Hearing Loss Home Modifications (Happy National Speech-Language-Hearing Month!)
May is National Speech-Language-Hearing Month! We’re dedicating this blog post to cover home modifications specifically targeting those with hearing loss. Happy reading!
According to the World Health Organization, around 6.1% of the world’s population has disabling hearing loss. Presbycusis, or age-related hearing loss, is the most common form - affecting 1 in 3 adults over the age of 65 and nearly 50% of those over 75 years old. Untreated hearing loss increases your risk of anxiety, depression, social isolation, falls and cognitive decline.
Luckily, with technology advancements, items such as hearing aids and cochlear implants have come a long way and are successful in improving hearing. Today, users can even answer their phones using their Bluetooth-compatible hearing aids - very functional!
For individuals with hearing loss, various home modifications can help improve safety and accessibility:
Visual doorbells are becoming increasingly popular with all demographics, not just those who are hearing impaired. Motor sensor doorbell cameras connect to your smartphone. When the doorbell is pressed, you receive an alert. You can then view a live video feed of your visitor and communicate with them using an app. Examples include, Ring, Google Nest, Eufy, etc.
Bed or pillow vibrating alarm clocks: Amazon option
Safety alarms with flashing lights to alert smoke, carbon monoxide, or other dangers: Example, First Alert
Use of carpets, curtains, and furniture can reduce echo and improve acoustics in rooms - of course, we still want to be mindful to select appropriate furniture and reduce fall or tripping hazards!
Enabling closed captioning on TV or other videos
Setting up speech-to-text on communication devices/apps
