Telecoil will be replaced by low-energy Bluetooth within the next ten years, according to a retired professor of audiology from Gallaudet who in June spoke to our local (DC) chapter of HLAA. He advised the audience, when they would be shopping for their next pair of hearing aids, to look for ones equipped with low-energy Bluetooth-capable ones, not telecoil. Some brands are already producing them but more will come. He suggested that, while a very few buildings and offices had put in telecoil, low-energy Bluetooth will be universally adapted, in houses of worship, lecture halls, medical & lawyers’ offices, conference rooms, govt offices, libraries, etc. Telecoil is going the way of analog TVs and coal-burning furnaces. It’s a technology of a past era. This is not my opinion, I’m simply restating what he told us.
Venues that have assistive listening technology installed must provide receivers for people who need to use them. In looped venues, those with telecoil equipped hearing aids simply have to turn their personal technology to the telecoil mode to connect. No receivers. Others who have no hearing aids or hearing aids w/o telecoils can use the receivers and headsets the venue provides to get the sound direct to their ears. However, to use those headsets/headphones, which are either ear buds or typical over the ear headsets, you will have to remove your hearing aids so they don't block the sound.
Telecoils are amazing. It's a tragedy that the people who sell hearing aids are not required to demonstrate how telecoils work. A few states have laws that require that but only a few. I encourage you to go to http://www.hearingloop.org to learn more. There is a list there of locations that have loops installed.
Note: If venues have FM or IR systems installed, everyone will need a receiver. People with telecoil equipped hearing aids will use a neckloop to connect rather than a headset. A neckloop fits around a person's neck and is plugged into the receiver the same way headsets are.
In all cases, there must be a transmitter microphone that transmits the desired sound.
I just want to tell the group that I recently purchased new Signia IX behind the ear hearing aids with the telecoil feature and they are the best hearing aids I have ever owned.
Because I have severe hearing loss my audiologist said the ones that fit inside the ear would not work but the ones behind the ear do work.
I have been told that while many venues in Europe are already equipped for telecoil usage the United States lags behind. If you can get this feature I strongly recommend you do.
I also suggest you try these hearing aids for a trial period offered by the manufacturer. I had them on at a crowded noisy restaurant last night and was able to keep them on the universal setting. A year ago I had the Signia AX Styletto model at the same restaurant and had to switch to noisy environment.
If you are old enough to qualify for Medicare check out the Humana Gold Plus plan. With my discount and their flexible spending card I was able to get the pair for $1,800. I financed them interest free for a year with CareCredit which made them very affordable.
I finally have hope that my severe hearing loss can be addressed without getting CI implants at least for now. CI implants are great and have come a long way but once you get them you lose all residual hearing.
These hearing aids give me a chance to wait for the hearing aid technology to continue to improve and at $1,800 for the pair I can get new ones when the next breakthrough happens. If someone else tries them I would love to hear if they experience what I have experienced.
In closing I have a tremendous audiologist who works for Hear USA and is one of TruHearings providers. She gives me the same service as someone paying $8,000 for a pair of hearing aids.
I recently moved from one part of town to another and although I have a Hear USA provider minutes from my new home I drive 45 minutes to an hour in heavy traffic to see her. The Audiologist you have can make a world of difference.
Good luck to everyone in the group.
I just want to tell the group that I recently purchased new Signia IX behind the ear hearing aids with the telecoil feature and they are the best hearing aids I have ever owned.
Because I have severe hearing loss my audiologist said the ones that fit inside the ear would not work but the ones behind the ear do work.
I have been told that while many venues in Europe are already equipped for telecoil usage the United States lags behind. If you can get this feature I strongly recommend you do.
I also suggest you try these hearing aids for a trial period offered by the manufacturer. I had them on at a crowded noisy restaurant last night and was able to keep them on the universal setting. A year ago I had the Signia AX Styletto model at the same restaurant and had to switch to noisy environment.
If you are old enough to qualify for Medicare check out the Humana Gold Plus plan. With my discount and their flexible spending card I was able to get the pair for $1,800. I financed them interest free for a year with CareCredit which made them very affordable.
I finally have hope that my severe hearing loss can be addressed without getting CI implants at least for now. CI implants are great and have come a long way but once you get them you lose all residual hearing.
