Working with Hearing Loss
Today in America, there are about 48 million people dealing with some type of hearing loss. For those in the workforce, hearing loss can create communication issues that can slow down productivity, affect the path of their careers, and even cause mental health problems. Fortunately, it doesn’t have to be that way! By keeping a few things in mind, you can reduce the stress of trying to do your job while negotiating with hearing loss.Ask for Reasonable Accommodations
The Americans with Disabilities Act ensures that employers must make reasonable accommodations for employees with all kinds of disabilities, including hearing loss. Talk to your employer about what you need to do your job most effectively. It could be as simple as having a microphone at the table during meetings, sitting closer to a visiting speaker, or moving your desk away from noisy workplace appliances. It can be crucial to make sure that people talk in turns, and a meeting moderator who knows that you have hearing loss will be able to remind everyone to do that. You might also ask that meetings take place at a round table, or another situation that allows you to see everyone’s face when they speak. If one conference room tends to be noisier than another (for example, if it’s closer to the kitchen), you can ask to hold meetings in a quieter space. Whatever you can think of to ease communication between you and your coworkers is worth trying out!Disclose Your Hearing Loss
In order to take advantage of the protections offered by the ADA, your employer needs to know that you have hearing loss. Your coworkers can also participate in facilitating your work as long as they, too, know about your hearing loss. Positive, forthright, polite disclosure helps everybody to understand the little steps they can take to make sure you’re included in the conversation. If you’re having trouble hearing someone, you can say, “I’m having trouble hearing you with my hearing loss. Can you please face me when you speak and talk a bit more slowly?” Once your workmates understand what they can do to help, most of them will start doing it automatically whenever you speak with them.Prepare in Advance
While everyone benefits from advance preparation, it can be especially helpful for those of us with hearing loss. You’ll be able to follow along much better in meetings if you know the agenda in advance, so ask to have it emailed to you prior to the event. It may also be helpful to have a notetaker present, who can provide you with the minutes afterward in case you need to revisit something.Use Assistive Technology
If you meet in larger groups, it can be a lot harder to hear than in smaller discussions where everyone can be physically nearer to each other. In larger conference rooms, a loop system can be helpful. Members of the group each have a microphone, which is sent to an amplifier that feeds a loop of wire that surrounds the room. The audio signal can then be picked up by a receiver, or a set of hearing aids with T-coil capability. A similar but more transportable option could be an FM system. Talk to your employer about obtaining these technologies. Other technologies can translate spoken words into text, like Computer Assisted Real Time Transcription (CART). Choosing to email when possible, rather than call or stop by a coworker’s office, can also be helpful. Video calls might be more beneficial than phone calls, so you can see the other person’s face. Lean in to the technology around you!Try Hearing Aids
Even if you’ve tried them before and didn’t find them useful, you’d be surprised how much the technology has advanced in the last few years. Most hearing aid manufacturers offer a trial period, so don’t be afraid to give them another shot! Current models of hearing aids can do a very good job of distinguishing between speech and background noise, and even altering their program automatically as you move through different environments. If discretion is a concern for you, hearing aids are available that are invisible or nearly invisible. Don’t let hearing loss affect your performance at work. Try out a set of hearing aids today and see just how great life can sound!
