Gifts for the Hearing Impaired

By Anna Hazard

​Introduction

Here are a selection of suitable gifts for seniors and other loved ones that may be hearing impaired including choices appropriate for slight, moderate, or more severe forms of hearing loss. Most gifts are more practically focused and thus are appropriate as presents for the upcoming winter holidays or for any time of the year. Many of the powered gadgets are on the more expensive side ($50 - $500) for good quality selections, but there are also some more inexpensive (less than $30) options especially for non-electronic items. Keep in mind that items that directly interact with the user's body (such as personal sound amplifiers or headphones) should be reviewed for quality as over-amplification can cause further deterioration of hearing.

Hearing Loss Phones

• A practical gift for those who are hard of hearing but would still like the use of normal landline phones (a particular favorite amongst many seniors who have yet to go wireless) are phones that have been particularly tailored for users with hearing loss. There are two main types of such phones available, amplified phones and caption phones. There are a wider selection of amplified phones available and they also tend to be available in normal stores such as Walmart. However, since amplified phones increase the sound that they project, they may not be suitable for households that include users within the normal hearing range.
• Caption phones, on the other hand, provide text captions of the current on-going conversation either machine generated or transcribed by specialized Captioned Telephone Service. Captions are near real time, but can have a slight delay. The CTS system is free of charge under the American Disabilities Act for the deaf and hard of hearing and is FCC regulated for confidentiality with all records of calls deleted after use. Caption Phones are particularly useful for those with more severe forms of hearing loss that can't be compensated through the use of an amplified phone.
• Amplified Phones: Best Phones for Hearing Impaired | Maxi Aids | Parent Giving | Harris Communications | Walmart | Amazon | Google Shopping
• Captioned Phones: Captioned Phones Guide | Captel | CaptionCall | Clear Captions | Harris Communications | Amazon | Google Shopping

Personal Sound Amplifiers

• Personal Sound Amplifiers tend to be used by people with low to moderate hearing loss that don't require the use of hearing aids. PSAPs are a lower cost alternative that can be bought directly without need to go through a doctor and tend to be used in specific situations where a boost in auditory volume would be helpful  (such as when listening to a lecture or having a low volume conversation in a restaurant). While many PSAPs look similar to normal hearing aids, they are not intended as an every day compensation for impaired hearing.  In general, the very low end of personal sound amplifiers ($10- $30) should be avoided as they tend to either overamplify sounds or end up muffling sounds instead of amplifying them.
• Sound Amplifier Guide | Best Personal Sound Amplifiers [1, 2] | Liberty Health | Harris Communications | Walmart | Amazon | Google Shopping

Hearing Loss Alarm Clocks

• Alarm clocks that have been explicitly tailored for deep sleepers are the hard of hearing is another practical gift for those with impaired hearing that may have trouble waking up in the morning. Certain alarm clock styles are quite fancy and can act as household decor in addition to their normal clock & alarm functions. There are three types of alarms recommended for the hard of hearing, extra loud alarms that increase the volume of sound they output, vibrating alarms that notify through tactile stimulation instead of auditory output, and light based alarms that notify through visual instead of auditory output.
• The volume based alarms are the least inexpensive and most widely distributed, often found in normal stores. Extra loud audio is also often found as a secondary function within vibrational alarms or alarm combinations meant specifically for the hearing impaired. This type of alarm would be inappropriate in households that have others with normal hearing ranges.
• Vibrating alarms are a popular choice for the hearing impaired as they don't provide the inconvenience of startling loud sounds to others in the vicinity. Vibrating alarms are usually meant to be placed under the pillow, under the mattress (known as bed shakers, these types would be inappropriate for those sharing a bed with someone who does not need the alarm), or meant to be worn around the wrist. High end vibrational alarms tend to also include secondary functions for loud audio or flashing lights as well.
• Light Based alarms can take the form of strobing or flashing lights (usually a secondary function found within other alarm types). For less jarring methods of waking up, there are wake up, dawn simulation, or light therapy alarm clocks that slowly fill the room with simulated natural light similar to what would be found during dawn. While they can be used as such, light therapy alarms are not explicitly tailored for the hard of hearing and so usually can't be found within many medical or auditory stores. They do, however, have additional benefits which are their primary uses -- for treatment of seasonal affective order (SAD), depression, help with jet lat, insomnia & circadian rhythms, and as a general sleep aid. Light therapy alarms & dawn simulators have also been prescribed in the treatment of Alzheimer's & dementia.
• Hearing Loss Alarm Clock Guides [1, 2]
• Extra Loud: Hearing Direct | Alarm Clocks Online | Amazon | Google Shopping
• Vibrating: Rehab Mart | Affordable Magnifiers | Hear More | Adco | Harris Communications | Weitbrecht | eBay | Amazon | Google Shopping
• Light Based: Light Alarm Guide [1, 2] | Best Buy | Walmart | Amazon | Google Shopping

Hearing Impaired Headphones

• These headphones are explicitly made to help those with hearing loss more easily listen to television, music, phones, and any other gadgets that have a normal headphone jack. This can either be done through amplification of sound or via bone conduction (which creates vibrations through the skull to directly stimulate the cochlea in the ear, a process most helpful for those with conductive or mixed hearing loss). Hearing impaired headphones come in the same range of styles as normal ones including headsets (wraparound & over-the-ear), earbuds, and earhooks/earloops along with both wired & wireless varieties. There are headphones created specifically for television watching in general which emphasize clarity of speech over background sounds & music.
• Hearing Impaired Headphones Guide [1, 2] | Maxi Aids | Rehab Mart | Adco Hearing | Headset Store | Amazon | Google Shopping

Hearing Aid Jewelry

• A more fun gift for the holidays that focuses on fashion and flare over practicality, these are various bits of jewelry, skins, and other decorations mainly made to customize, disguise, or embellish hearing aid gadgets. They come in a wide variety of styles from cute, elegant, chic, understated, or flamboyant and can be bought from established companies or from individual artists & crafters from such places as Etsy. Some variations of jewelry are made to communicate that the user is hard of hearing instead of decorating any particular hearing aid.
• Hearing Aid Decoration Guide | Hayleigh's Cherished Charms | Hearrings | My Lugs | Skinit | Louder Jewelry | Tubetastic

Dehumidifier/Dryer for Hearing Aids

• A less flashy but entirely practical gift would be dehumidifier or dryer that has been explicitly made to work with hearing aids. Considering the wide range of environments where a hearing aid could be worn (inside the ear which has its own moisture while exposing it to the weather outside) as well as the humidity of a household where the hearing aid is kept when not in use, the practice of using a dehumidifier can extend the functioning life of the hearing air while decreasing the number of repairs required during its use.
• Dryers for hearing aids usually take the form of boxes (where aids should be placed inside with their battery doors open for best air circulation) that absorb any latent moisture from the hearing air or cochlear implant through the use of a replaceable desiccants &r gels or through electrically powered heat & air circulation. Prices tend to range from $30 - $100+ with the higher end electric dryers having extra options such as bacteria disinfecting with UV light, deodorizers, and expedited drying times.
• Top 8 Hearing Aid Dryers | Maxi Aids | ADCO | Harris Communications | Amazon | Google Shopping