Oh! I *thought* you said.....
Please allow me to vent for a moment.
We used to talk for hours. But the older we get, the worse his hearing gets. Now he can't hear me half the time. (He's been tested and so I know it's not selective hearing.) He has a hearing amplifier but doesn't like to wear it all the time. So he guesses at what he thinks I said and gets it wrong all the time. There is no active listening and repeating what he heard me say. He is embarrassed that he can't hear me and won't admit it. I am getting tired of raising my voice at him so he can hear me. (Especially in public. All I imagine is everyone around us wondering why I am yelling at him.) And we are both guilty of not giving each other our full attention, talking with our backs turned or from another room, and that makes it even worse.
The most important thing in any relationship is communication. And ours is shot! It is affecting everything else. (And there seems to be more and more of the everything else lately.)
I don't know what to do.
@StillStanding68
Oh damn it can be so hard to communicate like this
I get you on communication being important and you guys being unable to do it well because of a very valid reason
What usually works for you while talking with him?
@Optimisticempath
I have to make sure I have his undivided attention and he has to have his amplifier in. Then the communication works. It's a struggle.
That sounds really hard and frustrating. I wonder why he doesn't like wearing the hearing amplifier and if it just isn't comfortable.
@Princesspearl1
I think he is embarrassed by it and it may be slightly uncomfortable. Mostly, he can't control external volume. It's good for talking but too loud for a TV, a vacuum, dog barking, etc.
It's an inexpensive hearing amplifier for $100ish. We can't afford the $5000 ones and insurance won't cover.
Better than nothing.