Troubleshooting Difficulties Using a Phone With Your Hearing Aid
When you have a hearing aid for the first time, the experience can be difficult to get used to for a number of reasons. Usually, this adjustment period is fairly short, however, and you should be able to get on with enjoying your improved hearing ability without too much trouble.
One of the activities that people do sometimes struggle with for a while is using the phone. It can be difficult to hear properly despite the hearing aid performing well the rest of the time, which leads people to remove it before answering calls.
Instead of resorting to the awkward task of removing your hearing aid every time the phone rings, try some of these tips to see if you can improve its performance with telephone calls.
Adjust your grip
One of the most common mistakes people make is also the easiest to fix. When you pick up the phone, you instinctively put it to your ear as it's normally used. However, the microphone on most hearing aids is not directly in line with your ear canal, so you may struggle to hear the person talking.
Get someone to phone you so you can experiment with holding the phone at different angles and in different places. You should be able to work out the optimal way to hold it, so you can get into the habit of using it this way each time.
Try loudspeaker mode
Instead of holding the phone to your ear, try turning on the loudspeaker option found on most mobile phones and many home telephones. That way, you don't have to worry about where the sound is directed. Although this loses the privacy of the call, it's useful when you're at home.
Adjust your volume controls
Some people find they get a better result if they turn the volume on their hearing aid down and the phone's volume up; others prefer it the other way around. Have a play with the controls and see what works for you.
Consider a hearing aid-compatible phone
Phones are available that have a special mode for use with hearing aids. These models send the audio output directly to the hearing aid, guaranteeing good results. This is also useful if you're experiencing feedback during phone calls.
Look at different hearing aid models
There are now Bluetooth-compatible hearing aids available that are great for use with a smartphone. They can receive the sound directly, so there's no need to worry about how effectively the phone's speaker and hearing aid's microphone are working together.