These hearing aids give me a chance to wait for the hearing aid technology to continue to improve and at $1,800 for the pair I can get new ones when the next breakthrough happens. If someone else tries them I would love to hear if they experience what I have experienced.
In closing I have a tremendous audiologist who works for Hear USA and is one of TruHearings providers. She gives me the same service as someone paying $8,000 for a pair of hearing aids.
I recently moved from one part of town to another and although I have a Hear USA provider minutes from my new home I drive 45 minutes to an hour in heavy traffic to see her. The Audiologist you have can make a world of difference.
Good luck to everyone in the group.
1. Europe is way ahead of the USA in providing hearing loop access. It takes advocacy to make a difference. The people who need hearing help need to do more educating and advocating. You may note that areas listed at http://www.hearingloop.org that have HLAA chapters also have had the greatest success in making communication access a priority. People Power!
2. Cochlear Implants used to always take away residual hearing due to the nature of the surgery. Today, that is not always the case. Residual hearing, which by the time a CI is an option, often is not affected in today's procedures.
3. Your experience with your audiologist, Medicare and Care Credit should be very helpful to many people who need hearing help. As with most consumer products, better-quality hearing instruments sold by a professional fitter will likely work better than cheaper products sold over the counter.
1. Europe is way ahead of the USA in providing hearing loop access. It takes advocacy to make a difference. The people who need hearing help need to do more educating and advocating. You may note that areas listed at http://www.hearingloop.org that have HLAA chapters also have had the greatest success in making communication access a priority. People Power!
2. Cochlear Implants used to always take away residual hearing due to the nature of the surgery. Today, that is not always the case. Residual hearing, which by the time a CI is an option, often is not affected in today's procedures.
3. Your experience with your audiologist, Medicare and Care Credit should be very helpful to many people who need hearing help. As with most consumer products, better-quality hearing instruments sold by a professional fitter will likely work better than cheaper products sold over the counter.
You are very welcome.
I hope other people benefit from my post.
People with hearing loss need to become more active in advocating for increasing telecoil access in this country. We are a powerful bloc of people and we should use that power to demand better technology in this country.
Telecoil will be replaced by low-energy Bluetooth within the next ten years, according to a retired professor of audiology from Gallaudet who in June spoke to our local (DC) chapter of HLAA. He advised the audience, when they would be shopping for their next pair of hearing aids, to look for ones equipped with low-energy Bluetooth-capable ones, not telecoil. Some brands are already producing them but more will come. He suggested that, while a very few buildings and offices had put in telecoil, low-energy Bluetooth will be universally adapted, in houses of worship, lecture halls, medical & lawyers’ offices, conference rooms, govt offices, libraries, etc. Telecoil is going the way of analog TVs and coal-burning furnaces. It’s a technology of a past era. This is not my opinion, I’m simply restating what he told us.
Well, I wouldn’t have known about it if I hadn’t attended a talk about new technology coming to hearing aids at my local HLAA chapter meeting. The speaker, Larry Medwetsky, was a retired full professor at Gallaudet University here in Washington DC, and his profession required him to stay abreast of these developments. The tech industry is not doing outreach to our community of hearing-loss consumers, and neither are the government regulators who are developing the standards for uniform application of the technology all over the country, so your hearing aids will gain you access everywhere coast to coast.
Think about the difference between cable TV, which requires the physical installation of ugly cables all over your house and in your rooms, versus streaming, which requires only a modem and router in a corner, plugged into an outlet, and a little thing you hook onto your TV. That is the difference between telecoil, which requires physical installation of a cable, and Bluetooth. Advocating for telecoil is like advocating for cable TV.
No one is installing cable anymore, all my friends have dropped their expensive subscriptions and pulled out the wires. While cable is not exactly going to disappear, just like hard-wired telephones aren’t going to totally disappear, these are technologies of the past. So don’t invest in the past. Look toward the future. Bluetooth is the future.
Well, I wouldn’t have known about it if I hadn’t attended a talk about new technology coming to hearing aids at my local HLAA chapter meeting. The speaker, Larry Medwetsky, was a retired full professor at Gallaudet University here in Washington DC, and his profession required him to stay abreast of these developments. The tech industry is not doing outreach to our community of hearing-loss consumers, and neither are the government regulators who are developing the standards for uniform application of the technology all over the country, so your hearing aids will gain you access everywhere coast to coast.
