If you have a hearing loss, you may have noticed hearing in the car can be tricky. Whether it’s your spouse trying to give you directions from the passenger seat, or the kids or grandkids in the back trying to ask you to stop for ice-cream, sometimes hearing others while in the car can be difficult! That is why we have compiled some tips to help you hear in the car better!
We all know it can be difficult to hear in a busy restaurant of café because of the competing background noise, and a similar thing can happen when we’re in the car! If the radio is turned up or there is excessive road noise, it can make it difficult for us to focus on the speech of those in the car with you. Try turning the radio down and if possible keep the windows up when driving to reduce the road noise.
Tip Two: Turn Down the Road Facing Hearing Aid
If you wear hearing aids on both ears and you are struggling to hear the person sitting next to you, whether it is the driver or the passenger, you can try turning down the hearing aid that is closest to the road. That way you will hear less of the road noise, and more of the person you’re trying to talk to. Just remember to turn the hearing aid back up again when you get out the car!
Tip Three: Getting a Custom Driving Program
Our clinicians may be able to create a program in your hearing aids specifically for driving, to help you hear your best when you’re in the car. For example, if you frequently have children in the back of the car you struggle to hear when driving; a program can be added for the microphones of your hearing aids to focus behind you. With a simple push of a button as you get in the car, you can be hearing the backseat passengers loud and clear! If you would like to try having an additional program added to your hearing aids, feel free to call us and make a time to see one of our lovely clinicians.
Tip Four: Accessories that Provide Additional Support
There are additional accessories available that pair with your hearing aids and help you hear your driving companion. You can ask the person you are in the car with to clip this small device to their shirt, and then as they talk a microphone in the device picks up their voice and streams it directly to your hearing aids – helping you hear them clearly despite the sound of road noise. If you would like to trial a hearing device like this, you can give Hearing Sense a call and we can arrange that for you!
