Thoughtful Tech Gifts for a Parent with Hearing Loss
Hearing loss creeps up quietly, and it can be isolating. The television gets louder, phone calls become a strain, and group conversations turn into guesswork. The right technology can ease all of that, and as a gift it says something kind: I want you to stay part of things.
There is more help available than most families realise, and a good deal of it is free in Australia. Here are thoughtful gift ideas for a parent with hearing loss, along with the Australian services worth knowing about. If you are helping an older parent get online, see our wider guide to helping a parent go online.
Quick answer
The most useful tech gifts for a parent with hearing loss tackle the three hard spots: the phone, the television, and seeing family. An amplified phone makes calls louder and clearer, wireless TV headphones let them hear the programme without blasting the room, and a tablet lets them read captions and lip-read on video calls. And before you spend anything, know that the National Relay Service can caption their phone calls for free, and pensioners can get hearing aids subsidised through the Australian Government.
Match the gift to where they struggle most
Hearing loss bites hardest in a few everyday situations. Start with whichever one frustrates your parent most.
| Where they struggle | Good gift |
|---|---|
| Phone calls are a strain | An amplified phone, plus the free captioning service that shows the words. |
| The TV is too loud for everyone else | Wireless TV headphones, just for them. |
| Following family talk and video calls | A tablet, with captions and a clear view of faces. |
| Missing the doorbell or alarms | Louder or flashing alert devices. |
An amplified phone, and free captioning
If phone calls have become a battle, a phone built for hearing loss changes everything. An amplified phone makes the caller’s voice much louder and clearer, often with big buttons too. Australian brands like Oricom are sold through electronics shops and assistive-technology suppliers such as Word of Mouth Technology, which specialises in equipment for hearing loss.
Even better for many people is captioning, where the caller’s words appear on a screen as they speak, so your parent can read along with what they cannot quite catch. In Australia this is provided free by the National Relay Service. Your parent speaks into their own phone as normal and reads the captions on a smartphone, tablet or computer, through the NRS app or the NRS Captions page. It is free to use and well worth setting up before you buy any special handset.
Wireless TV headphones
The classic household standoff is the television volume. Wireless TV headphones solve it neatly. Your parent gets the sound straight into their ears, as loud as they like, while everyone else enjoys the room at a normal level. No wires to trip over, and the speech comes through clearly.
Good sets from brands like Sennheiser are sold at the main electronics shops such as JB Hi-Fi and Harvey Norman. If your parent watches a lot of television, this is one of the most appreciated gifts on the list.
A tablet for captions and clear faces
A tablet helps with hearing loss in two quiet ways. On a video call, the large, clear picture lets your parent see faces and lips, which we all read more than we realise. And captions, the words shown on screen, can be turned on for many videos and programmes, so they can read what they cannot quite catch.
For seeing family, our guide to the best tablets for video calling family covers good choices, and how to video call on an iPad gets the first call going.
Alerts they will not miss
Hearing loss can mean missing the doorbell, the phone, or a smoke alarm, which matters for safety as well as convenience. There are louder doorbells and alerting devices, and some use a flashing light or a vibrating pad so the signal is seen or felt rather than only heard. A specialist supplier like Word of Mouth Technology can point you to the right ones, including flashing doorbells and bed-shaker smoke alarms.
The free and subsidised help in Australia
This is the part most families do not realise, and it can save a great deal of money. Before buying expensive equipment, it is worth knowing what the Australian Government and the not-for-profits provide.
- The National Relay Service captions phone calls for free for anyone who finds the phone hard because of hearing loss. Find it at accesshub.gov.au, or have a family member help set up the NRS app.
- The Hearing Services Program gives eligible older Australians subsidised hearing assessments and hearing aids, often at no cost. Pensioner Concession Card holders and DVA cardholders aged 21 and over generally qualify. Note that a Commonwealth Seniors Health Card on its own does not. Details are at hearingservices.gov.au, and providers include Hearing Australia, Audika, Specsavers, Connect Hearing and Amplifon.
- Deaf Connect (deafconnect.org.au) supports older people who are deaf or hard of hearing, including an Ageing Well service for the over-65s.
If your parent already has hearing aids, ask their audiologist what the aids can connect to. Many modern aids stream sound from a phone or television directly, which may shape the best gift of all.
Before you finish
Download the free Family Tech Safety Checklist to help check phone safety, passwords, scam messages, emergency contacts and medical alarm details.
FAQ: Tech gifts for a parent with hearing loss
How can my parent read their phone calls?
Through the National Relay Service, which is free in Australia. They speak as normal and read the caller’s words on a smartphone, tablet or computer, using the NRS app or the NRS Captions page.
How do TV headphones help?
They send the television sound straight to your parent’s ears at whatever volume they need, while everyone else keeps the room at a normal level.
Where can we buy this equipment in Australia?
Specialist suppliers like Word of Mouth Technology for amplified phones and alerting devices, and the main electronics shops such as JB Hi-Fi and Harvey Norman for TV headphones. Ask before buying, as advice is often free.
Can my parent get help paying for hearing aids?
Often yes. The Australian Government Hearing Services Program subsidises hearing aids for Pensioner Concession Card and DVA cardholders aged 21 and over, frequently at no cost. See hearingservices.gov.au.
Can a normal tablet help with hearing loss?
Yes. It shows faces clearly on video calls for lip-reading, and captions can be switched on so they can read what they miss.
