Are you finding yourself talking less frequently on the phone because you have trouble hearing? You may feel isolated as time passes as a result of your hearing loss. It isn’t necessary to quit chatting on the phone. There are ways to work it out so you can stay in touch with the ones you love.
It’s All About Communication
They say communication is the indispensable thing in any relationship, and that is definitely true when it comes to your phone. What can be done to make things better is the important question.
- Are the voices tough to hear? Check the phone to make certain that the volume is all the way up.
- Have you had an ear exam? Your hearing loss may not be permanent so it’s essential to get a quality diagnosis. Temporary hearing loss is often caused by something as simple as an ear infection or to much ear wax.
- Bluetooth or headphones could be options if you’ve already turned the volume up. Maybe that’s all you need to make your phone sound better and it doesn’t cost very much.
You can have a look at more in depth resolutions to get you back on the phone once you eliminate the more obvious problems.
There’s an App For That
You will actually have a choice between several apps. There are many apps you can download that will work to get you, and your phone back on the same page, some of which are pretty cool.
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:
- Note, Listen for Deaf
- Hamilton Mobile Cap Tel
- Live Caption
Not all voice to text apps are free, but most are reasonably priced.
You Can Get a Phone For That
There are phones that do the same thing as an app if you are looking for a landline option. They can amplify the sound on the other end, making it easier to hear. An equalizer makes the high pitched sounds that usually get lost clearer.
A captioning phone is yet another alternative. You need to have a special phone that has a screen if you want to take advantage of the captioning service. Captioning works with an operator that either repeats the spoken words so speech recognition software can translate them into text or types them directly into the system. The words are then displayed on the screen of the phone. The majority of captioning devices need to have internet service, as well.
Text-to-Voice Teletype (TTY) is an old-school phone system that is still around and works in a similar way to the captioning phone. However, it does require a separate device to display the text.
Getting Hearing Aids is Your Best Bet
It used to be, whenever a hearing aid was near a phone, there would be ear piercing feedback, but those days are over. There are hearing aid compatible phones which get rid of background noise and other types of interference to enhance sound quality. Modern hearing aid technology is compatible with these phones. The best thing is these wireless hearing aids still work even when you’re not on the phone.
Compatibility with both landlines and smart-phones is possible with modern, quality hearing aids. You hold the phone up to the hearing aid and let the technology to work its magic by streaming the sound from one device to the other.
Many digital hearing aids are also Bluetooth compatible. You pair the phone up with the hearing aids just like you would with wireless headphones or earbuds. The sound goes right to your hearing aids when it rings.
There is no reason to allow hearing loss damage a perfectly good relationship. Do what you must to get back on your phone, and start talking again. It’s time to make an appointment with a hearing specialist to look at the newest hearing aid technology.