Contemporary cell phones have become a lot clearer and more dependable nowadays. But sometimes, it will still be challenging to hear what the person on the other end is saying. In fact, there’s one population for whom phone conversations aren’t always a reliable experience: those with hearing loss.
There must be an easy fix for that, right? Can’t you make use of some hearing aids to help you understand phone conversations more clearly? Well, that isn’t… exactly… how it works. Even though hearing aids do help with conversations, with phone conversations it can be a little more challenging. But there are certainly a few things you can do to make your phone conversations more successful.
Why hearing aids and phone calls don’t always play nice
Hearing loss usually isn’t immediate. Your hearing typically doesn’t just go. It has a tendency to go in bits and pieces. It’s likely that you won’t even detect you have hearing loss and your brain will try to utilize contextual and visual clues to compensate.
So when you get on a phone, all of that contextual info is gone. Your Brain lacks the information it requires to fill in the blanks. You only hear parts and pieces of the other individual’s voice which sounds muffled and distorted.
Hearing aids can be helpful – here’s how
Hearing aids can help with this. Many of those missing pieces can be filled in by using hearing aids. But talking on the phone while wearing hearing aids can present some accessibility problems.
Feedback can occur when your hearing aids come close to a phone, for instance. This can result in some uncomfortable gaps in conversation because you can’t hear really well.
Bettering your ability to hear phone conversations
So, what can you do to control the difficulties of using a phone with hearing aids? Most hearing specialists will suggest several tips:
- Switch your phone to speaker mode as often as possible: This will counter the most serious feedback. Your phone conversations might not be very private, but even though there still might be some distortion, you should be able to better understand the voice on the other end. Knowing how to hold the phone better with hearing aids (that is, away from your ears) is crucial, and speakerphone is how you accomplish this!
- Hearing aids aren’t the only assistive hearing device you can use: There are other assistive devices and services that can help you hear better when you’re having a phone conversation (and this includes numerous text-to-type services).
- Don’t conceal your hearing trouble from the individual you’re speaking with: It’s ok to admit if you’re having trouble! Many individuals will be fine transferring the discussion to text message or email or video calls (or simply being a little extra patient).
- You can utilize your Bluetooth function on your hearing aid to stream to your phone. Yes, contemporary hearing aids can stream to your smartphone via Bluetooth! This means you’ll be capable of streaming phone calls directly to your hearing aids (if your hearing aids are Bluetooth capable). If you’re having difficulty using your phone with your hearing aid, a good place to start getting rid of feedback would be switching to Bluetooth.
- Make use of video apps: Face-timing someone or hopping onto a video chat can be a very good way to help you hear better. It’s not that the sound quality is magically better, it’s that your brain has use of all of that fantastic visual information again. And once more, this kind of contextual information will be substantially helpful.
- Find a quiet place to carry out your phone calls. It will be a lot easier to hear the voice on the other end if there’s less noise. Your hearing aids will be much more efficient by decreasing background noise.
Finding the correct set of solutions will depend on what you use the phone for, how frequently you’re on the phone, and what your overall communication requirements are like. With the right approach, you’ll have the resources you require to begin enjoying those phone conversations again.
Contact us for some help and guidance on how to best utilize your phone and hearing aids together.
