Time to Read: 5 minutes
Spring is a great time to get back into the garden.
It’s a complete engagement of the senses - the sight of new growth, the feel of freshly cut grass under your feet, the smell of new flowers in bloom, the taste of fresh herbs and vegetables from the garden and savouring the sounds of the new season.
If you’re hearing is not up to par, you’ll be missing on small birds tweeting, the sounds of bees buzzing, the sizzle of a barbecue…
One of our clients complained to his wife that crows had chased away all the native birds from his garden. His wife told him that the birds were still there, only he couldn’t hear them!
That’s no surprise. There’s something charming about a full throated bird bursting into song but sweet little trills are as soft as 15dB.
And if you have mild hearing loss, the quietest sound you will be able to hear is between 25-40dB which is a whispered conversation or the sound of your computer fan humming.
Did you know that a colonies of bees will buzz at around 50dB if it has a queen and rises to up to 80dB (which is as loud as an alarm clock) if there is no queen?
The sound of buzzing bees is a delight to listen to and scientists have discovered that the sound serves another important purpose - plants actually listen out for it!
Researchers from Tel-Aviv University recently discovered that plants produce sweeter nectar within minutes of 'hearing' the sound of buzzing bees.
The scientists used evening primroses for their experiment and discovered that these discerning plants could even tune out wind noise!
Wind noise is something that many hearing aid wearers are concerned about. Fortunately, today's modern hearing aids have a noise cancellation feature which effectively deals with those distractions.
If you’re using power tools, we recommend removing your hearing aids and use hearing protection to safeguard your ears.
While you are enjoying the sounds of spring, be sure to take good care of your hearing aids.
Today’s devices are small and easy to lose! If they do get dropped in the garden, do clean them thoroughly. Soil and dust can block the tiny microphones.
Wipe over the aid with a microfibre cloth and use the cleaning brush provided in your kit to remove debris around the microphone and receiver. Don’t forget that many hearing aids have two microphones.
Use a drying or a dehumidifying kit after watering the garden because moisture and electronics most certainly do not mix! But if your hearing aids do get wet, don’t panic!
Take your batteries out straight away and leave the battery doors open. Batteries are quick to corrode and that is the number one cause of damage to hearing aids. Use a cotton swab to ensure the contacts in the hearing aids are dry.
Do not put your hearing aids on a heater, in the microwave, in the oven or use a hairdryer on a heat setting, you could do irreparable damage to your hearing aids. Use the dehumidifier which you may have received with your hearing aids.
If you don’t have a dehumidifier or a desiccant, try the trusty trick of using bowl of uncooked rice in a resealable bowl. Place your hearing aids in there for 24 hours, then and test them.
