Over the holiday season, many couples and families take the time out of their busy schedules to enjoy holiday plays or concerts. Whether it be Neptune’s production of “Elf”, Symphony Nova Scotia’s production of “The Nutcracker”, a local school’s holiday concert, or one of the other many shows that Halifax has to offer, attending these holiday celebrations have become tradition for many families and a source of enjoyment every year.
For the hearing impaired, the enjoyment of these events can be affected by their hearing loss. For some, frustration can start when the dialogue of the play is misunderstood. For others, fatigue can set in when listening becomes effortful. There are devices available to help the hearing impaired enjoy the rich dialogue and music of the many holiday shows.
1) Hearing Aids – The first step to hearing better for the hearing impaired is to invest in your hearing health on a daily basis by wearing hearing aids. Hearing aids can be programmed with a setting designed to help hear the best possible in a theatre setting.
2) Assistive Listening Devices – With or without hearing aids, assistive listening devices help a listener improve the signal quality by reducing background noise and/or the distance from the sound source. They are designed to be worn to help in specific settings, and not to be worn on a daily basis.
Some examples of popular venues that have devices available:
Neptune Theatre: Wireless headsets work to help you hear the dialogue more clearly. Available by request at the box office.
Rebecca Cohn (Symphony NS): Wireless headsets
Halifax Feast Dinner Theatre and Grafton Street Dinner Theatre: Preferential seating for the hearing impaired.
Empire Theatres (*certain locations only): Wireless headsets available, and Rear Window Captioning (subtitles).
Many Theatres/Churches/Concert Venues have assistive devices available for the hearing impaired. All you have to do is ask!