An Audiologist Discusses Assisting With Special Circumstance Hearing Issues

Tiny devices shouldn’t become daily obstacles. If you’re dealing with hearing loss and also managing vision changes, numbness in your hands, arthritis, or tremors from essential tremor or Parkinson’s, hearing aids can feel frustrating fast. We sit down with Dr. Jill Copley to talk about what “special circumstances” really look like in audiology and how a smarter plan can make hearing technology easier to live with.

We walk through hearing aid innovations that reduce the struggle, starting with rechargeable hearing aids that last a full day and simple charging cases that are easier to handle than disposable batteries. We also dig into hearing aid apps, why tiny buttons can be unreliable, and how visual controls on a phone can help you adjust volume or switch settings with confidence. For anyone in assisted living, independent living, or busy family homes, we talk about the real-world moments that matter most, like loud dining rooms and staying connected on phone calls.

We also cover fitting strategies that often get overlooked: when a one-piece in-the-ear option can be simpler, when a two-piece style still works best, and how custom ear molds can improve grip and placement for people with limited dexterity. Then we zoom out to what we prefer clinically: hearing aids that are programmed to be “put them in and go,” while still offering options like background-noise settings and Bluetooth hearing aids for TV, computers, meetings, and mobile calls.

If you’re in the DFW Metroplex and want a plan built around your hands, your vision, and your daily life, save this episode, share it with a caregiver or family member, and subscribe for more practical hearing loss and tinnitus guidance. If it helps, leave a review and tell us what hearing challenge you want answered next.

To learn more about Total Hearing Care visit:
https://www.TotalHearingCare.com

Total Hearing Care
Multiple Locations Across the DFW Metroplex
(469) 809-4487

Transcript

Welcome To Total Hearing Care

SPEAKER_02 0:00

Welcome to the Total Hearing Care Difference, where we help you experience life through better hearing. Hosted by the Experts of Total Hearing Care, a leading private audiology practice serving the DFW Metroplex, we are here to provide guidance on hearing loss, tinnitus, and the latest advancements in audiology. Transform your life through better hearing. Let's get started.

SPEAKER_00 0:28

Every patient's hearing needs are unique, and special circumstances often require tailored technology, thoughtful support, and the right strategy. Welcome back, everyone. I'm Sophia Yvette, co-host and producer, back in the studio with Dr. Jill Copley. Dr. Copley, now it is lovely to be back on with you today. How have you been doing today?

SPEAKER_01 0:54

Oh, we've been doing great over here. Thank you.

Vision Loss Neuropathy And Tremors

SPEAKER_00 0:57

Great, great. Well, I am excited to dive into this one with you. So let's get into it. How do we assist with special circumstance hearing issues?

Rechargeables And Phone Apps That Help

SPEAKER_01 1:09

So when we talk about special circumstances, I think of um people who may have difficulty seeing, maybe have some vision loss that's not correct correctable by glasses, something like macular degeneration. Maybe they have neuropathy, which is like numbness in the fingers or the hands. And then the other one I think about a lot is someone that might have uh tremors like essential tremor or Parkinson's. And that can make it harder to work with hearing instruments, which are very small little devices and small pieces that you have to use. And so the first thing I wanted to mention was just innovations within the hearing aid industry itself that can really help people. The first big one that I think a lot of us were really excited about was rechargeable hearing aids. And not just rechargeable, but rechargeable hearing aids that lasted all day. So rechargeable has been around for quite a while, but it may only last six or eight hours a day, and that's not a full day. So now within the last probably six, seven years, we now have rechargeable devices that will last um the full day, 15 to 20 hours a day. And so it just makes it easy to just kind of I I think of it, you're just dropping the hearing aids into their little rechargeable case for the most part. A lot of them are kind of like a magnet, so they just stick together. The other innovation I think that has been great for people who maybe can't feel um their hands as well is the apps on cell phones. And that may sound quite complicated, but if you want to change your hearing instrument, the way you used to do it is you would actually have to feel up on your ear for a button. And those buttons could be hard to find. And um research also showed that people didn't always change the buttons like they were thinking they were changing them, so they weren't changing them accurately. And so now with the app, you can actually look at it and see what you want to change. If you want to change your volume, if you um need to change the setting for being in background noise or something like that. So those are really my two favorite innovations to help people that might have a little more difficulty seeing or feeling um the devices.

