Don’t let your hearing loss prevent you from celebrating love this Valentine’s Day. A romantic dinner out with your partner is no longer out of the question if you follow these simple tips:
- Choose the right restaurant – there are countless places to eat in Ventura Country and Conejo Valley. Try to pick one that has carpeting and wider spaced tables, covered in fabric tablecloths. These soft fabrics help absorb sounds and the table spacing helps prevent commotion, common in a busy restaurant.
- Select the time – choosing the time you eat is just as important as deciding where you eat. Avoid the lunch and dinner rush and instead, make a reservation for a time when the restaurant is empty, such as 4:30pm.
- Choose the right seat at the table – if at all possible, you should try to sit with your back against a wall. This will help prevent background noise from interfering in your conversation. You should also try to sit as far away from the busy areas, like the hostess desk and the kitchen. Fortunately, if you eat at a slow time in the day there will be plenty of open tables.
- Select what to eat – when you arrive, request a printed list of the day’s specials. If the specials are not already written down, just explain your hearing difficulties. The staff will work to provide you with a list before your meal.
If an intimate home cooked meal is more of your style, never fear. We have some tips for that too:
- Choose the right music – turn down (or off) the romantic music, at least during the meal. This just leads to additional background noise that needs to get filtered out.
- Select the right decorations – remove candles and centerpieces from the table, while beautiful, they add unnecessary obstacles for those that relay on lip reading.
- Choose the right meal – plan your meal out to ensure everything is ready at the same time. This will help prevent you from trying to have a conversation while moving around the kitchen.
Your hearing loss should never prevent you doing things, especially showing your loved ones how much they mean to you. Contact our office at (805) 449-2380 to learn how you can live well with hearing loss.