Think about the difference between cable TV, which requires the physical installation of ugly cables all over your house and in your rooms, versus streaming, which requires only a modem and router in a corner, plugged into an outlet, and a little thing you hook onto your TV. That is the difference between telecoil, which requires physical installation of a cable, and Bluetooth. Advocating for telecoil is like advocating for cable TV.
No one is installing cable anymore, all my friends have dropped their expensive subscriptions and pulled out the wires. While cable is not exactly going to disappear, just like hard-wired telephones aren’t going to totally disappear, these are technologies of the past. So don’t invest in the past. Look toward the future. Bluetooth is the future.
https://www.hearingloop.org/uploads/tools/The%20Future-Auracast%20Broadcast%20Used%20as%20an%20ALS.pdf
Auracast is the extension of BT that is in the works. Probably not available for assistive listening systems for a decade. Meanwhile, telecoils remain the key to connect to the assistive technology currently available. Telecoils do not add cost to a hearing instrument. Well worth requesting. Most people who need hearing aids want to hear NOW, not years from now.
Again, I have no opinion on this. I’m repeating what was advised by the expert I listened to in a recent talk sponsored by local HLAA chapter. I have no argument with you.
Telecoil will be replaced by low-energy Bluetooth within the next ten years, according to a retired professor of audiology from Gallaudet who in June spoke to our local (DC) chapter of HLAA. He advised the audience, when they would be shopping for their next pair of hearing aids, to look for ones equipped with low-energy Bluetooth-capable ones, not telecoil. Some brands are already producing them but more will come. He suggested that, while a very few buildings and offices had put in telecoil, low-energy Bluetooth will be universally adapted, in houses of worship, lecture halls, medical & lawyers’ offices, conference rooms, govt offices, libraries, etc. Telecoil is going the way of analog TVs and coal-burning furnaces. It’s a technology of a past era. This is not my opinion, I’m simply restating what he told us.
People need hearing aids with both Auracast AND telecoils. I want to be able to go anywhere. Some sites will have infrared. Some Auracast. Some a hearing loop and Auracast. All will co-exist; no site will be required to pull out their existing system.
https://www.hearingloop.org/uploads/tools/The%20Future-Auracast%20Broadcast%20Used%20as%20an%20ALS.pdf
Auracast is the extension of BT that is in the works. Probably not available for assistive listening systems for a decade. Meanwhile, telecoils remain the key to connect to the assistive technology currently available. Telecoils do not add cost to a hearing instrument. Well worth requesting. Most people who need hearing aids want to hear NOW, not years from now.
I was reading about LE Bluetooth and eventually Auracast.
As much as I like my new Signia IX hearing aids with the telecoil technology I might go back to the Styletto IX hearing aids. They are more glasses friendly because of their sleek design. They don’t have telecoil but availability in this country doesn’t seem to be catching on like it is in Europe.
Your thoughts or anyone’s thoughts are certainly welcome.
Thanks.
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Telecoil will be replaced by low-energy Bluetooth within the next ten years, according to a retired professor of audiology from Gallaudet who in June spoke to our local (DC) chapter of HLAA. He advised the audience, when they would be shopping for their next pair of hearing aids, to look for ones equipped with low-energy Bluetooth-capable ones, not telecoil. Some brands are already producing them but more will come. He suggested that, while a very few buildings and offices had put in telecoil, low-energy Bluetooth will be universally adapted, in houses of worship, lecture halls, medical & lawyers’ offices, conference rooms, govt offices, libraries, etc. Telecoil is going the way of analog TVs and coal-burning furnaces. It’s a technology of a past era. This is not my opinion, I’m simply restating what he told us.
I just want to tell the group that I recently purchased new Signia IX behind the ear hearing aids with the telecoil feature and they are the best hearing aids I have ever owned.
Because I have severe hearing loss my audiologist said the ones that fit inside the ear would not work but the ones behind the ear do work.
I have been told that while many venues in Europe are already equipped for telecoil usage the United States lags behind. If you can get this feature I strongly recommend you do.
I also suggest you try these hearing aids for a trial period offered by the manufacturer. I had them on at a crowded noisy restaurant last night and was able to keep them on the universal setting. A year ago I had the Signia AX Styletto model at the same restaurant and had to switch to noisy environment.
