How Virtual Assistants Can Assist Those with Hearing Loss

How Virtual Assistants Can Assist Those with Hearing Loss

Matt DearingHearing Loss

Modern technology gets more advanced every day. That’s good news for people with hearing loss. Hearing aids are smarter than ever before, and you can even find hearing aids with Artificial Intelligence features that help you hear. You can also program Alexa or Siri to help you out. These virtual assistants can assist those with hearing loss. 

Virtual Assistants

Do you have Siri or Alexa on your phone or have a smart speaker system in your home? Google Assistant, Cortana, Siri, and Alexa are voice operated, and they can assist people with hearing loss. For example, by giving your virtual assistant access to your calendar and your contacts, your assistant can tell you what’s on your schedule for the day. A voice command like “call my son” can dial your son, and put your smart speaker on speaker phone so you’ll easily hear during the call. 

How Virtual Assistants Can Help

Once you program your virtual assistant, this technology can simplify your life. These are just some of the ways a virtual assistant can help:

Setting up routines: You can teach your virtual assistant a morning routine or a bedtime routine. With one command, like saying “good morning Siri” you can start your morning routine. This could include taking your phone off silent mode, reminding you of what appointments you have for the day, telling you the weather forecast, or even reading the morning news. 

Getting medication reminders: Do you take medications at several different times throughout the day? You can program your assistant to remind you to take your meds at the right time. You can also tell your assistant that you took your medication. Later, if you forget whether you took your pills, you can ask your assistant when the last time you took your medication.

Making shopping lists: Do you keep forgetting to pick up milk? Your virtual assistant can add things to your grocery list whenever you think of them. Just tell your assistant to add something to your list, or cross off something on your to-do list.

Hands-free calling: Your virtual assistant makes it easy to place a call. Whether you want to call someone to chat, or you’ve fallen and need to call for help, just ask your assistant to call a friend or family member. If you need emergency help, you can also call 911, and quickly get the help you need. 

Programing Your Assistant’s Voice

If you have hearing loss, you may struggle to understand speech, including the voice of your virtual assistant. Thankfully, it’s easy to program your assistant’s voice so that you can hear every word they say. The voice is fully customizable, and you can change:

  • How quickly or slowly your virtual assistant speaks
  • The volume of their voice
  • Their accent
  • The language your assistant speaks
  • How much your assistant speaks

You can easily program your assistant to speak a bit slower and a bit louder so you can understand what’s being said. You can also ask your assistant to keep it brief, and say only what needs to be said. 

Hearing Aids with Connectivity Features

Siri and Alexa aren’t the only devices that can help you hear. Your hearing aids are also getting smarter. Made for iPhone hearing aids, and other hearing aids with connectivity features, can change how you use your technology. You can connect your hearing aids right to your phone, your computer, or even your TV. 

Connecting your hearing aids to your phone lets you hear phone calls and music right in your ears. You can even listen to your emails, hear a recipe, or get driving directions from your hearing aids. This means you’ll easily hear every word without straining to hear.

Hearing Aids with Artificial Intelligence

The newest advancements in hearing technology use artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance your listening experience. For example, your hearing aids can remember your preferred listening settings, and next time you’re in a similar sound environment, your hearing aids automatically adjust to help you hear clearly.

AI also makes it easier to connect with your virtual assistant. When you connect your hearing aids to your phone, you can access your virtual assistant through your hearing aids. For example, you can tap your hearing aids to talk to Siri or Alexa, and access all the great features that make your life easier.