Avoiding Hearing Tests Could Make the Problem Much Worse
When you go to a doctor for a checkup, they usually don’t give you a hearing screening. We make regular visits to the medical doctor, the eye doctor, and the dentist—but not to the audiologist. Yet, in a recent AARP poll, 75% of respondents said their hearing health was extremely important or very important to them. Clearly, there is a mismatch between the importance that Americans place on their hearing and the amount of attention we give to it.Regular Hearing Tests
The Better Hearing Institute and ASHA (The American Speech-Language-Hearing Association), both non-profits, suggest that a person should receive a hearing test once every decade until age 50, and once every three years after that. Those in higher-risk professions, or who are at a higher risk for hearing loss due to medical or family histories, should be tested even more frequently. Likewise, if you are an avid gun enthusiast, woodworker, musician, or otherwise spend a lot of time in high-noise environments, hearing testing should be a regular priority.How Hearing Tests Help You Stay Healthier
Hearing screenings (quick checkups to make sure you do not have hearing loss) and hearing tests allow you to keep better track of your hearing health over time. You can identify that you are starting to show early signs of hearing loss while you are still well within the range of normal hearing. If these signs appear, it’s an indication that you need to do a better job of protecting your ears in high-decibel-level situations, and perhaps take additional steps to reduce your modifiable risk factors for hearing loss. Some steps you can take that have been shown to reduce the risk of hearing loss include:- Protect Your Ears – Any time the ambient sound is at or above 85 dBA (decibels A-weighted), protect your ears or move to a safe distance.
- Turn Down the Earbuds – It can be hard to tell just how loud our headphones or earbuds are effectively presenting sound to our ears. As a rule of thumb, set the volume just loud enough to be able to listen comfortably. The maximum volume on most any personal listening device will cause permanent hearing loss in a relatively short amount of listening time!
- Quit Smoking – Your risk of hearing loss goes up significantly in proportion to how many cigarettes you smoke per day. Of course, quitting smoking has numerous health benefits, but it should also be noted that smoking greatly increases your risk of hearing loss.
- Eat Healthily – A study by Brigham and Women’s Hospital found that those who closely followed an anti-inflammatory diet—high in vegetables, fruits, legumes, and olive oil; and low in red and processed meats—were dramatically less likely to experience hearing loss over a four-year period around age 60.
- Exercise – Get that blood flowing! Aerobic exercise, even just walking regularly, has been shown to increase blood flow and help provide necessary oxygen and nutrients to the tiny cells responsible for your hearing ability.
Some Hearing Loss May Be Unavoidable
While these are important things to do to minimize your risk for hearing loss, it may still be the case that you experience hearing loss in the course of your life. Researchers at the Stanford Initiative to Cure Hearing Loss have found that there is a genetic component to every kind of hearing loss, but genes are not the whole story. It’s better to have moderate hearing loss than profound hearing loss, and your lifestyle and use of hearing protection can make all the difference. If you do have hearing loss, it’s best to start wearing hearing aids sooner than later. Even with mild hearing loss, people report memory issues, “tuning out,” and struggle with early fatigue in social situations. As hearing loss progresses, deeper issues such as brain atrophy will commonly develop. It’s really true that you need to “use it or lose it” when it comes to your brain’s ability to hear. A good set of hearing aids can make up the difference and prevent hearing loss from taking over your life. If you or a loved one is having issues with hearing loss, or if you’re due for a hearing test, make an appointment today. Start keeping track of your hearing health and make sure you’ve got the tools necessary to promote your best health and well-being!
