Tips for Visiting an Amusement Park With Hearing Loss

Posted on by Advanced ENT & Allergy

Whether you like eating corn dogs, going upside down and backward on a fast ride or hanging out around the water slides, going to amusement parks can be a fun summer activity. Hearing loss doesn’t have to stop you from enjoying this summer fun.

Let’s look at ways you can accommodate your hearing loss to have a fun, stress-free day at Clementon Park & Splash World or other local amusement parks.

Wear and Protect Your Hearing Aids

Family of four on a rollercoaster

Hearing aids are small but technologically advanced devices that amplify sound and reduce background noise to help facilitate easier communication between you and your family members and keep you more aware of your surroundings.

Protecting your hearing aids is vital to a fun and stress-free day. The easiest way to protect your devices is to know when to remove them. A couple of times you may want to store your devices include:

  • When on a rollercoaster. While you may be able to wear your hearing aids on slow and steady rides, removing them for fast and loopy rides will help prevent them from being lost or damaged.
  • When on a water ride. Water slides and wave pools can be a fun way to cool down on a hot day, but they are no friend to hearing aids. Although some hearing aids come equipped with a water-resistant coating, the coating is designed to protect only against small splashes; they should all be kept away from heavy water contact. If you plan on entering the amusement park’s water area, secure your devices in a waterproof storage case beforehand.

Wear Hearing Protection

Protecting your hearing is essential to preventing further hearing loss. One way to do that is to wear earplugs. Amusement parks are loud places, and wearing earplugs will help dampen the force with which sound approaches the ear canal, thereby preventing unnecessary damage.

Check Accommodations

Approximately 15% of U.S. adults report some trouble hearing. Because hearing loss is so prevalent, most amusement parks have accommodations put in place, including but not limited to:

  • Assistive listening devices
  • American Sign Language interpreters
  • Closed captioning

Consider calling ahead to ask what accommodations your local amusement park offers for those with hearing loss.

For more tips on managing your hearing loss, contact Advanced ENT & Allergy today to speak to one of our specialists.