Hearing tests are usually something seniors will avoid at all costs. The idea of needing a hearing device means you have finally crossed the line into old age and many seniors avoid going down this road until their hearing problem has become a very real problem – causing awkward moments for their friends and family. Now there is an App that allows you to test the quality of your hearing called the Ear Machine.
Being in an area with too many loud noises can be overwhelming, just as straining to hear a soft noise can be difficult on the ears. The Ear Machine App allows the user to adjust the loudness of the sound coming in through their headphones as well as fine-tune the sounds they are hearing for a better listening experience. And for a better way to check your hearing to make sure you do not have hearing loss.
The Ear Machine app pulls sounds from the environment around the user using the microphone on their mobile device and allowing the user to move the fine-tuning wheel until they hear the noises around them at a clearer level than without the headphones. This function can be particularly useful for seniors who may be hard-of-hearing to participate in conversations, for caregivers to hear a senior who may be soft spoken or for anyone who wants to have control over the sounds in a busy or loud environment.
Now anyone who has a parent or who may be a caregiver for a senior who you feel has hearing loss, can simply use this App to test their hearing – no need to keep asking them to go to the hearing doctor. Just do the hearing test with this App, in the comfort of the senior’s home.
The microphone on the phone is quite sensitive. In testing out the app in a new environment, it picks up quiet sounds located very close to the phone very well- for example, if I’m typing on my computer and the phone is sitting next to it, I can hear my fingers hitting each key very distinctly, which is not something that my ears catch without using this app. The only issue with this comes into play when the cord for the headphones is jostled- it comes across as a rather loud rustling that can disrupt the user from hearing sounds that are further away.
The app also has a function that auto sets the loudness and fine-tuning wheels to their recommended levels for your environment. In addition to using the microphone to listen to the sounds around you, the app also allows users to tap into the music selection on their phone and adjust the levels to hear it they way you want to.
The Ear Machine app is available for Apple platforms.
Senior caregivers, let us know your feedback on this app and keep us posted if you discover additional apps that assist with caregiving duties and help relieve caregiver stress. You may also refer-a-friend to a senior caregiving job and win prizes weekly and monthly on Caregiverlist.