If you are old enough to qualify for Medicare check out the Humana Gold Plus plan. With my discount and their flexible spending card I was able to get the pair for $1,800. I financed them interest free for a year with CareCredit which made them very affordable.
I finally have hope that my severe hearing loss can be addressed without getting CI implants at least for now. CI implants are great and have come a long way but once you get them you lose all residual hearing.
These hearing aids give me a chance to wait for the hearing aid technology to continue to improve and at $1,800 for the pair I can get new ones when the next breakthrough happens. If someone else tries them I would love to hear if they experience what I have experienced.
In closing I have a tremendous audiologist who works for Hear USA and is one of TruHearings providers. She gives me the same service as someone paying $8,000 for a pair of hearing aids.
I recently moved from one part of town to another and although I have a Hear USA provider minutes from my new home I drive 45 minutes to an hour in heavy traffic to see her. The Audiologist you have can make a world of difference.
Good luck to everyone in the group.
Thank you for sharing your positive experience.
A couple of points:
1. Europe is way ahead of the USA in providing hearing loop access. It takes advocacy to make a difference. The people who need hearing help need to do more educating and advocating. You may note that areas listed at http://www.hearingloop.org that have HLAA chapters also have had the greatest success in making communication access a priority. People Power!
2. Cochlear Implants used to always take away residual hearing due to the nature of the surgery. Today, that is not always the case. Residual hearing, which by the time a CI is an option, often is not affected in today's procedures.
3. Your experience with your audiologist, Medicare and Care Credit should be very helpful to many people who need hearing help. As with most consumer products, better-quality hearing instruments sold by a professional fitter will likely work better than cheaper products sold over the counter.
Again, thank you for sharing.
Julieo4
You are very welcome.
I hope other people benefit from my post.
People with hearing loss need to become more active in advocating for increasing telecoil access in this country. We are a powerful bloc of people and we should use that power to demand better technology in this country.
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1 ReactionThanks again for your update. Encouraging information. But I don't understand why others are still pushing telecoil?
Well, I wouldn’t have known about it if I hadn’t attended a talk about new technology coming to hearing aids at my local HLAA chapter meeting. The speaker, Larry Medwetsky, was a retired full professor at Gallaudet University here in Washington DC, and his profession required him to stay abreast of these developments. The tech industry is not doing outreach to our community of hearing-loss consumers, and neither are the government regulators who are developing the standards for uniform application of the technology all over the country, so your hearing aids will gain you access everywhere coast to coast.
Think about the difference between cable TV, which requires the physical installation of ugly cables all over your house and in your rooms, versus streaming, which requires only a modem and router in a corner, plugged into an outlet, and a little thing you hook onto your TV. That is the difference between telecoil, which requires physical installation of a cable, and Bluetooth. Advocating for telecoil is like advocating for cable TV.
No one is installing cable anymore, all my friends have dropped their expensive subscriptions and pulled out the wires. While cable is not exactly going to disappear, just like hard-wired telephones aren’t going to totally disappear, these are technologies of the past. So don’t invest in the past. Look toward the future. Bluetooth is the future.
https://www.hearingloop.org/uploads/tools/The%20Future-Auracast%20Broadcast%20Used%20as%20an%20ALS.pdf
Auracast is the extension of BT that is in the works. Probably not available for assistive listening systems for a decade. Meanwhile, telecoils remain the key to connect to the assistive technology currently available. Telecoils do not add cost to a hearing instrument. Well worth requesting. Most people who need hearing aids want to hear NOW, not years from now.
-
Like -
Helpful -
Hug
1 ReactionAgain, I have no opinion on this. I’m repeating what was advised by the expert I listened to in a recent talk sponsored by local HLAA chapter. I have no argument with you.
People need hearing aids with both Auracast AND telecoils. I want to be able to go anywhere. Some sites will have infrared. Some Auracast. Some a hearing loop and Auracast. All will co-exist; no site will be required to pull out their existing system.
-
Like -
Helpful -
Hug
1 ReactionI was reading about LE Bluetooth and eventually Auracast.
As much as I like my new Signia IX hearing aids with the telecoil technology I might go back to the Styletto IX hearing aids. They are more glasses friendly because of their sleek design. They don’t have telecoil but availability in this country doesn’t seem to be catching on like it is in Europe.
Your thoughts or anyone’s thoughts are certainly welcome.
Thanks.