Whether you work from home and have regular video meetings with your coworkers or use video calls to keep in touch with family that lives far away, there’s no denying this technology makes it easier than ever to stay connected to people from any location.
While hearing loss can make all communication, including video calls, more difficult, you can use hearing aids to help improve your experience.
Why Hearing Aids Make Video Calls Easier
Video call quality can be at the mercy of many factors, including internet connection, background noise and crosstalk, among others. This can make it difficult for anyone to follow, particularly for people with hearing loss. Hearing aids can help in several ways.
Many hearing aids come equipped with Bluetooth® technology. This allows you to pair your hearing aids with other devices like smartphones or laptops. When you do this, audio from the video call will stream directly into your hearing aids, producing a clear sound that is customized to meet your hearing loss needs.
Additionally, you can get hearing aids that come with speech-in-noise programs. These programs will increase noise reduction, which can help you tune out background noise and focus on whomever is speaking during your call.
Additional Tips for Better Video Calls When You Have Hearing Loss
Hearing aids alone might not always be enough to follow along with video calls, especially if multiple people are on at once. In that case, you can also try these tips to improve your experience:
- Use video captions if available on your platform.
- Start with introductions to give yourself and others who have hearing loss time to adjust the audio on your hearing aids or device.
- Take turns when speaking to avoid crosstalk. You can ask participants to stay on mute when they aren’t speaking to minimize background noise as well.
- Record the meeting so that if you or anyone else missed anything, it’s easy to go back and check later.
Do You Need Hearing Aids?
Hearing aids are a popular and effective tool for individuals with hearing loss. In 2019, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) found that just over 7% of adults 45 years of age and older use hearing aids.
If you’ve been struggling with your hearing, whether on video calls or when out catching up with friends at Pierce Street Coffee Works, schedule an appointment for a hearing test. You may have hearing loss that can be greatly improved with the right pair of hearing aids.
Hearing aids make staying connected to others easier and may even benefit your mental, physical and cognitive health.
To learn more or to schedule an appointment, call Ear, Nose & Throat Consultants today.