Contemporary cell phones have become much clearer and more reliable nowadays. But that doesn’t mean everybody can hear you all the time. And for people who have hearing loss, it can be especially challenging.
Now, you may be thinking: there’s an easy solution for that, right? Why not use a set of hearing aids to make your phone conversations a little clearer? Well, that’s not… exactly… the way it works. It turns out that, while hearing aids can make face-to-face conversations much easier to manage, there are some challenges related to phone-based conversations. But there are a few 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 well together – here’s why
Hearing loss normally progresses gradually. Your hearing normally doesn’t just go. It tends to go a little at a time. This can make it hard to even notice when you have hearing loss, especially because your brain tries very hard to fill in the gaps with context clues and other visual information.
When you talk on the phone, you no longer have these visual clues. Your Brain doesn’t have the info it requires to fill in the blanks. There’s only a very muffled voice and you only hear bits and pieces of the range of the other person’s voice.
Hearing aids can be helpful – here’s how
This can be improved by wearing hearing aids. They’ll particularly help your ears fill in a lot of those missing pieces. But talking on the phone with hearing aids can present some accessibility issues.
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 really well.
Tips to augment the phone call experience
So what steps can be taken to help make your hearing aids function better with a phone? Most hearing specialists will recommend several tips:
- Hearing aids aren’t the only assistive hearing device you can use: Devices, including numerous text-to-type services, are available to help you hear better during phone conversations.
- Put your phone in speaker mode as frequently as you can: This will protect against the most serious feedback. There may still be a little 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 crucial, and speakerphone is how you accomplish this!
- Make use of video apps: You might have an easier time making out 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 this can help you add context to what’s being talked about.
- Try to take your phone calls in a quiet spot. It will be a lot easier to hear the voice on the other end if there’s less noise. If you control background noise during phone calls your hearing aids will work so much better.
- You can use your Bluetooth function on your hearing aid to stream to your phone. Wait, can hearing aids connect 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). If you’re having trouble using your phone with your hearing aid, a great place to begin reducing feedback would be switching to Bluetooth.
- Be sincere with the individual you’re speaking with on the phone: If phone calls are difficult for you, it’s fine to admit that! You might simply need to be a little more patient, or you may want to think about switching to text, email, or video chat.
Finding the best set of solutions will depend on what you use the phone for, how often you’re on the phone, and what your general communication needs are like. With the correct approach, you’ll have the resources you require to start enjoying those phone conversations once again.
Contact us for some help and advice on how to best use your phone and hearing aids together.