Home Safety Tips For People With Hearing Loss

When you experience hearing loss, it is not just holding conversations or understanding your favorite TV shows that become more difficult; it can also be harder to keep yourself safe, even in your own home. We don’t tend to think about it much, but the average home is filled with potential hazards from the risk of appliances setting on fire to the threat of intruders breaking in. These things are far more difficult to deal with safely and effectively when you have hearing loss than they would otherwise be.

That is why it is so important that people with hearing loss do everything they can to stay safe at home, and with that in mind, we’ve put together some basic home safety tips that people with hearing loss should find useful.

Get Hearing Aids

If you are experiencing hearing loss and you have not already consulted with a hearing instrument specialist to have your hearing tested and hearing aids fitted, as appropriate, then that is the first thing you should do. The better your hearing is, the better you will be able to hear various risks and warning signs like someone breaking in or a smoke alarm sounding. It may not be the total solution, especially if your hearing loss is severe, but it is a smart place to start, not least because you deserve to hear as much as possible.

Install a Smoke Alarm Designed for Hearing Loss

Most smoke alarms use by emitting a high-pitched sound at between 3000 and 4000 hertz. This is fine for people who do not have hearing loss, as they will undoubtedly be able to hear the ear-splitting noise and hopefully get to safety.

For those of us who have been diagnosed with hearing loss and perhaps had a hearing aid fitted by a hearing instrument specialist, this is a different matter entirely. Thankfully a range of smoke alarms with hearing loss in mind have been created. Some will emit sounds at around 520 hertz which can be heard by people with minor hearing loss, while others will use blinking lights, automated bed shakers and various other devices, to ensure that people who have lost their hearing completely can stay safe and get out of the house if a fire starts.

Install a Security System Designed for Hearing Loss

In a similar vein, you can also get security systems that will alert you using motion and visuals and these are important if you want to ensure you can keep your home safe from the threat of burglars and anyone else who would do you harm in your own home. There are numerous companies that will install security systems for people with hearing loss, so do not delay looking into them today.

Invest in an Alarm Enhancer

If you do not want to replace all of your existing alarms with hearing loss designed ones, then you can also buy an alarm enhancer that will detect any noise coming from your alarms in the home and enhance them while also alerting you to them so that you can be sure that you will receive the message and act to get to safety as soon as possible. Many of these devices can be fitted without any expert help, but there are more complex systems which may require professional installation too, so be sure to ask before buying an alarm enhancer for your home.

Invest in an Amplified Phone

If you need to call someone fast in an emergency, you need to make sure you can hear what they are saying to you, so it makes sense to invest in an amplified phone which makes it much easier for people with hearing loss to actually hear what is being said down the line. Some emergency services will also be able to take text-based calls, so if you have a textphone in your home, this will work well too, but an amplified phone is likely to get you the help you need faster if you have some level of hearing, just make sure that you put your hearing aids in before making the call too.

Speak to a Hearing Instrument Specialist Today

If you are experiencing hearing loss and you want to stay safe at home, talking to one of our hearing instrument specialists, here at Hear More Medical Centers of America, is an important first step to take. You can call us today at (352) 877-9243. We are here to help with your hearing.