The smart tech you need if you live with hearing loss

Clever technology can make life with hearing loss not only easier, but also more enjoyable.

By Lana Hallowes

Hearing impairment is an underrated invisible disability. If you live with hearing loss, you’ll know how much it impacts everyday life. Those with a loved one who is hearing impaired will also have a pretty good idea. 

‍Smart tech for hearing

Considering one in six Australians live with a hearing impairment (myself included), there is a demand for tech which supports people with hearing loss. What’s more, as consumers age the need for innovation in this area only grows. 

According to the Department of Health and Aged Care, about half of Australians aged 60 to 70 will have hearing loss. This increases to 70 per cent by age 70 and 80 per cent over 80.

More on this: how to prevent age-related hearing loss

As such, technology which combats hearing loss and improves the lives of those who live with it is not just a ‘nice to have’; it’s a critical part of keeping people connected and engaged in society. 

Here are some of the current tech options that support anyone living with hearing impairment:

Hearing aids and other assistive listening devices (of course!)

Modern hearing aids (which are becoming teenier and more cost effective by the minute) are truly impressive. 

The latest ones on the market have rechargeable batteries, cutting edge speech understanding and noise reduction, as well as automation. This means they adjust to changing audio environments, without you needing to manually switch settings via a remote or button. 

With in-built Bluetooth connectivity, smart devices including phones, watches, televisions and tablets also allow you to listen to audio through your hearing aids. 

Most hearing aids and hearing implants work with FM systems (where two people can communicate from a distance). Telecoil in hearing aids is also standard, allowing users to tap into loop systems in public places, such as theatres and lecture auditoriums.

Some advanced hearing aids now even have Artificial Intelligence (AI). They can prioritise the voices you hear most (like your spouse in noisy environments) and learn when you usually watch TV, tuning into the telly as you slump on the couch! In the future, we will see hearing aids that do more and more ‘thinking’ for us.

If you aren't ready for hearing aids, there is a range of assistive listening devices that may help address your specific needs when it comes to headphones, phones, alerting devices or personal amplifiers. 

Smartphones are a true game-changer

Smartphones are mini computers and it’s hard to know how we ever managed life without them. Here are just some of the ways your smartphone can help you hear better:

Bluetooth

By pairing your hearing aids or cochlear implant to your phone via Bluetooth, you can answer calls and hear through your aids. You can also listen to audio, such as music, videos, GPS navigation, podcasts and more. It’s like wearing ear buds, only the sound is clearer and customised to you.

Accessibility settings

These can include sound amplification, mono audio and sound recognition where your phone listens for various sounds (such as door knocking, glass breaking and more) and alerts you with flashing notifications.

Subtitles

Closed captions can improve the accessibility of most mainstream television for people living with hearing impairment. By law, Australian news and current affairs programs must have captions at all times. 

Free-to-air broadcasters are required to provide closed captions on programs airing between 6:00 am and midnight on their primary channel (ie. Nine, Seven, Ten, ABC1 and SBS1). 

Most streaming services offer captions in a variety of font sizes and languages and YouTube has an automatic captioning tool that’s a bit hit-and-miss (but definitely better than nothing).

Texting

In this situation, younger people’s growing preference for text not calls is in our favour. 

Tapping out a text, instead of straining to hear a phone conversation, is so much friendlier when you’re hearing impaired.

Smartwatches can alert you instantly

If you often miss phone calls because you don’t hear the ringer (or feel the phone vibrate when it’s in your handbag), a vibrating smartwatch can solve this.

When it’s also paired to your hearing aids or cochlear implant, smartwatch audio (in all its forms) can be heard through your hearing device.

You can also download the SoundWatch app (which is currently in Beta phase) to get alerts on your smartwatch about particular sounds nearby, even ambient sounds. So if you’re on a bushwalk you can set it to let you know when there is birdsong or a creek nearby. Or perhaps set it to alert you when your doorbell rings, the dog barks or the microwave beeps.

The many life-changing apps for hearing loss

SoundWatch isn’t the only app that’s making life easier for people with hearing loss. There are a range of apps available that either work on your smart devices or pair with your hearing aid.

For example, Hearing Australia have a bespoke app to go with their hearing aids which has been created to make it easy to control your hearing aid straight from your smartphone.

Voice to text apps such as Google Live Transcribe, Otter.ai and Microsoft Translator convert conversations into text in real time. These are especially useful when you have reduced hearing. With the aid of text, users can understand more of what’s being communicated verbally. 

Sound Alert is another great one which listens for specific sounds you may not hear such as doorbells or your grandbaby’s cries. Visual or vibration notifications are sent to your smart device when these sounds are detected.

WhatsApp for group text chats with friends and family is loved by those with hearing impairment because we can be part of the ‘conversation’, without actually having to hear! 

Keep your home accessible too

Our homes are getting more techy and accessible with things like and kettles with flashing lights when boiled. 

Smart televisions with captions and TV headphones allow those who need the sound on louder to comfortably watch with those who don’t. 

There are also vibrating or flashing alarm clocks to get you out of bed in the morning. There are even some versions that will gently shake you awake (this may or may not technology you will welcome…). 

Other visual alert signalers are a safety must: smoke alarms that signal with lights instead of sound can alert through a remote receiver that you can leave anywhere in the house. Or visual doorbells with video available on your smartphone, so you can see who is at the door.

Even at-home virtual assistants are becoming more accessible for anyone living with hearing impairment. For instance, devices like EchoShow feature large screens where captions and transcriptions are displayed. Alexa and Siri both have accessibility options like changing the speaking rate, or adjusting the equaliser for more or less treble or base. Siri can also be set to provide real-time conversation transcription when using FaceTime.

There is no doubt that the smart tech of today (and tomorrow!) is making the world more inclusive, easier to navigate and engaging for people living with hearing loss. Some of the advances may seem unnecessary for your personal circumstances, others will be revolutionary.

The key is to keep an open mind about trying out new technology solutions to find what works best for you.