Air travel can always be a little stressful, but that can be even more true for people with hearing loss. Let’s take a look at a few of the challenges as well as tips for how to navigate airports when you have hearing loss.
Treat Your Hearing Loss
First and foremost, if you have hearing loss, it’s important to seek proper treatment. If you haven’t already, schedule an appointment for a hearing test. If your results indicate that you have hearing loss, your audiologist will most likely recommend hearing aids.
There’s a reason that 7.1% of people aged 45 and over use a hearing aid. It’s because they are an incredibly effective tool that makes listening easier in any environment, including when traveling.
Before You Travel
There are things you can do before you even step foot in Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport that will make your hearing experience easier when you move through the airport and onto the plane. Make sure to pack the essentials, such as extra hearing aid batteries and cleaning tools, as well as a safe place to store them. If you haven’t seen your hearing specialist in a while, consider scheduling an appointment before you go to make sure everything is working well with your hearing aids.
At The Airport
- Going through security: It’s not necessary to remove your hearing aids when you go through security, and in fact, it would make it harder to understand any instructions from TSA agents if you did. You may want to give an agent a heads up that you use hearing aids and/or have hearing loss before you go through so that they are aware.
- Hearing announcements: Even with your hearing aids, it can be easy to miss certain announcements because airports are such loud, busy environments. Thankfully, many airports also use hearing loop systems. If your hearing aids have a telecoil, you can use loop systems to have important announcements from the airport PA system streamed directly into your device.
- Talk to an attendant: Once you reach your gate, it can be helpful to speak with an attendant to let them know about your hearing loss and ask them to notify you about any important pre-boarding information.
On The Flight
You do not have to turn your hearing aids off during takeoff or landing. However, you may still have issues with hearing certain inflight announcements. Speak to a flight attendant so that they can make sure you are given notice about any information like expected turbulence or a change in arrival time.
For more information or to schedule an appointment, call Advanced Hearing today.