Using new technology brought me closer to those I love

It seems a lot of conversation around technology focuses on how advancements isolate us, hinder relationships and chip away at humanity. Rather than work out our problems with one another in person, we opt for texting. Rather than local town hall meetings, we opt for Facebook groups. We even text our love ones to tell them dinner is ready! But I would argue that if used optimally, technology brings us closer.

As a senior manager of data security for a large financial institution, I am constantly on the road. I assess the security of our business partners around the world, which means I have the opportunity to travel internationally and really learn about other countries, business cultures and understand security from different perspectives.

I love my job, but 11 years ago I worried that my ability to be effective and do the best I could was being hindered when I found I was struggling to hear important conversations. I was missing important details and worried I was wearisome in asking my boss and colleagues to repeat themselves multiple times. Traveling internationally, I worried how this might impair communications across cultures. Since I was in my early 40s at the time, I needed and wanted to grow in my career, and I could sense my hearing loss was diminishing my potential.

In addition to the impact on my job, it was affecting my personality. Not being able to hear my family, friends and co-workers caused me to avoid social situations, keep quiet in business meetings and become isolated. This was stressful for me because as my friends and coworkers would tell you, I am not a wallflower. My silence caused friends to ask if I was okay. I said, “yes,” but I really wasn’t. I was sad. I was disengaged when I wanted to be in the middle of all the activity and conversations.

It wasn’t until I wore my hearing aids for the first time that I realized how extensive my hearing loss was. I would often take my hearing aids off when listening to nature and in situations where the higher frequency tones are prevalent, and I was taken aback by how much I was missing. Unlike a lot of people facing this news, I wasn’t concerned about getting hearing aids because it was so much more important to me to hear well. I was, in fact, excited to have an answer and a solution.

At innovation’s core is our need to interact. Communication drives so many advancements in technology, allowing us to stay more connected than ever to our friends, families and co-workers. That’s why it’s no surprise to me that many of the advances we’ve seen influence and improve the way we communicate. Our phones are now pocket-sized computers, calendars, contact books, cameras and personal assistants. Most of us are nearly inseparable from our phones – I know I am.

But there is more to advancements in communication than just the latest smartphone evolution. Think about the interactions in your everyday life, such as work meetings, dinner with friends and game night with family. Those interactions aren’t as easy for people like me. It’s easy to forget the role that hearing plays in our ability to live active, happy lives until it’s gone. That’s why when an accessible and easy technological solution for managing my hearing loss was offered to me, I couldn’t wait to get my devices.

Hearing aids today are not like they once were. They are crisper with better sound quality, have Bluetooth capabilities and some even allow you to connect with your hearing care provider from anywhere around the world through your phone. Personally, Remote Care—which allows me to send feedback to my provider about what I’m hearing in that moment—is a game-changer for me because I could be anywhere around the world on a business trip when I need help with fine-tuning my devices.

Teleaudiology solutions like these are vital for those living with hearing loss because they increase accessibility. What if someone cannot access public transportation to visit their hearing care provider for follow-up appointments? Features like Remote Care allow people to receive fine-tunings from the comfort of their home or from across the ocean.

All of these leaps in hearing care are big improvements for those wearing hearing aids. IHS Technology reported the number of people receiving telehealth will increase from 350,000 in 2013 to seven million in 2018. This means that devices like these are meeting an increased need for on-the-go accessibility, or teleaudiology, for those with hearing loss.

Most importantly, these new capabilities might help encourage more people to take care of their hearing health, take that first step to get tested and to get the hearing aids they need and live a more engaged life

I would recommend anyone who thinks they may have even a slight hearing loss, to take a simple online test—like the one Beltone offers on their website. Don’t be afraid to get your hearing tested and don’t be afraid to embrace the technology hearing aids now offer to those with hearing loss. I can speak from experience when I say the benefits of being able to hear your family, friends and co-workers are worth it. I wear my devices from when the alarm goes off in the morning until I lay my head on the pillow. I know my life and communications are richer because of my ability to hear.