From Leaf Peeping to Pumpkin Patches: Navigating Fall Activities with Hearing Loss

When faced with hearing loss, participating in fall activities can pose some unique challenges. It’s natural to feel like you might be missing out on certain experiences, or some activities could become overwhelming. If you have hearing loss and wish to fully enjoy your favorite fall pastimes, there are steps you can take to ensure that you make the most of this beautiful season. Talk with a hearing health professional about your hearing loss to ensure you are enjoying the fall season.

Hearing Tests and Hearing Aid Adjustments

To be prepared for everything you might want to do in the fall, start by ensuring you’re up to date on your hearing tests. Regular hearing tests are important, whether you have existing hearing loss or not. A hearing test will give you an accurate assessment of your hearing loss, which will help to inform your hearing health professional on treatment options like hearing aids.

If you are a hearing aid wearer, you should also schedule a hearing aid adjustment. You might need to adjust your hearing aids to new hearing test results. Even if your hearing hasn’t changed, it gives you a chance to ensure your hearing aids are still comfortable and working for you. You can have adjustments made or ask any questions you might have about how to get more from your hearing aids.

Program Your Hearing Aids for Different Environments

You can find yourself in a range of environments in the fall. From your backyard to parks, farms, forests or just inside your home, each environment can have different sounds. In every environment, you may be dealing with a lot of loud sounds or you could be straining to hear the smallest of sounds among the quiet. This is where your hearing aids can really come into play, helping you to adjust to different situations.

Many hearing aids give you the option of preset programs for different environments and activities. These make it easy to simply select the program that you want to match what you’re doing. Other hearing aids will still allow you to make adjustments to the settings manually, so you get the best experience. You might have an app to enable you to choose your preferred settings on your phone. So, whether you’re listening for the rustle of leaves and chirping of birds or getting some fall gardening done, you can hear what you want to hear. Your hearing health professional will show you how to adjust your settings for the different environments you may be in.

Protect Your Hearing from Noise

Fall can be a peaceful time of year, but there are plenty of opportunities to make some noise too. One of the things you might do is get out your leaf blower or mower to tidy up your yard. This equipment can produce some pretty loud sounds, so it’s important to think about your hearing health. When doing yardwork think about using quiet tools to protect your hearing health.

Protecting your hearing from damage matters just as much as paying attention to any existing hearing loss. Using ear protection when you’re clearing leaves or mowing your lawn is essential to protect your hearing. You should also use ear protection when doing things such as attending concerts and football games or hunting. Earplugs or ear defenders will help to prevent damage to your hearing from these loud environments and activities. Your hearing health professional will explain the variety of hearing protection available to prevent further hearing loss.

Take Breaks

Even during enjoyable activities, it’s not unusual to occasionally feel overwhelmed. Wearing hearing aids involves adapting to a different way of processing sound, especially for those new to them. In busy, noisy environments, taking a break can be a sensible choice. If you feel the need for a moment of tranquility, don’t hesitate to step aside from the activity. It’s also perfectly acceptable to briefly remove or turn off your hearing aids to give yourself a break. Your hearing health professional can give you advice on how to get used to your hearing aids, if you are new to wearing them.

Are you experiencing signs of hearing loss and want to enjoy fall activities? Find out more about how to manage hearing loss by contacting Hearing Solutions Inc. Call us today at (701) 566-7280 to schedule an appointment for a hearing test, hearing aid fitting or to ask about hearing aid maintenance.