Better Telephone Hearing Techniques
Unfortunately, some people who wear hearing aids have particular difficulty hearing over the telephone. Often people remove their hearing aids to use the phone as they feel they hear better without them. Family members often disagree and say it can be difficult to get the message through. Thankfully, there are some easy techniques which can help you hear better on the phone.
- Speaker phone – Many phones have a ‘speaker’ option. This is often the easiest and best option for hearing aid users as phone position no longer matters as much.
- Positioning – For a landline phone, hold the telephone up to your hearing aid microphones, which are above the ear for behind-the-ear hearing aids. This sounds simple, but it’s a skill which needs to be learned and continually practised. If a telephone program has been provided, telephone ‘magnets’ will help the hearing aid recognise your phone and allow better transmission.
- Special Phone – Phones specifically designed for hearing aid users allow for better pick up with the hearing aid as well as louder rings, extended volume, larger buttons, speaker and alarm lights. These phones are available at no extra cost for people who rent phones from Telstra. See us to arrange this.
- Bluetooth – Mobile telephones and most hearing aids can be paired using Bluetooth accessories. This allows for one touch transmission directly to the hearing aids, making phone position less important