Addressing Hearing Loss May Improve Care of Older Adults
Those with hearing loss know how difficult it can be to communicate when there is a lot of background noise. Most have been in a restaurant or public space when noise levels were high, and communication became difficult or impossible. While hearing aids have advanced a lot in terms of their capabilities, it’s not always the case that we have them on hand. Nowhere is this more problematic than in the hospital, where noises swirl in the air while doctors try to communicate with patients about what is happening to them. Unfortunately, it isn’t always the case that a person is wearing their hearing aids when a medical emergency arises, and in many cases medical staff will remove hearing aids while administering to them. Even worse, some patients have hearing loss but do not wear hearing aids. Indeed, those who fare the worst in a hospital environment tend to be lower-income patients without access to the hearing aids that would help them to navigate the hospital environment better.Studies On Communication Issues in Hospitals
A study from New York University in New York City found that those who self-reported having difficulty communicating with doctors while hospitalized were 32% more likely to return to the hospital within one month. The study included 4,436 patients, aged 65 and older, who were admitted to the hospital at least once between 2010 and 2013. By their own assessment, 12% of individuals said they had a hard time hearing what their doctors and other medical staff were saying. These tended to be older patients of lower socioeconomic status. The phenomenon has been noted in the course of other studies, as well. Communication difficulties also tend to be associated with greater health concerns generally, and a poorer self-reported rating of health. It’s difficult for hospital staff to communicate with patients who are hard of hearing, especially when these patients are in denial about hearing loss. The louder the staff raises their voice, the more they’re likely to distort and increase discomfort while remaining misunderstood. A doctor raising their voice can also sometimes violate HIPAA’s privacy standards.Hearing Loss Is a Two-Way Street
It’s clear that we all need to do as much as we can to ensure that hearing or other communication is a realistic possibility for those who don’t know sign language. On the part of hospital staff, a note on a patient’s chart and a sign on their bed indicating hearing impairment could go a long way. Simply ensuring that doctors and staff are aware of hearing loss can help guard against miscommunication. Unfortunately, some patients pretend to hear when they actually can’t. It can be hard to identify these patients as having hearing loss, which can tragically result in insufficient treatment. While the stigma associated with hearing loss is definitely on the decline, it can still be a major impediment to some patients receiving the care they need while hospitalized. We all need to understand that hearing loss is not a scarlet letter, but a fact of life for most of us as we age. About one-third of Americans between age 65–74 have hearing loss, and two-thirds of those over 75 have it. Nearly 100% of centenarians have hearing loss, suggesting we’ll all have hearing loss if we live long enough. If you have hearing loss, addressing it directly is the best way to ensure that you have not only the care you need should you need to enter the hospital, but that you can feel as free and confident as you did before hearing loss became an issue.Hearing Aids Can Help
Hearing aids are not only the best existing treatment for hearing loss—they’re better than ever. For those who have access to them, hearing aids are available in a variety of types to suit every lifestyle. Everyone has different priorities with their hearing, so talking to your hearing care professional can go a long way toward ensuring that you get the hearing aids that will work best for you. Hearing aids today connect to smartphones and other devices, automatically reduce background noise, assist with spatial awareness, and generally do a better job than ever before at improving the lives of those with hearing issues. If you or a loved one may have hearing loss, make an appointment for a hearing test today and find out if hearing aids are right for you. Join the millions of people who are living life to the fullest with the help of a good set of hearing aids!
Facts & Fictions about Hearing Loss
For most of history, hearing loss came with a stigma. Hearing loss was associated with getting old, and hearing aids were crude devices that old people used to try to hear what little they could pick up. Nowadays, stars and important people like Bill Clinton, Herbie Hancock, Rob Lowe and Jodie Foster sport their state-of-the-art hearing aids at public events and talk openly about dealing with hearing loss. The stigma has more or less disappeared, and the rise of “hearables” has put what are effectively assistive listening devices in the ears of just about everyone. Far from indicating enfeeblement, hearing aids keep us in the conversation and allow us to live much the same as we did before hearing loss became an issue. Today, let’s debunk a few of the common myths about hearing loss.Hearing Loss Only Affects Old People
Actually, of the 48 million Americans affected by hearing loss, 40% are younger than 60. While hearing loss does tend to come on more steadily with age, many of the people dealing with it are younger than you would think.I Shouldn’t Have Gone to Those Rock Concerts
