Contemporary cell phones have become a lot clearer and more reliable nowadays. But sometimes, it will still be challenging to hear what the individual on the other end is saying. And for people who have hearing loss, it can be particularly difficult.
Now, you may be thinking: there’s a simple solution for that, right? Can’t you make use of some hearing aids to help you hear phone conversations better? Well, that’s not… exactly… the way it works. In reality, while hearing aids can make face-to-face conversations a great deal easier to handle, there are some difficulties associated with phone-based conversations. But there are some guidelines for phone calls with hearing aids that can help you get a bit more from your next conversation.
Why phone calls and hearing aids don’t always get along
Hearing loss usually progresses gradually. Your hearing typically doesn’t just go. You have a tendency to lose bits and pieces over time. This can make it hard to even detect when you have hearing loss, particularly because your brain tries very hard to fill in the gaps with context clues and other visual information.
So when you get on a phone, all of that contextual info disappears. There’s no added information for your brain to fill in. You only hear parts and pieces of the other individual’s voice which sounds muffled and distorted.
Hearing aids can help – here’s how
This can be helped by using hearing aids. Many of those missing pieces can be filled in with hearing aids. But there are a few distinctive accessibility and communication difficulties that happen from wearing hearing aids while talking on the phone.
Feedback can happen when your hearing aids come close to a phone, for instance. This can make things hard to hear and uncomfortable.
Tips to augment the phone call experience
So what steps can be taken to help make your hearing aids work better with a phone? Well, there are several tips that the majority of hearing specialists will endorse:
- Try utilizing speakerphone to conduct most of your phone calls: This will protect against the most serious feedback. There may still be some distortion, but your phone conversation should be mostly understandable (while maybe not necessarily private). Knowing how to better hold your phone with hearing aids (that is, away from your ears) is critical, and speakerphone is how you accomplish this!
- Don’t conceal your hearing trouble from the individual you’re talking to: It’s okay to admit if you’re having difficulties! You may simply need to be a little extra patient, or you may want to consider using text, email, or video chat.
- Make use of other assistive hearing devices: Devices, including numerous text-to-type services, are available to help you hear better when you’re having phone conversations.
- You can use your Bluetooth function on your hearing aid to connect to your phone. Yes, modern hearing aids can connect to your smartphone via Bluetooth! This means that if your hearing aids are Bluetooth capable, phone calls can be streamed straight to your phone. This can eliminate feedback and make your phone calls a bit more private, so it’s a good place to begin if you’re having difficulty on your phone.
- Utilize video apps: Face-timing somebody or hopping onto a video chat can be a very good way to help you hear better. The sound won’t be louder or more clear, but at least you’ll have that visual information back. And again, this kind of contextual information will be considerably helpful.
- Find a quiet place to carry out your phone conversations. The less noise around you, the easier it will be to make out the voice of the individual you’re on the phone with. Your hearing aids will be much more efficient by decreasing background noise.
Finding the best set of solutions will depend on what you use your phone for, how often you’re on the phone, and what your overall communication needs are like. Your ability to once again enjoy phone conversations will be made possible with the correct approach.
Contact us for some help and guidance on how to best utilize your phone and hearing aids at the same time.