byJennifer Gehlen, Au.D. (NAPSA)—Getting together with family andfriends can be more enjoyable when you know you're hearing what's going on. Now, thanks to the latest technology, that maybeeasier. Problem For people who would like to hear bet- ter, large gatherings can be challenging. Hearing loss occurs mostly at higher pitches,so they rely on low-pitch sounds in speech to understand conversations. People with hearing loss also rely on nonverbal cues. Unfortunately,in large gatherings,all these cues can become compromised. There's often a variety of background noise that can drown out the sounds neededto understand conversation. Asa result, those with hearing loss have to pay extra-close attention and still catch only fragments of words and sentences that they then have to piece together. It can be very tiring and lead to becoming withdrawn and socially isolated. Hearing Aids Can Help Fortunately, modern digital hearing aids are designed to improve these stressful situations. Wearers can differ- entiate speech from noise, andthe hearing aids suppress noise, In new smart hearing aids, noise-reduction algorithmsare completely automatic and can targeta variety ofdifferent sounds. They can even work fast enough to reduce the brief pockets of noise between nat- ural pausesin words andsentences.This makeslistening in difficult situations more comfortable andless stressful. Smart hearing aids with directional microphonetechnology pick up sounds primarily from the front, since you're most likely facing the person you're talking to. Someevenactivate automatically and adaptto various sound envi- Thanks to today’s technology, many people canhear betterthanever before. ronments. Whenhearing aids are worn as a pair, directional microphones work together to sharpen the focus.In really noisy conditions, this technology has been clinically proven to let wearers understand speech evenbetter than listen- ers with normal hearing. Use Communication Strategies Advanced hearing aid technology can help tremendously but some simple strategies can make communicating eveneasier: If the location ofthe eventis with- in your control, minimize background noise. Consider having the party in a placethat's relatively quiet and request a table in a more secludedarea. + Remind people to get your attention first and face you when speaking. Position yourself in a well-lit area with your back to the windowsandface the person you're speakingwith. + Finally, relax. Even those with normalhearing often miss a few words. Dr.Gehlenis an audiologist and educationalspecialist for Signia.
