I Hear but Don’t Understand
I am a member of the Saddlebrooke Hearing Discussion Group. I have a profound hearing loss due to Meniere’s Disease. As a result, I am deaf in my right ear and have a significant hearing loss in my left ear. In 2021 I received an Advanced Bionics cochlear implant in my right ear and was fitted with a “Linked” hearing aid in my left ear. I can control both devices with the same app and stream phone calls, the TV and assisted listening devices such as hearing loops to both ears.
The combined technology of my hearing devices has been a life saver for me. Prior to receiving them phone conversations were very difficult and oftentimes I had my wife take the call. I primarily relied on closed captioning to watch TV. Now I feel confident speaking on the phone, and I understand what is said when I stream the TV or hearing loop directly to my devices.
However, when I can’t take advantage of streaming technology, I still have difficulty understanding others in noisy environments such as restaurants or if they are not close to me. I can hear someone is talking but despite the up-to-date technology of my hearing devices I can’t always understand what was said.
In the case of restaurants, I find that it is best to dine with just 2-4 people and if possible, to try and sit in a location that is not too close to other diners. This works best at non-peak hours. While a booth may be good to help reduce background noise, a table may be better so that I can easily see everyone’s faces.
In other situations, it is best that the person speaking to me be within six feet, speak at a normal tone and face me when speaking. If there is more than one person, it is best that they not all speak at the same time. It is also helpful if any background music or television is turned down, if possible.
I can help by stating what I heard and asking that the speaker restate or rephrase the part that I didn’t understand. I have recently discovered a useful accessibility feature called Live Captions on my iPhone. You can find it by going to Settings, then Accessibility, then Live Captions. It is fairly accurate in noisy environments and works very well in meetings when the speaker’s voice is amplified. I have found it to be very helpful at HOA meetings. Android phones have a free app called Live Transcribe that is similar.
Our group meets on the 2nd Friday of every month at 10 AM in the Catalina Room in HOA2. We typically have one or two Doctor of Audiology students from the University of Arizona in attendance. If you have questions or comments about this article or would like to have your email added to our distribution list, contact me at tgaule@outlook.com.