Fun in the Sun: 6 Tips for Wearing Your Processor Outdoors

Whether you’re hiking, biking, or throwing around a football, odds are you’ll end up wearing your sound processor as a part of this fall’s outdoor activities. Even if the activity doesn’t necessarily require you to hear, it’s a good idea to be attuned to environmental noise.

Here are six tips for wearing your sound processor during outdoor activities:

1. Remember to keep your processor dry. Unfortunately, even as the weather cools down, there’s still a lot of moisture in the air that can damage your processor over time. Make sure you place it in a drying container overnight to remove any moisture from humidity, sweat, rain or other environmental factors.
2. Communicate your hearing needs to those around you. While your first instinct may not be to tell everyone you have a sound processor, it’s good to let people know so they can treat it carefully. For example, if you’re at a splash park or pool, you want to make sure everyone knows that they can’t splash you or surprise you with water that could severely damage your processor. It’s better to tell them ahead of time to prevent any accidental damage.
3. For Baha devices, wear a safety clip to prevent losing your processor. With physical activity comes a risk that your processor could become dislodged. When in doubt, use the safety line to attach it to your shirt. That way you don’t have to worry about it falling off while you’re hiking or playing sports.
4. Don’t let your processor get overheated. Although it can withstand normal environments, your processor wasn’t designed for extreme temperatures. Don’t leave it on the dashboard of a car or anywhere it could overheat.
5. If travelling, plan ahead. Make sure to pack batteries, a back-up sound processor (if you have one), accessories and cables, a Dry-Aid Kit, and an MRI/Security control instructions card (if flying).
6. Consider meeting with your hearing processional to create or adjust maps for outdoor noise. There are a lot of different sounds that are unique to the outdoors, so if you’re planning to spend time outside, you may want to set up an appointment with your hearing professional to make sure you’re able to enjoy all the sounds of your environment.

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Skylar Mason

As a journalism student, Baha recipient, and Anders Tjellström Scholarship winner, Skylar is excited to join the team at Cochlear as an intern to tell the stories of other CI and Baha recipients! She attends the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism at Arizona State University.