We are using more words to communicate these days without saying anything more. Let me give you an example. My husband’s voice is softer these days and he is dealing with some blurring of words. I don’t understand or catch only part of what he is saying and ask him to repeat himself. This may happen more than once before the conversation can continue. We have better luck communicating when we are in different rooms because we know we have to shout to be heard, maybe that is the answer?

I do have to admit that it is not all his problem, I am getting older and my hearing is not as good as it used to be. While his voice may be quieter, it is becoming more important that I position myself appropriately to be able to hear. I also need to pay attention when he is speaking. If my focus is split between listening and whatever else I am doing, the message can get jumbled or lost. I know he has challenges thanks to his PD diagnosis, so I need to do whatever I can to make sure we are connecting.

We used to joke about having selective hearing, tuning out those things we didn’t want to hear. Now, we are serious about focused hearing to make sure we hear everything we need to hear. I realize that we need to make a visual and auditory connection before we start talking. If I seek his attention before I speak, we connect. Then, instead of using “what did you say, can you speak up, or huh?”, we have a meaningful exchange about things that are happening in our day. Less words, less frustration, more connection, communication that works for both of us.