Modern cell phones have become a lot clearer and more dependable nowadays. But in some cases, it will still be hard to hear what the individual on the other end is saying. And for people who have hearing loss, it can be particularly challenging.
Now, you may be thinking: there’s a simple remedy for that, right? Can’t you use some hearing aids to help you understand phone conversations more clearly? Well, that isn’t… exactly… how it works. Even though hearing aids can help with conversations, with phone conversations it can be a bit more challenging. But there are some guidelines for phone calls with hearing aids that can help you get a bit more from your next conversation.
Phone calls and hearing aids don’t always work effectively together – here’s why
Hearing loss normally progresses slowly. It’s not like someone simply turns down the general volume on your ears. You have a tendency to lose bits and pieces at a time. This can make it difficult to even notice when you have hearing loss, particularly because your brain tries very hard to fill in the gaps with context clues and other visual information.
When you have phone conversations, you no longer have these visual clues. There’s no added information for your brain to work with. 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 improved by using hearing aids. Lots of those missing pieces can be filled in by using hearing aids. But there are a few unique accessibility and communication difficulties that arise from wearing hearing aids while talking on the phone.
Feedback can occur when your hearing aids come near a phone, for example. This can lead to some uncomfortable gaps in conversation because you can’t hear very well.
Tips to augment the phone call experience
So, what can you do to manage the challenges of utilizing a phone with hearing aids? Well, there are several tips that the majority of hearing specialists will suggest:
- Try to take your phone calls in a quiet spot. 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 reducing background noise.
- Utilize other assistive hearing devices: Devices, including numerous text-to-type services, are available to help you hear better when you’re having phone conversations.
- Don’t conceal your hearing problems from the individual you’re talking to: It’s all right to admit if you’re having trouble! Many people will be just fine switching the conversation to text message or email or video calls (or just being a little extra patient).
- Download a video call app: Face-timing someone or jumping 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 will have that visual information back. And this can help you put context to what’s being said.
- Connect your phone to your hearing aid using Bluetooth. Wait, can hearing aids stream to smartphones? Yes, they can! This means you’ll be capable of streaming phone calls directly 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 good place to begin if you’re having trouble on your phone.
- Switch your phone to speaker mode as often as possible: Most feedback can be prevented this way. There might still be some distortion, but your phone conversation should be mostly understandable (if not necessarily private). 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!
Finding the right set of solutions will depend on what you use your phone for, how often you’re on the phone, and what your general communication requirements are like. Your ability to once again enjoy phone conversations will be made possible with the right approach.
If you need more advice on how to utilize hearing aids with your phone, give us a call, we can help.
