Early summer is the time for farmers’ markets and neighborhood events. While events like these are great for building community and shopping local, they may present some unexpected challenges for hearing aid users.
Hearing Challenges at Events and Markets
The combination of the outdoor acoustics and the bustling activity can be overstimulating. Truthfully, these environments can be complex for hearing, even for those without hearing loss. Here are the main challenges.
- Outdoor acoustics. Street markets and local community events often take place outside; who doesn’t get excited when they see all the vendor tents pop up along the sidewalk like daisies? The complication here is that outdoor spaces can be echoey, or conversely, sound may be swallowed up in the vast amount of space. These can make hearing incredibly difficult.
- Excessive background noise. Another aspect of being outside is the presence of extra background noise. Cars may be driving by, the wind may be blowing or birds may be singing. These extra sound signals can overwhelm your ears and brain and drown out what you’re actually trying to hear.
- Crowds. Another source of background noise is the crowd of people around you. Conversations and laughter will constantly be happening, plus you’ll be aware on a subconscious level of other people’s footsteps and movement, so you can avoid running into them.
- Chatting with vendors. Trying to hold a conversation in this environment can be difficult, which you’ll certainly notice if you step up to a vendor to ask them a question or place an order. You may mishear what they say or miss what they say entirely, leading to confusion and frustration.
So without further ado, here are our tips on how your hearing aids can help you navigate these fun, local events.
Wear Your Hearing Aids
Some people may be tempted to leave their hearing aids at home or in the car when they attend these events to cut down on all the noise clutter. We strongly advise against this. Your hearing aids keep you safe in environments like this by aiding in your spatial awareness, and if you do strike up a conversation with a neighbor or vendor, you’ll want to hear what they’re saying. Keep your hearing aids in. (Also, don’t leave your hearing aids in the car if you can help it; cars can get hot in this weather, and the extreme heat can cause major damage to your devices.)
Turn Up Background Noise Suppression
To help with the echoey environs and environmental background noise, go into your hearing aid settings and turn up background noise suppression. The sophisticated digital processor in your hearing aids will then automatically detect what sounds are background noise and turn the volume down on those sounds.
Go With a Friend
Naturally, these events are much more enjoyable if you’re strolling along with a friend or loved one. And their presence could be a real boon for helping you hear what’s going on around you or catching something you missed.
Consider a Directional Microphone
In crowds like this, sounds are coming at you from all directions, which can be overwhelming. Directional microphones help with this problem by focusing only on sounds coming directly from in front of you. This will naturally dampen the sounds coming from behind and beside you, which won’t need as much of your attention, decreasing the noise levels.
To learn more about directional microphones, hearing aid settings and other ways your technology can help you get the most out of your favorite community event, come ask us about it! Call Aaron's Hearing Aid & Audiology Center to learn more or to book an appointment.