SPEAKER_00 3:54

Now, Dr. Copley, getting further into specifics here, what factors help determine which type of hearing aid is best for someone with some of these unique or complex hearing situations?

Training Caregivers For Daily Use

SPEAKER_01 4:10

So that's a very good question because there are some things we can do. Um, so I remember my grandmother had um very, very bad rheumatoid arthritis, and she her fingers were just kind of crumpled up. And one of the things I decided to do with her was just get one piece. So hearing instruments can be one piece in your ear or they can be two pieces, part that goes over your ear and then a piece in your ear. And so she could kind of move her hand and just kind of plunk it in, I plop it in her ear, and then straighten it out with her finger. And I thought that was a lot easier for her to do. Um, and there's other similar things. So getting, if you can get the device over your ear, but you're having trouble with the small piece that goes in your ear, we can create an ear mold. So the ear mold is a hard piece that you can hopefully feel a little bit better because it's bigger, and you can just kind of push it around until it goes into the right spot, and that can make it easier as well. So those are a couple of ideas that I've had for people that may have a little bit more trouble feeling. Now, the other thing is there are going to be times when, excuse me, somebody might just need some help putting them on. And I know most of us don't want to ask for help, but there are going to be people that have caregivers, maybe in assisted living or nursing homes, and they just have a really hard time. And in that instance, it's the audiologist's job to help train those other people to help them put their hearing aids, to help them put the hearing aids on our patients.

SPEAKER_00 6:00

Now let's get into what special programming or features can help these patients with the neurological, medical, or sensory-related hearing challenges.

SPEAKER_01 6:14

So when we look at settings for somebody, I and and there's two thoughts, um thought processes on this. My thought process was always the hearing instruments are just really good and they only get better as time goes along now. So hopefully we can set them and they don't have to touch them. They don't have to change things very often. Um, that that is my preference, but you can still give settings to help things in background noise. I was talking about people living in assisted living or independent living communities. Um, their dining rooms are always loud, and sometimes you just need a setting to help in that situation. And so um we can set up that setting. Like I said, there's a button on the hearing instruments that they can use, or there's their app. Um, but I would like things just to be easy and you put them in and go. Um, because that's what you do with glasses. You just put them on, you go. Um and and you don't have to think about it. And that's that's my preferences. But there are other things that can happen, especially for things like the phone. There are special settings for the phone. There's Bluetooth that you can hook up to the hearing instruments to work through your phone or your iPad, and those are very helpful as well.

SPEAKER_00 7:40

Do you see some of those Bluetooth features becoming more common nowadays or over time?

Final Takeaways And Booking Info

SPEAKER_01 7:47

Oh, yes, yes. I think they're very common now. Um, it's rare that we see somebody without a Bluetooth cell phone. Um, some people still get the easier, um just simple ones like the little flip phones that maybe don't have as good a Bluetooth or don't have the Bluetooth that's compatible with hearing aids. Um, but that's very rare now. And I think there's some people that like we talked about with cognitive issues that maybe can't use um some of these features like the Bluetooth features and things. They just need to be able to put the phone up to their ear and hear, or be able to put it on speakerphone and and hear. And that's okay too. You know, we we can work with that. Um, but the Bluetooth has been very helpful. And it's probably been the last 10 years that we've been working with Bluetooth. And um, and so it's I I think it's a lot of fun to work with Bluetooth. There's so many things Bluetooth can do to help with TV, help with computers, help you on your meetings, you know, help in situations like this, um, just help on the phone.

SPEAKER_00 8:53

So well, Dr. Copley, thank you for sharing those thoughtful insights with us all today. Always so helpful, and we will see everyone next time.

SPEAKER_02 9:06

Thank you for listening to the Total Hearing Care Difference. If you're in the DFW Metroplex and ready to take the next step toward better hearing, call 469-809-4487 to book an appointment. Or visit totalhearing care.com because when you hear better, you live better. See you next time.