Long Island Hearing Aid Experts Offer COVID Holiday Survival Guide for People with Hearing Loss

PORT WASHINGTON, N.Y., Nov. 17, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- With the winter holidays just around the corner, the hearing aid experts at I Love Hearing are offering tips and best practices for celebrating with friends and family over videoconference, the reality for many due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

"This holiday season is presenting unique challenges for many people who wear hearing aids," said Jessica Gibson, Clinical Specialist, I Love Hearing. "We want to best prepare our patients to be fully present and feel a part of any holiday celebrations taking place virtually or otherwise."

According to Dr. Seth Dank, M.A., F.A.A.A, of I Love Hearing, videoconferencing presents challenges in audio transmission normally not an issue when speaking face to face. "Speakers tend to distort sound and speech, so that will impact someone's ability to hear and follow conversation," he noted.

To help hearing aid wearers understand conversations, audiologists recommend speaking slowly, enunciating clearly, and introducing the topic at hand before discussing it.

"If you're ready to discuss the grandchildren, say who you want to speak about, so the listener knows who you're talking about; this will help them decipher and fill in the blanks," Dr. Dank said.

While videoconferencing, the hearing aid wearer's location in the room matters. Gibson said that listeners should sit in a quieter environment free of background noise, while positioning themselves in a corner for improved acoustics. Dr. Dank added that hearing aid wearers should sit close to the WiFi router to ensure a stable connection.

"If the internet lags, it can slow down and distort the speech, which makes it harder to lip read and garbles the speech," he said. Both Dr. Dank and Gibson caution against turning up the volume on the device in an attempt to hear better, as this can further distort speech.

When it comes time to connect to the call, Gibson said that many hearing aid models are equipped with Bluetooth which connects directly to smartphones, laptops, and other devices. She recommends updating device software and practicing the call a few days before the gathering to ensure that hearing aids are working properly.

"At I Love Hearing, our patients always make a call while wearing their hearing aids, so they feel confident in using the technology," Gibson said, noting that those with hearing aids in warranty can come to I Love Hearing for adjustments and a cleaning check, including adjustments to help better understand speech impeded by a mask.

To help patients prepare for Thanksgiving and beyond, I Love Hearing is offering a free two-week trial so patients can try out new devices over the holidays.

"The best way to know if a hearing aid is right for you is to try it in different scenarios," Gibson said. "You can come in, try it out, and we'll schedule a follow up the week after Thanksgiving to discuss how the device worked for you."

New and returning patients can make an appointment at the I Love Hearing location most convenient to them: Port Washington, New Hyde Park, and East Meadow, all in Long Island, and the Upper East Side of New York City. For more information, including office hours, visit www.ilovehearing.com.

ABOUT I LOVE HEARING

I Love Hearing offers hearing aid fittings, hearing aid service, hearing aid testing, hearing protection products, hearing aid accessories, hearing aid classes and workshops, tinnitus therapy, and ear wax management under the care of experienced hearing professionals. Locations include the Upper East Side of Manhattan and four in Long Island in Nassau County: Port Washington, New Hyde Park, Great Neck, and East Meadow. For more information, visit www.ilovehearing.com.

SOURCE I Love Hearing

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