Rock concerts definitely don’t improve hearing, but there are lots of factors that go into why a person develops hearing loss. Genes, the normal aging process, ototoxic medications and herbs, smoking, diabetes, and even a typical American diet can contribute to hearing loss. Researchers at the Stanford Initiative to Cure Hearing Loss (SICHL) say that even noise-induced hearing loss, the kind from those rock concerts, has a genetic element to how much it affects a person’s hearing ability. And a study at Brigham and Women’s Hospital found that those who kept to an anti-inflammatory diet—such as the Alternate Mediterranean Diet (AMED) or Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH)—had a significantly reduced risk of hearing loss over a four-year period than those who ate other fares. If you enjoy music, you should go for it! But make sure to protect your ears with a good set of earplugs that can handle the decibel level of the concerts you’re attending!I Could Understand Everyone If They’d Just Talk Louder
It’s easy to imagine that this is the case, but it’s probably not true. The louder people talk, the more they’re likely to distort the mechanical path that sound takes on its way to your ears, which will end up distorting what they’re saying anyway. Modern hearing aids are excellent at targeting just the frequencies you need to get a boost at, while minimizing background noise and emphasizing speech. Fitment is usually an ongoing process, but it’s likely that you’ll arrive at a program that works for you and actually makes speech more intelligible if you keep working with your hearing care provider.I Know I Have Hearing Loss, But It’s Not That Bad Yet
Even mild hearing loss is known to cause problems in a person’s lifestyle, relationships, and memory retention. Additionally, changes start to take place in the brain that will make it more difficult to adjust to hearing aids later on. It’s common for people to actually “forget” how to hear speech, which is why many hearing care providers offer training courses for those new to hearing aids. Don’t worry: if you’ve been needing hearing aids for some time, you can still “relearn” to hear speech, but it’s easier to adjust to hearing aids if you never forgot in the first place! The best time to get hearing aids is when a hearing care professional recommends them. If you’re noticing any hearing trouble, make an appointment for a hearing test and find out if you’re a good candidate for hearing aids.Hearing Aids Don’t Make a Big Difference
On the contrary! 95% of people who get hearing aids say they’re satisfied with them, when asked after one year. Studies have found that those who get hearing aids report improvement in social relationships and at work, and even make more money than those with untreated hearing loss. People with hearing aids tend to feel better about themselves and more confident than those who don’t treat their hearing loss, and they even report a greater sense of optimism about their lives and the world in general. Hearing aids make a whole world of difference! If you or a loved one might be in need of hearing aids, make an appointment for a hearing test today and find out what they can do for you!
Things People with Hearing Loss Wish You Knew
Hearing loss is something that affects tens of millions of Americans every day. It can be a frustrating situation that makes communication more difficult between friends and family alike, and can have a huge impact on everyone involved. As an invisible problem, it’s sometimes hard for normal-hearing people to understand how to appropriately empathize with those of us who have hearing loss, but not to worry! Here are a few misunderstandings that people with hearing loss have noticed others having, and how to correct them.Hearing Loss Is Tiring
People with normal hearing understand speech nearly automatically: their brains do all the work behind the scenes to hear sound, identify speech, and transport it to short-term memory. For those of us with hearing loss, things work a little differently. Some sounds make it through, but we need to play a kind of guessing game to determine all of what’s being said. This takes work! We have to lean on context clues to try to make sense of mushy consonant sounds. All of this has to take place while the conversation moves forward, so our brains get tired much faster than normal. You can help us out by enunciating clearly, facing us when you speak, inserting some short pauses between your words, and stopping periodically to ask if we’re catching what you’re saying.We’re Not Rude or Slow
Sometimes we might not hear you speaking to us, especially if you’re saying it from behind us or from another room. We’re not trying to ignore you! Similarly, if we get something wrong or respond to a question other than the one you asked, it’s simply because we didn’t hear everything and we came up with different words than you said. This happens between normal-hearing people, too, but we might do it a little more often. Make sure you have our attention before you start talking. Say our name or touch us gently on the arm to get our attention, and make sure we’re facing each other before you talk. If we get something wrong or can’t hear you properly, you don’t have to shout. You might wish to speak a little louder, but don’t yell (that only makes your voice distort).Hearing Aids Aren’t the Same as Glasses
Glasses take the blurry world and make it crisp and clear, exactly the same as if you had normal vision. Our sense of hearing works a little differently. While some people are able to hear just about normally with hearing aids, some hearing loss is profound enough that not all the sound can get through no matter how loud it is. Hearing aids can also sometimes have difficulty with significant dynamic changes, so when your voice is sometimes yelling and sometimes soft it can be very difficult to track, or even painful. If we’re wearing hearing aids, you don’t have to talk louder than normal, but clear enunciation and more frequent pauses are always appreciated.Let Us Speak for Ourselves
