These days, the mobile phone network is a great deal more dependable (and there’s a lot less static involved). But that doesn’t mean everyone can hear you all the time. And for people who have hearing loss, it can be particularly difficult.
Now, you may be thinking: there’s an easy fix for that, right? Why not use a pair of hearing aids to make your phone conversations a bit easier? Well, that’s not… exactly… the way it works. Even though hearing aids do help with conversations, with phone conversations it can be a little more difficult. But there are some guidelines for phone calls with hearing aids that can help you get a bit 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 typically doesn’t just go. You tend to lose bits and pieces over time. It’s likely that you won’t even detect you have hearing loss and your brain will attempt to utilize contextual and visual clues to compensate.
So when you get on the phone, all of that contextual data is gone. Your Brain doesn’t have the information it requires to fill in the blanks. You only hear parts and pieces of the other person’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 talking on the phone with hearing aids can present some accessibility issues.
For example, placing your hearing aids next to a phone speaker can cause some harsh speaker-to-speaker interference. This can make things hard to hear and uncomfortable.
Tips to improve the phone call experience
So, what can you do to address the obstacles of using a phone with hearing aids? the majority of hearing specialists will endorse a few tips:
- Put your phone in speaker mode as frequently as possible: This will protect against the most serious feedback. There may still be some distortion, but your phone call should be mostly understandable (while maybe not necessarily private). The best way to keep your phone and your hearing aid apart is by switching to speakerphone.
- Find a quiet location 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.
- Hearing aids aren’t the only assistive hearing device you can get: Devices, including numerous text-to-type services, are available to help you hear better when you’re having phone conversations.
- Use video apps: You might have an easier time distinguishing phone conversations on a video call. The sound won’t be louder or clearer, but at least you’ll have that visual information back. And again, this kind of contextual information will be substantially helpful.
- Don’t conceal your hearing problems from the individual you’re talking to: It’s okay to admit if you’re having difficulties! You might simply need to be a little extra patient, or you may want to consider using text, email, or video chat.
- Connect your phone to your hearing aid using Bluetooth. Wait, can hearing aids connect to smartphones? Yes, they can! This means you’ll be capable of streaming phone calls right to your hearing aids (if your hearing aids are Bluetooth enabled). If you’re having trouble using your phone with your hearing aid, a great place to start eliminating feedback would be switching to Bluetooth.
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 overall communication requirements are like. With the correct approach, you’ll have the resources you need to begin enjoying those phone conversations once again.
If you need more advice on how to use hearing aids with your phone, give us a call, we can help.
