Don’t let your hearing loss prevent you from getting the most out of your time off!
By Dr. Noël Crosby, Au.D. –
Got a vacation coming up? If you do, chances are you have a checklist of things that need to be done before you head out of town…i.e. cancel your mail and paper delivery, fill prescriptions and pack medications, give contact information to family and friends, etc.
And even more importantly, if you wear hearing aids, don’t forget to add these critical steps to your planning and vacation strategies!
1. Prepare for vacation travel.
- If you are traveling by air, arrive at the airport early. If you struggle to understand the public address system at the airport, alert the airline desk personnel at your gate that you cannot hear the boarding announcements well. Request that they personally notify you. Sit near the personnel counter.
- Make sure you have an adequate supply of batteries with you, in case you get stranded.
- Make sure you have a dehumidifier with you!
- Try to avoid taking your hearing aids out while on the plane, but if you must do so, make sure you take the time to put them away. Do not let them lay in your lap or on your lap tray, otherwise they may be lost when you de-board.
- When staying overnight in a hotel, ask the hotel if they have a hotel kit for the hearing impaired. These kits typically include:
- Visual smoke detector, door knock signaler and phone alert
- Strap-on phone amplifier
- Tactile vibrator alarm clock
- TTY (teletext)
- Closed caption converter
2. Make an appointment with an audiologist BEFORE you leave town.
- If you are a current hearing aid wearer, schedule an appointment before you head out of town to have your hearing aids cleaned and checked to make sure they functioning well and are programmed correctly. Also have your audiologist make sure you don’t have any wax in your ears!
- If you do not wear hearing aids, but are not hearing as well as you once did, schedule an appointment before your vacation to have your hearing checked. Your hearing loss could be caused by an abundance of ear wax. Don’t let something as common as ear wax prevent you from getting the most out of your vacation.
- If you have a spare, back-up set of hearing aids, make sure they are also in working order and don’t forget to take them along! Also make sure if they use a different size battery that you bring those along too!
3. Plan ahead.
- Noisy environments: If you are in a difficult listening situation, like at a family or class reunion, and are trying to have a conversation with another person, go to another room or quieter area to talk. Keep away from the middle of the room. Instead, have the person to whom you are talking sit down or stand with his or her back to the wall. By following this simple tip, adaptive dual microphones in hearing aids can more easily focus on the sounds you want to hear awhile reducing or eliminating irritating and distracting background noise.
- Restaurants: Plan your trips to restaurants with small groups. That way the conversation will be easier for everyone…even those without hearing loss.
- Arrive early so you can request a table that is away from the kitchen or service area. Reduce background noise by choosing a booth in a corner if possible. This location will help the advanced technology in your hearing aids do what it is designed to do more effectively.
4. Be assertive with friends and family at family gatherings.
- It is up to you to take charge of your listening environment. Don’t pretend you are hearing when you are not. It will only make you seem out of touch.
- If you struggle to hear the voices of small children, explain to them you want to hear everything they have to say and invite them to have a conversation sitting facing you in a quieter area of the home. The same goes for all conversations with adults.
5. Have a great time!
If you have questions about hearing loss or hearing aids, please contact Noel Crosby, Au.D. at Advanced Hearing Solutions, Englewood, FL at 941-474-8393.
941-474-8393 | www.drnoelcrosby.com