Hearing Aids and audio books

[HappyMartin]

Thirty seven years ago I suffered quite severe hearing loss due to close proximity to explosions. I never did anything about it until this year. I found as I got older my inability to hear people led to me being considered either rude, simple or arrogant. This drove me to seek a solution and I now use a hearing aid.

The device is an absolute revelation. Unfortunately I have had such poor hearing for so long that my brain has begun to lose the ability to make sense of sounds. No matter how much the sound is amplified I can't always figure out what the word is. This is a diagnosis from the audiologist.

I am hoping to be able to effect some kind of rehabilitation by listening to audio books. I am able to stream sound from my phone, iPad, computer to the hearing aid. It's really a lovely feature. I asked the audiologist if listening to audio books would help my brain improve its ability to understand speech. She unfortunately has no idea. I was wondering if anyone else on this forum uses a hearing aid for audio books and perhaps has any information in this area. I have not been able to find and helpful information.

Anyone that has problems hearing I would encourage to get tested and fitted with a hearing aid if necessary. The devices are almost invisible and easy to use. The long term consequences of not sorting out a hearing problem is not pleasant. I was totally unaware of the consequences of going untreated. If I had known that I would lose the ability to understand speech I would have done something years ago.

[tubemonkey]

Originally Posted by HappyMartin

I am hoping to be able to effect some kind of rehabilitation by listening to audio books. I am able to stream sound from my phone, iPad, computer to the hearing aid. It's really a lovely feature. I asked the audiologist if listening to audio books would help my brain improve its ability to understand speech. She unfortunately has no idea. I was wondering if anyone else on this forum uses a hearing aid for audio books and perhaps has any information in this area. I have not been able to find and helpful information.

I'm glad the hearing aid is helping. I don't have a hearing loss, so I have no basis to say whether or not this possible solution would work or not.

But, have you considered this feature from Amazon -- Immersion Reading? Instead of using it to improve reading comprehension, I'm suggesting the opposite effect of using it to improve audio comprehension. When you encounter words your brain can't figure out, you have them in print right in front of you.

What is Immersion Reading?

Immersion Reading takes you deeper into a story than ever before! This functionality allows you to read a Kindle eBook and listen to its professionally narrated Audible companion Audiobook – all at the same time. Not only that, but you get the benefit of real-time highlighting, making Immersion Reading a valuable tool to boost reading comprehension and overall retention of content.

The following devices support Immersion Reading:

Kindle Fire HDX 8.9”
Kindle Fire HDX
Kindle Fire HD 2nd Gen
Kindle Fire HD 8.9”
Kindle Fire HD 7”
Kindle Fire 2nd Gen
Fire HD 6 Tablet
Kindle App for iOS
Kindle App for Android

Sync books across multiple platforms with Immersion Reading

Fire tablets can synchronize Kindle text with companion Audible audiobooks with real-time highlighting to create a more immersive reading experience, as well as deepen learning and comprehension. More than 60,000 Kindle books and companion Audible audiobooks are available across a wide array of genres.

[HappyMartin]

Well thank you Monkey. Never heard of that. I will certainly look into it.