Contemporary cell phones have become a lot clearer and more dependable nowadays. But in some cases, it will still be difficult to hear what the individual on the other end is saying. And for individuals who have hearing loss, it can be particularly difficult.
There must be an easy solution for that, right? Can’t you make use of some hearing aids to help you understand phone conversations more clearly? Actually, it doesn’t work precisely like that. It turns out that, while hearing aids can make in person conversations much easier to manage, there are some difficulties related to phone-based conversations. But there are definitely some things you can do to make your phone conversations more successful.
Phone calls and hearing aids don’t always work well together – here’s why
Hearing loss usually progresses gradually. Your hearing normally doesn’t just go. It has a tendency 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 utilize contextual and visual clues to compensate.
So when you get on a phone, all of that contextual data is gone. Your Brain lacks the info it requires to fill in the blanks. There’s only a really muffled voice and you only hear bits and pieces of the spectrum of the other individual’s voice.
How hearing aids can help
This can be improved by using hearing aids. Lots of those missing pieces can be filled in by using hearing aids. But there are some unique accessibility and communication troubles that occur from using hearing aids while talking on the phone.
For instance, placing your hearing aids next to a phone speaker can produce some harsh speaker-to-speaker interference. This can lead to some uncomfortable gaps in conversation because you can’t hear that well.
Tips to augment the phone call experience
So, what can you do to address the challenges of utilizing a phone with hearing aids? Well, there are several tips that most hearing specialists will advocate:
- Utilize other assistive hearing devices: Devices, including numerous text-to-type services, are available to help you hear better during phone conversations.
- Don’t conceal your hearing problems from the person you’re talking to: If phone calls are difficult for you, it’s okay to admit that! You may just need to be a little more patient, or you might want to think about using text, email, or video chat.
- Try to take your phone calls in a quiet spot. The less noise around you, the easier it will be to make out the voice of the individual you’re speaking with. Your hearing aids will be much more efficient by lowering background noise.
- Consider utilizing speakerphone to carry out the majority of your phone conversations: This will counter the most serious feedback. There may still be a little distortion, but your phone conversation should be mostly understandable (if not necessarily private). Knowing how to better hold your phone with hearing aids (that is, away from your ears) is essential, and speakerphone is how you achieve this!
- Download a video call app: You may have an easier time making out phone conversations on a video call. It’s not that the sound quality is magically better, it’s that your brain has use of all of that amazing visual information again. And again, this type of contextual information will be substantially helpful.
- You can use your Bluetooth function on your hearing aid to connect to your phone. Wait, can hearing aids connect to smartphones? Yes, they can! This means that if your hearing aids are Bluetooth capable, phone calls can be streamed straight to your phone. If you’re having trouble using your phone with your hearing aid, a great place to begin eliminating feedback would be switching to Bluetooth.
Depending on your overall hearing needs, how often you use the phone, and what you use your phone for, the appropriate set of solutions will be available. 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.