Are you finding yourself chatting less frequently on the phone because you have difficulty hearing? You can feel isolated over time due to your hearing loss. It’s not necessary to give up talking on the phone. There are ways to deal with it so you can stay in touch with the ones you love.
It’s All About Communication
With any relationship, communication is the key and the same goes for your phone. What can be done to make things better is the important question.
- If the volume is already on high, have you tried an accessory like headphones or a Bluetooth? It’s a fairly inexpensive way to improve the sound quality on the phone, and that might be all you need.
- Are the voices hard to hear? Look to make sure the volume is all the way up on the phone.
- Have you had an ear exam? Your hearing loss might not be permanent so it’s important to get a correct diagnosis. Basic things such as earwax buildup or an ear infection will cause temporary hearing loss.
If you’ve already looked at at the most obvious problems and have ruled them out, it will be time to think about more in depth solutions.
There’s an App For That
You will really have a choice between several apps. There are some pretty cool apps that will get you comfortable being back on your phone.
Some apps turn what the other person says to text you can read. These apps don’t all work perfectly but they can be very helpful. Brands to look up include:
Most voice to text apps are affordably priced even though not all are free.
Phones Made For The Hard of Hearing
Some phones work the same way as an app for those looking for a landline solution. By amplifying the sound an the other end, they make it less difficult to hear. High pitched sounds on the other end become clearer because they can equalize the sound.
A captioning phone is yet another option. You need to have a special phone that has a screen if you want to take advantage of the captioning service. Captioning works with a third party operator that either repeats the spoken words so speech recognition software can translate them into text or types them right into the system. The words are then displayed on the captioning phone’s screen. You will require the internet to use a captioning service.
Text-to-Voice Teletype (TTY) is an old-school phone system that is still available and works similarly to the captioning phone. However, it does require a separate device to display the text.
Hearing Aids Are The Best Way To Go
Newer hearing aids don’t feedback every time they get close to a phone like the old ones did. The current technology can work with a hearing aid compatible phone to improve the sound quality and remove interference like background noise. The best thing is these wireless hearing aids still work even when you’re not on the phone.
Modern, quality hearing aids can also have a more advanced program that allows them to be compatible with nearly any phone whether it’s a landline or smartphone. The technology functions by holding the hearing device up to the phone and streaming the sound from the one to the other.
Bluetooth compatibility is also a standard feature of today’s hearing aid tech. You pair the phone up with the hearing aids exactly the same as you would with wireless headphones or earbuds. The sound goes right to your hearing aids when it rings.
There isn’t any reason to allow hearing loss ruin a perfectly good relationship. Do what you must to make up with your phone, and start talking again. You can check out the newest hearing aid technology by making an appointment with a hearing care specialist.