Sometimes people think they’re being helpful by answering questions for us, trying to speed things along. While it may be necessary to repeat things once or twice, always let us answer for ourselves. It makes us feel very helpless when we’re not allowed to speak on our own behalf! Please give us the time to understand.Keep Simple Tricks in Mind
As mentioned above, there are small ways you can modify your speech to make yourself more understandable to us. Get our attention, face us when you speak, and keep your lips visible whenever possible. We’re doing our best to hear you, so try to meet us halfway!Hearing Aids Are Important
If you or a loved one is dealing with hearing loss, hearing aids are an important tool in keeping the lines of communication open! Modern hearing aids can help a lot with reducing background noise and favoring speech, and even improving spatial awareness. They may not restore hearing to normal, but they can make a huge, positive difference in the way we hear and perceive the world. Make an appointment today to get a hearing test and find out if hearing aids are right for you. Those who get hearing aids today say they’re satisfied with them at a rate of 95%! Try out a set today and feel what it’s like to hear the world again!
How Treating Hearing Loss Improves Your Relationships
Have you noticed a change in your relationships lately? Maybe you don’t talk to your partner as much as you used to, or it’s harder to carry on a conversation with your children or grandchildren. Are you staying home instead of attending social gatherings, or spending less time with friends? Have people told you that you might have a hearing problem? If you’re answering “yes” to any of these questions, it could be that hearing loss is starting to impact your life. Usually, the first person to notice our hearing loss is not us, but someone we know. Maybe they’re hearing something that we can’t, or they’re noticing that we’re missing more of what they say. If it sounds to us like everyone is mumbling, it could be that we have mild to moderate hearing loss, where especially high-frequency sounds don’t come through as clearly as they used to.Hearing Loss Is Common
While it can be difficult to accept that hearing loss is happening, there can be comfort in knowing that it is incredibly widespread. About 48 million Americans are living with some form of hearing loss. About one-third of people aged 60–69 have hearing loss, and the fraction jumps to two-thirds for those over 70. Nearly 100% of centenarians have hearing loss, suggesting that it will happen to all of us if we only live long enough.Regular Hearing Tests
The most important step to take, when we or someone close to us suspects we might have hearing loss, is to schedule a hearing test. By getting a hearing test, we can find out whether we have hearing loss, how much we have, and get a professional opinion about whether hearing aids are right for us at this point. In fact, the Better Hearing Institute, a non-profit organization, recommends that everyone get a hearing test once every decade until age 50, and once every three years after that. Regular testing helps us see exactly when it’s time to start wearing hearing aids, so we can altogether avoid some of the complications that can come with untreated hearing loss.Hearing Loss Can Strain Our Relationships
One of the first problems that we encounter when hearing loss sets in happens in social situations. In larger groups of people, or when background noise is present, we have an especially difficult time understanding speech. We get tired faster, and generally don’t have as much fun in the company of others. Many people are tempted to start avoiding social situations altogether, but as you might imagine, this is not the road to happiness and contentment. Rather than allowing ourselves to become isolated by our hearing loss, we can take the steps necessary to get hearing aids and continue to enjoy our time in the company of friends and loved ones. While hearing loss might be difficult for us, it can be just as difficult for those who are close to us. Partners and spouses experience a sense of loss just as much as we do, as they wish to connect with us in the way that conversation once made possible. When hearing loss is an issue, conversation often gets reduced to the bare minimum. But when we can hear each other, we can look out at the world together and experience all that is there with mutual attention.Hearing Aids Restore Our Ability to Communicate, and More
Hearing aids reduce miscommunication, lower frustration, increase intimacy and generally make it easier to have a real conversation. And while improving our relationships is an incredibly important reason to start wearing hearing aids, that’s not even the whole picture. Those who get hearing aids tend to have a more positive outlook on themselves. Hearing aids help us feel more confident and independent, which makes us feel more capable and generally better. Studies have shown that hearing aids not only promote a greater sense of optimism about our own lives, but about the world in general! It’s hard to imagine that by doing something as simple as putting in a set of hearing aids we can improve our sense of optimism, but it’s true. When we can hear each other, we can feel better and more confident with the people around us, which translates to a healthier understanding of ourselves in the world, and ultimately a better opinion about the world itself! Whether you or a loved one is just starting to have issues with hearing loss or has been dealing with it for a long time, make an appointment for a hearing test today and see for yourself just how much a good set of hearing aids can improve your relationships… and your life!
