Tips for Watching TV with Hearing Aids

Those who live with a person with hearing loss have a common complaint: the television is too loud! Of course, this is no fault of the person with hearing loss.

When hearing ability diminishes, it is only natural to bump up the volume on your devices enough to make it possible to understand what people say and to enjoy them. This approach has two problems.

The first is that it can be truly challenging for those who share your household and who do not have hearing loss. The second problem is that very loud devices in the home can continue to cause hearing loss not only for you but also for others in your home. With these considerations in mind, it is important to seek alternatives to a very loud television at home.

Many people find that simply wearing hearing aids can make it possible to lower the volume to a comfortable level for everyone in the home, but there are other features you can use and steps you can take to make it even easier to enjoy the television.

Bluetooth Connectivity

One of the most exciting offerings of new hearing aids is the possibility to use Bluetooth connectivity directly to your units. Take, for instance, connecting your smartphone to your hearing aids with Bluetooth.

When you make the connection, you will hear a phone call ring directly to your hearing aids, and you can use them to hear the voice of the caller without the risk of feedback from holding the phone up to your ear, as well. They also make it possible to stream music, podcasts, and audio from YouTube videos directly to your hearing aids, an easy benefit to enjoy.

Just as you can use Bluetooth to stream audio directly to your hearing aids—if they are Bluetooth compatible—you can also get audio directly from your television. You will simply need to get a Bluetooth streaming box that connects to your television and to pair the devices together.

Once you have that connection established, your hearing aids will pick up the audio from the television within a range of about 33 feet. You can even turn the volume up and down with a smartphone app or on your computer without directly managing the box connected to the television, almost like a remote control.

Other Pairing Options

Several other assistive technologies are available for those hearing aid users who do not have Bluetooth functionality with their units. One of the older technologies that continues to be useful is a telecoil loop. You can purchase one of these devices to install a hardwire loop in a perimeter around the seating area near your television.

When you are standing within the loop, your hearing aids can be set to the Telecoil setting to pick up audio information from the wireless magnetic field. Even those without hearing aids can use a loop device that is worn around the neck and connected to headphones, such as you might have seen in a public space or institution.

Other devices, such as televisions designed for hearing impaired people or headphones specifically designed to connect with a television can provide similar pairing services for those who do not have Bluetooth compatible hearing aids.

Closed Captioning

One more solution that can be helpful for those who wear hearing aids is to turn on the closed captioning on your television or video streaming service. When you turn on this function, you will see text running along the bottom of the screen. A closed captioning transcriptionist manually types in this text, so you might see some funny improvisations, variations, or mistakes in the closed captioning on your device.

Reading the text might seem like a chore at first, but you might find that with time you are not consciously reading the text but picking it up with your peripheral vision. With these many options for watching television with hearing aids, you should be able to find a solution that does not require turning up the volume to uncomfortable volumes for others in the home. Another option that might be helpful is to move your favorite seat a little closer to the television to make it possible for others to hear more comfortably.

Seeking Treatment for Hearing Loss

If you’ve been struggling with hearing, it’s important to take a hearing test. Hearing loss is commonly treated with hearing aids, which often are equipped with Bluetooth compatibility. This allows you to stream audio from different compatible devices directly to your hearing aids. Contact us today to learn more!