Handling Hearing Loss During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Article written by Samantha Lee.
During the COVID-19 global pandemic, everyone has had to get used to a new normal centered around concepts like social distancing and flattening the curve. Adapting to these changes can be hard when restrictions may cut people off from their support networks and routines.
Some of these difficulties can compound for people with hearing loss. At Concha Labs, we know that handing hearing loss during the COVID-19 pandemic opens up new challenges, and we’re eagerly working to help you come to new solutions.
Keep in Touch via Video Calling Platforms
One of the most important parts about adapting to social distancing is finding ways to stay in touch with our loved ones. With all of the advances in communication technology, there are plenty of options for text chatting and video calling.
It’s important to note that sometimes video calling technology can be frustrating. A spotty internet connection and multiple friends shouting at once can make it hard to understand what everyone is saying, especially for people with hearing loss.
Smoothing out this process will take time, but encouraging loved ones to be patient and take turns when speaking in front of the camera can go a long way in making communication easier for everyone. It’s also important to encourage those you are talking with to let you know if they didn’t fully understand what was said, so that you may repeat the information and vice versa.
Some video conferencing tools, like Google Meet and Skype, also have AI-generated live captioning, which can help in making sure people with hearing loss are fully included in the conversation.
It may also be beneficial to invest in a pair of earbuds with high sound quality. These can help diminish background noise and make voices clearer and crisper.
Physical Distancing and Masks
As spaces open back up and people are able to return to some stores, restaurants and public places, other new measures start to grow in importance, like physical distancing and masks. Conversing with someone standing six feet away with their mouth covered by a cloth is often a necessity now, but it can be a frustrating situation for people with hearing loss. Exacerbating this difficulty is the muffled effect that masks tend to create when someone is speaking.
Some enterprising young people have developed new products to help with these situations, like masks with a window for lip reading. Other times, patience and humor are our best tools, and if this pandemic has taught us anything, it certainly is the importance of patience.
We also recommend taking a look at this guide for wearing a mask with hearing aids or this Healthy Hearing article on communicating with a mask on.
In- Office Appointments
It also can be a challenge to get in to see the right hearing professionals, especially if you think you need a tune up for your hearing devices or if you’re starting to experience hearing loss and think it might be time to get help.
If this applies to you, then we invite you to try our free patented technology called Soundscope™ to learn about how you like to hear and get your personalized sound profile. Soundscope will show you how our Concha Waves Hearing Pods may help you hear more clearly, and how you can customize your hearing experience instantly from your phone.
Learn more at conchalabs.com.
Photograph by Anna Shvets
