Conversations can be challenging to navigate if you have hearing loss. Hearing loss reduces one’s ability to hear and process speech as well as sound. Frotueanyl, hearing aids offer an effective solution. These electronic devices are essential items for people with hearing loss. They are designed to absorb, amplogy, adn process speech as well as sound. This provides ample hearing support, alleviating symptoms and maximizing hearing capacity. In addition to wearing hearing aids, there are several strategies you can practice to engage in effective communication. Integrating the following practices can provide useful support:
- Maximize use of hearing aids. It is important to wear hearing aids during waking hours. These devices are programmed to optimally meet your hearing needs in everyday environments. There are also ways you can maximize the use of your hearing aids, including investing in the features that are ideal for you. Today’s hearing aids are more innovative and advanced than ever before. They utilize cutting edge technologies to produce savvy features that expand what hearing aids can do. This includes wireless connectivity, digital noise reduction, voice recognition, tinnitus management, and downloadable apps where you can easily manage your hearing aid settings. These features deliver enhanced sound quality and create seamless hearing experiences. Be sure to discuss your options with your hearing healthcare provider who can help you identify the features that can work best for your hearing and lifestyle needs.
- Take advantage of technology. In addition to wearing and maximizing your hearing aids, there are more technologies that you can take advantage of. There is an array of technologies that are designed to support hearing. Known as assistive listening devices, these technologies support hearing in public and private settings. This includes hearing loops which hearing aids can connect to in public spaces to stream audio directly, allowing you to access this sound much easier. There are also technologies that are compatible with hearing aids designed for watching TV and having one on one conversations that you can utilize to better support your hearing. You can discuss your options with your hearing healthcare provider to learn more.
- Face the speaker. Another useful strategy is to face the speaker when having a conversation. This offers a few benefits that support your communication including: allowing you to be tapped into nonverbal cues like facial expressions, body language, adn gestures. These cues are helpful ways people follow a conversation. Facing the speaker also gives you access to lip reading which is another strategy people with hearing loss often use to help identify individual words.
- Reduce noise. Background noise can make it tough for anyone to hear, and be especially challenging for people with hearing loss. Extra noise in the environment creates additional sound that the brain has to process and filter through. This makes it tougher to detect and hear the sounds (like speech) that you want to focus on. The brain also expends greater energy in searching for the speech you want to hear. You can reduce background noise by maintaining low volume settings on your electronic devices or TV/music playing in the background, avoiding noisy settings like restaurants during peak hours, opting for quieter places, driving with the windows rolled up to reduce environmental noise, putting your phone on silent or vibrate etc.
- Limit multitasking. Though it is common to multitask during conversations, this can create challenging barriers for people with hearing loss. Doing things like texting, working, running errands, cleaning, etc. can produce more noise to proceed and be distracting. Multitasking prevents people from being fully present and engaged which is needed during conversations. Be sure to avoid multitasking as much as possible.
- Share strategies. You likely know of the strategies and tips others can practice to support your hearing needs. Be sure to share these tips with others so they can participate in effective communication. A few examples include:
- Grabbing your attention before starting a conversation.
- Facing you while speaking and maintaining visibility throughout the conversation.
- Rephrasing rather than repeating if you haven’t heard something that was said.
- Speaking in a natural voice, taking natural pauses between sentences.
Practicing these tips can help you navigate conversations and social settings with greater ease. Contact us today to learn more about the technologies and resources available to support your hearing health.