Best Rechargeable Hearing Aids
For generations now, hearing aids have been powered by tiny disposable batteries. This has meant that hearing aid wearers needed to keep a fresh supply of batteries on hand at all times, and manufacturers needed to build in a battery compartment to their hearing aids that could open and close. Battery compartments are an easy spot for moisture to accumulate, so leaving them open to dry out overnight is important to keeping your hearing aids working properly for the long term. But what if you didn’t have to worry about batteries at all? Recent advancements in battery technology have dramatically changed the game in a number of industries, and hearing aids are no exception. Lithium-ion batteries can store a lot of energy in a small amount of space. This makes them able to power everything from power tools to smartphones to laptop computers, and, of course, hearing aids. Rechargeable lithium-ion batteries now allow hearing aids to work for a full day (or more), even when utilizing Bluetooth connections. Rechargeable batteries mean you don’t need to keep a stash of fresh batteries around anymore, nor do you need to open the compartment door of your hearing aids. The battery compartment is sealed, which means moisture can’t get in in the first place. Overall, the process of powering and maintaining your hearing aids is significantly simplified with the use of rechargeable batteries. Just about every hearing aid manufacturer offers rechargeable options at this point. Most will even have a rechargeable option or two amongst the variations of each hearing aid in their normal product line. You can usually tell the rechargeable option as it will have a letter “R” at the end of the product name. Let’s take a look at a few of the different manufacturers of hearing aids and talk a bit about their rechargeable options.Unitron
Unitron is a premium hearing aid brand offering superior sound quality and the innovative FLEX™ system. FLEX allows you to start with one tech level, and upgrade later using the same hearing aids if you decide you need more smart technology. FLEX also tracks your environmental usage, so you and your hearing healthcare professional can look over the data together, see how you’re using your hearing aids, and design the best programs to meet your specific needs and consider upgrading or downgrading your tech level. Unitron offers rechargeable versions of its Moxi Move, Moxi Jump, and Stride models of hearing aids.Oticon
Oticon hearing aids strive to produce sound that works with your brain, which helps you better make sense of your sonic environment. BrainHearing™ technology can be found in all of Oticon’s devices, which helps your hearing aids communicate better with one another and with you to paint the most vivid picture of the sound around you. Rechargeable options in Oticon’s product line include the More™ miniRITE R, the Opn S™, and Ruby families of hearing aids for adults. For children, Oticon offers the Opn Play™.Signia
Signia designs hearing aids for the modern world. They start the process of finding you the right hearing aid by asking the question, “What is most important to you?” There’s a model of Signia hearing aid for everyone, whether you prefer to be stylish or discreet. Signia stays ahead of the curve in terms of design, technology, and integration. Signia offers rechargeability in its Active, Styletto, Pure, and Motion hearing aid lines. Signia offers excellent “charge on the go” options, where your hearing aid case actually contains a battery that you charge at an outlet, and then you can charge your hearing aids anywhere by placing them in the case.Phonak
Phonak wants to ensure that your hearing aids provide the most natural sound available; that’s why they look to nature for inspiration. The Paradise and Marvel lines of hearing aids both are predominantly made up of rechargeable hearing aids, worn behind the ear.Hansaton
The Swiss brand Hansaton believes in bringing out the best in every individual’s specific hearing intelligence. Because everyone’s hearing experience is different (based on head shape, ear canal shape, and ear shape) Hansaton strives to provide natural sound that our brains can interpret as accurately as the unaided ear. Hansaton offers rechargeability in its lines of behind-the-ear and external receiver systems.Starkey
Starkey offers hearing loss solutions for the 21st century, and has done a particularly good job of ensuring the best options for use with facemasks during the Covid-19 pandemic. They offer the world’s first wireless custom rechargeable hearing aids in their Livio line of hearing aids.ReSound
