Contemporary cell phones have become a lot clearer and more reliable nowadays. But in some cases, it will still be hard to hear what the person on the other end is saying. And for individuals who have hearing loss, it can be especially challenging.
There must be a simple fix for that, right? Why not utilize a set of hearing aids to make your phone conversations a bit clearer? Well, that’s not… exactly… how it works. It turns out that, while hearing aids can make face-to-face conversations a lot easier to handle, there are some difficulties associated with phone-based conversations. But there are certainly a few things you can do to make your phone calls more successful.
Why phone calls and hearing aids don’t always play nice
Hearing loss normally progresses gradually. It’s not like somebody just turns down the general volume on your ears. 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.
When you talk on the phone, you no longer have these visual hints. There’s no added information for your brain to work with. There’s only a really muffled voice and you only hear bits and pieces of the spectrum of the other person’s voice.
How hearing aids can be helpful
Hearing aids can help with this. Lots of those missing pieces can be filled in by using hearing aids. But there are a few distinctive accessibility and communication challenges that happen from using hearing aids while talking on the phone.
For example, placing your hearing aids next to a phone speaker can cause some harsh speaker-to-speaker interference. This can lead to some awkward gaps in conversation because you can’t hear that well.
Tips to improve the phone call experience
So, what can you do to overcome the obstacles of utilizing a phone with hearing aids? Well, there are a few tips that the majority of hearing specialists will recommend:
- You can use your Bluetooth function on your hearing aid to connect to your phone. Wait, can hearing aids stream 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 enabled). If you’re having trouble using your phone with your hearing aid, a good place to begin reducing feedback would be switching to Bluetooth.
- Don’t conceal your hearing problems from the individual you’re speaking with: It’s okay to admit if you’re having difficulty! You might simply need to be a little extra patient, or you might want to think about switching to text, email, or video chat.
- Try to take your phone calls in a quiet spot. The less noise near you, the easier it will be to make out the voice of the individual you’re speaking with. If you control background noise during phone conversations your hearing aids will work so much better.
- Put your phone in speaker mode as often as possible: This will prevent the most severe feedback. There may still be a little distortion, but your phone conversation should be mostly understandable (if not necessarily private). The best way to keep your phone and your hearing aid apart is by switching to speakerphone.
- Download a video call app: You may have an easier time distinguishing phone conversations on a video call. It’s not that the sound quality is somehow better, it’s that your brain has access to all of that amazing visual information again. And once more, this kind of contextual information will be considerably helpful.
- 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 when you’re having phone conversations.
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. With the right approach, you’ll have the tools you need to begin enjoying those phone conversations again.
If you need more advice on how to use hearing aids with your phone, give us a call, we can help.
