Gift giving ideas
With the holidays just around the corner, it’s time to start thinking of gift ideas for those closest to you. This year, why not consider giving your loved ones a unique but useful hearing related gift? Whether they are hearing impaired or have normal hearing, below is a list of gift ideas that they are sure to love.
Custom hearing protection- Custom hearing protection is a great gift for so many different people in your life. Hunters, musicians and avid concert goers, to name a few, can all benefit from custom earplugs. Hearing protection can be made completely solid to block all sound (great for sleeping plugs!) or with various filters to let in animal noises or vocals in music. Custom plugs can also be made into earbuds/headphones, which are a great option for anyone on your list.
Hearing Aid Dryers – Hearing aid drying devices are a great gift for loved ones who use hearing aids. Dryers range from minimal to more advanced options that plug into the wall and use a germicidal lamp to disinfect. A drying device will extend the life of hearing aids, keep the user’s ears dry and clean and provide storage options both at home and while on the go.
Bluetooth Accessories- Bluetooth Accessories are a great option for someone that already has hearing aids. Bluetooth packages allow hearing aid users to “stream” or directly connect to audio from cell phones, television, iPads or remote microphones. These gifts are especially useful for anyone who is struggling to understand with his or her hearing aids. For more information on Bluetooth, please see on of our earlier blog posts on the topic (https://www.betterhearingjax.com/hearing-aid-accessories/)
TV Ears- TV Ears are ideal for someone who doesn’t have hearing aids but still struggles to understand the television or likes the volume turned up very loud. TV Ears are easy to use and can provide excellent sound quality at a reasonable cost. They are available in many different styles depending on preference.
Vibrating Alarm Clock – There are a lot of household accessories available for people who are hard-of-hearing or deaf to make daily life easier. One example is a vibrating alarm clock, which uses a bed shaker to wake someone from sleep instead of sound. Bed shakers and vibrating watches can also pair to cell phones, doorbells and landlines to alert someone of visitors or incoming calls.
Toys and Comics featuring hard of hearing or deaf characters – If you have a child on your buying list who has hearing loss, a hearing related gift might be just right for them. Marvel Comics has recently introduced Blue Ear and Sapheara, two super heroes who wear hearing aids and cochlear implants. American Girl Dolls has also introduced hearing aid accessories for any of their 18” dolls. These options and others like them (including a host of different books) are relatable and educational for children with hearing loss, and may even help them to accept their hearing aids and cochlear implants.
The gift of better communication is one of the best gifts you can give this year. The above options are just a small sample of some of the ways you can use gift giving to help a loved one reconnect to the world of sound this holiday season.