Easy ways to hear better
By Mary Malik
Your path to improved hearing doesn’t have to include the expense of hearing aids or other interventions. You can often improve your hearing just by making a few adjustments to your lifestyle and surroundings. Your loved ones can help by making a few adjustments of their own—and most of them are free.
“There are lots of ways people can help themselves and others hear better,” Sarah Curtis, Au.D., founder of Sounds of Life Hearing says.
During Conversations
- Face the person you’re talking to.
- Stay within 5 to 6 feet. Hearing aid microphones, like any microphone, pick up voices better at close distance.
- Speak to be understood.
- Avoid yes/no questions. It’s difficult to know if a person with hearing loss understood you.
- If you have hearing loss, don’t fake it and pretend you hear when you don’t.
Improve the Environment
- Turn down background noise.
- Have good lighting.
- Be aware of reverberant environments and consider adding sound-absorbing materials like carpet or window coverings.
Affordable Improvements
- Flat panel TVs are not great at directing clear sound forward. A sound bar can help with that.
- Change audio settings out of Dolby 5.1 (or similar) if you’re not using surround sound.
- Use closed captioning. This is particularly helpful in pre-recorded programs.
- Get an amplified, captioned telephone. These are free for anyone in Ohio with hearing loss.
“Come and see us at Sounds of Life Hearing for the forms,” Dr. Sarah says. “We can sign and certify your hearing loss so you can take advantage of these programs.”
Sounds of Life Hearing Center is located at 8007 Auburn Road, Suite 1, in Concord Twp. For more information call 440-579-4085 or visit SoundsOfLifeHC.com.