Hearing Strategies While Staying Home
While places are starting to open up, many people are still mostly staying home to protect themselves and others during the COVID-19 pandemic. For people that have a hearing impairment and people that wear hearing aids, being home all the time can present new hearing challenges that you aren’t used to handling. Read the tips below to help you manage your new routine, and if you are struggling with your keeping your hearing aids clean or working correctly, make sure to give us a call.
Perform Daily Hearing Aid Maintenance
Visually inspect your hearing aids daily to make sure they don’t have any damage.
Wax buildup - Check for wax buildup and cracks in the hearing aid body or tubing
Check batteries - Most batteries last 5-10 days, depending on what hearing aid model you have, size of the battery, and what Bluetooth options you have. If you are able to test your battery at home, check them daily to make sure they are at full strength, but if you aren’t able to check your batteries then make sure you have plenty of spare batteries at home. If you have rechargeable hearing aids, make sure you let them have the time to fully charge.
Moisture - If your hearing aids tend to get moisture inside, invest in a hearing aid dryer. A hearing aid dryer helps keep moisture from building up and can help lengthen the life of your hearing aids. Remember to remove the batteries before putting your hearing aids in a drying container.
Communication at Home
When you improve your communication skills at home, it will help your listening experience between you and your family members.
Converse in the same room – If you try to talk to someone in another room or even another level in your home, you will end up shouting and will have a hard time understand the other person.
Talk slow – Make sure you and your family members talk slow and enunciate when they speak so you can understand each word.
Face each other – If you have difficulty hearing your partner or family member, make sure you face each other when you speak.
Be honest – If you don’t understand something that someone said then make sure to let them know.
Closed Captioning – With children home all the time, there is more noise than usual. While watching television or a movie, use the closed captioning feature so you can easily follow along.
Take a break –If you are feeling overwhelmed with all the additional conversations throughout your day, then take a break for some quiet time.
We are open and available if you need your hearing aids professionally cleaned or if your hearing aids need to be adjusted. Contact us at 864-881-1663 to schedule an in-person appointment or to have your hearing aids dropped off at any of our four convenient locations in Simpsonville, Greer, Travelers Rest, and Greenville.
Review our tips for better hearing while at home.
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