Nowadays, the cellular phone network is a lot more dependable (and there’s a lot less static involved). But sometimes, it will still be hard to hear what the person on the other end is saying. And for individuals who have hearing loss, it can be particularly difficult.
Now, you may be thinking: there’s an easy fix for that, right? Why not utilize a pair of hearing aids to make your phone conversations a bit easier? Well, that isn’t… exactly… the way it works. Even though hearing aids do help with conversations, with phone conversations it can be a little more challenging. But there are a few tips for phone calls with hearing aids that can help you get a little more out of your next conversation.
Phone calls and hearing aids don’t always work well together – here’s why
Hearing loss typically advances gradually. Your hearing normally doesn’t just go. It tends to go a little at a time. It’s likely that you won’t even notice you have hearing loss and your brain will attempt to use contextual and visual clues to compensate.
When you talk on the phone, you no longer have these visual clues. Your Brain lacks the info it needs to fill in the blanks. You only hear parts and pieces of the other person’s voice which sounds muffled and distorted.
How hearing aids can be helpful
Hearing aids will help with this. Lots of those missing pieces can be filled in by using hearing aids. But talking on the phone with hearing aids can present some accessibility issues.
Feedback can occur when your hearing aids come close to a phone, for instance. This can make things difficult to hear and uncomfortable.
Bettering your ability to hear phone conversations
So what steps can be taken to help make your hearing aids work better with a phone? Well, there are a few tips that the majority of hearing specialists will suggest:
- Stream your phone to your hearing aid via Bluetooth. Wait, can hearing aids stream to smartphones? Yes, they can! This means you’ll be able to stream phone calls right to your hearing aids (if your hearing aids are Bluetooth capable). This can eliminate feedback and make your phone calls a bit more private, so it’s a practical place to start if you’re having trouble on your phone.
- Don’t conceal your hearing trouble from the person you’re talking to: If phone calls are hard for you, it’s okay to admit that! Many people will be just fine transferring the discussion to text message or email or video calls (or simply being a little extra patient).
- Find a quiet setting to conduct your phone conversations. It will be much easier to hear the voice on the other end if there’s less background sound. Your hearing aids will be much more efficient by decreasing background noise.
- Make use of video apps: You may have an easier time distinguishing phone conversations on a video call. It’s not that the sound quality is somehow better, it’s that your brain has use of all of that fantastic visual information again. And again, this kind of contextual information will be substantially helpful.
- Use other assistive hearing devices: Devices, including numerous text-to-type services, are available to help you hear better when you’re having phone conversations.
- Consider utilizing speakerphone to carry out the majority of your phone calls: Most feedback can be avoided this way. Your phone conversations might not be particularly private, but even though there still may 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 essential, and speakerphone is how you accomplish this!
Depending on your general hearing needs, how frequently you use the phone, and what you use your phone for, the appropriate set of solutions will be accessible. With the right approach, you’ll have the resources you need to begin enjoying those phone conversations once again.
Call us for some help and guidance on how to best utilize your phone and hearing aids at the same time.