I am another hearingaid user. They have not created good functionality with hearingaids yet. I would not be able to function in an audio-enabled world. Hearing, for me, takes concentration, thought, etc. I was talking to my cousin about what I would like my hearingaids to be able to do/be. I would like them to be actually bluetooth enabled, right now, I have to buy a dongle to go around my neck to be able to use the bluetooth functionality. They come with a remote. Another thing to carry around. No. Enable bluetooth and have a phone app so you can control them from your phone, including settings. And also have a “lojack” feature on the phone, so you can find the hearingaids the last place you left them. Stop with the beeps and the tunes, have all that info on the app. Make them waterproof. Hearingaids right now have a half-assed approach with tech, because hearing people are making them and come up with ‘clever’ solutions which aren’t really. Also, they are being designed for older adults. But I really dislike the idea of a tech jump to audio. I use closed captioning (when it works, seriously, it is 2016, captioning has been a thing since the early 90s, and STILL gets effed up) Text is an important medium for me, since hearing requires concentration, and aids generally amplify everything. Yes, audio would be great for people who have visual issues, but as someone with hearing issues, where audio is still so problematic…no. I would love to have real functionality with my aids. I would love to stream pandora or phone convos to my hearingaids, or even map directions. But the tech needs serious work and creativity.

And I still want to take my aids off and revel in the sound of silence. We have a noisy world out there, lets not add to it.