ReSound has been a pioneer in perfecting digital hearing aid technology since the early days of digital signal processing. Utilizing lithium-ion batteries or the even more efficient silver-zinc type, ReSound says its most compelling rechargeable hearing aids are the ReSound ONE, LiNX Quattro, and LiNX 3D.Adjusting to New Hearing Aids
So you’ve decided to get hearing aids. That’s great! Hearing aids are an important part of maintaining your best health and well-being, once hearing loss becomes an issue. While many people, unfortunately, wait too long to get hearing aids (the average is seven years after noticing hearing loss), addressing it now is much better than never. Your hearing aids will help keep you more active, more socially connected, and ultimately happier and healthier.
Throughout life, we find that abrupt changes can take some getting used to. You can expect to experience a range of emotions while you’re adjusting to your new hearing aids, but having an idea of what to expect can make the process feel easier while you’re going through it.
It’s Almost Too Much Sound
Remember that once upon a time, you had normal, youthful, healthy hearing. It’s true that we hear just as much with our brains as we do with our ears! Many sounds you encountered on a regular basis simply faded into the background of your mind, as your brain decided they were unimportant. As hearing loss becomes an issue, our brains see less information coming from our ears and get used to processing information differently. When you start wearing hearing aids, you’ll notice things like the rustling of your clothing, the sound of your hair moving, the refrigerator buzzing or speakers hissing. You might notice the sounds of shoes on certain flooring surfaces, or the sounds of other people chewing. It may be annoying, at first, but if you stick with your hearing aids, soon enough you’ll be able to ignore these sounds without even thinking about it, while still being able to hear the sounds that are important to you.Relearning to Hear Speech
If you’ve been living with hearing loss for some time, you might feel that hearing aids aren’t helping you to understand speech, at first. Though you’ll be able to hear speech clearly, it may be difficult to understand it. This is because our brains actually forget how to comprehend speech! While this can be disheartening at first, remember that the more you wear your hearing aids and encounter speech, the sooner you will regain the ability to understand clearly. Many hearing healthcare providers offer classes to help retrain the brain to understand speech again. Some group classes may happen in the office, but much of the course can be accomplished online. Remember that if you wear your hearing aids every day, you’ll soon become adjusted to them and be able to move confidently through your routines and engagements, knowing you can hear everything you need to hear.Fitting Is an Ongoing Process
Your initial fitting is based on the results of your hearing test. While this should offer up the most accurate fitting for your specific hearing loss, it may be that you’re not ready for that much amplification, or that slight adjustments are necessary. Hearing aids are composed of tiny, sensitive parts, so it’s impossible for every hearing aid to be exactly like every other. While real ear measurements can help to ensure a more accurate fitting, remember that we hear just as much with our brains as with our ears! Your brain is what is adjusting to your hearing aids, and frequent fitting adjustments may be necessary over the first few weeks you have your hearing aids for you to adjust properly and comfortably. Especially if you experience pain in your ears while wearing your hearing aids, talk to your hearing healthcare provider about a fitting adjustment. Your relationship with your hearing healthcare provider should be ongoing to ensure you’re getting the best care possible with your hearing aids, so don’t be afraid to speak up and let them know that something doesn’t seem right!Talk To Others Who Have Hearing Aids
You probably have an acquaintance, friend, or relative who wears hearing aids. Talk to them about what the adjustment process was like for them. They may have a good piece of advice, or it may just be nice to talk to someone who has experienced the same thing that you’re going through.Fitting Will Likely Change Over Time
Make sure to get a hearing test at regular intervals. Hearing loss tends to progress for a while, then plateau, but there’s no way of knowing whether you’ve started wearing your hearing aids in the middle of the progression or at the end. Hearing aid fittings allow for easy adjustment, so if your hearing loss changes, your newly-required settings can be easily applied. Hearing aids are the best thing you can do to keep yourself in the conversation, and live every day to the fullest! Congratulations on your new hearing aids!
Tips for Driving with Hearing Aids
While sight might be the most important of the senses when it comes to driving, hearing is not far behind. We rely on hearing to alert us to sirens, horns, and other hazards that might be heard before seen. Hearing is also important in helping to determine when your own vehicle needs service, like when you notice a squealing belt, grinding brakes, or other worrisome sounds. It’s safe to say: the better you’re able to employ all of your senses while driving, the safer you’ll be on the road. Hearing aids are a great help to drivers who have some hearing loss, but it’s important to use them correctly to get the most out of them. Let’s take a look at some of the things to keep in mind while you’re driving with hearing aids.Be Prepared!
Driving with hearing aids takes just a bit of forethought before hopping behind the wheel. Before driving, make sure your hearing aids have enough power to get you through the trip you’re about to take. Bring extra batteries. If your hearing aids are rechargeable, make sure you have a way to charge them in the car if necessary. Check your settings! Do you have a special program for driving? If so, make sure your hearing aids are set to it. Be sure to check your volume, as well. If it’s too loud, you might end up encountering feedback while driving, which could present a pretty serious distraction. Make sure to set everything up beforehand so you don’t have to change programs or pull microphones out of a glove box while you’re driving.Listen Preventatively
Before putting the car in gear, remove any distractions and listen to the car run for a moment. If you hear anything amiss with the engine idle, schedule a repair. Make sure your radio isn’t set so loud that you won’t be able to hear enough sound from outside the vehicle. Some intersections will present difficulty in terms of seeing cross traffic or even hearing it, so move carefully and listen attentively in those situations.Minimize Distractions
This is important for all drivers, but it’s worth bearing in mind when you’re wearing hearing aids, just as much. If you’re distracted by noisy passengers, it’s always appropriate to ask them to keep their voices down. If they’re controlling the stereo or playing media on other devices, you should make sure it’s not distracting to you while you’re driving. Cars, especially older ones, let a lot of road noise into the cabin. This can compete with people’s voices in the cabin, creating fatigue as you struggle to hear speech over the din. While hearing aid programming can help with this, it might be beneficial to use an accessory microphone so that your travel companion can speak clearly into the microphone and reduce the strain on your ears.Use Visual Aids
Wide rear view mirrors and other accessories can help you stay more visually attuned to the road. If you’re shopping for a car, try to pick one with smaller pillars so you have fewer blind spots. And, of course, remember to keep lines of sight open. Keep objects off the dashboard and out of the rear view area, and keep your windows clean! Clear lines of sight can make all the difference in traveling safely to your destination, so be sure to go out of your way to set yourself up for success in that department. If you think you may have a hearing loss, hearing aids are the best way to make sure you can keep your independence behind the wheel. Many hearing aids today even help you to determine where sounds are coming from, which was unthought of with previous generations of hearing aids! If you’re in the market for hearing aids, make sure to tell your hearing healthcare professional whether driving is important to you. They’ll be able to help you choose the hearing aid model that will be of most help to you while driving, and can even create a program for driving that will zero in on the best types of hearing aid features to employ while you’re behind the wheel. If you need hearing aids, make an appointment for a hearing test today and find out what hearing aids can do to keep you active and independent!- 1
- 2