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Need decision help how to proceed with hearing aids, your experience
Hearing Loss | Last Active: 21 hours ago | Replies (52)Comment receiving replies
Tell me more about putting a loop in your home. Who can do it and how much does it cost?
As far as other venues in Denver having telecoil systems I can only speak to movie theaters and when I ask they look at me like I am speaking a foreign language and suggest a clumsy device to hang around my neck. Quite frankly it is cumbersome and I have removed it and gone back to my hearing aids.
Lawyers have made a living filing lawsuits when restaurants and other venues don’t provide access for handicapped people to get in and out and use the restroom. Why don’t people with hearing loss get the same consideration.
Telecoils would be great if every venue had to install them just like Auracast will be great if it works universally all over the country. We really don’t have anyone that is strongly advocating for us because we don’t use our voices and sheet numbers to demand it and our elected representatives don’t demand it.
Do you ever read anything about hearing loss in the AARP bulletin or magazine?
I know they are working on finding a way to restore hearing loss in adults by bringing back damaged or destroyed hair cells but where is the urgency and demand from the hearing impaired? There are millions of us in the United States and yet we are invisible. We are paying obscene amounts of money for hearing aids and many lack the insurance to help pay for them. Medicare doesn’t deem it important enough to pay for or considers it cosmetic. CI’s are covered if you can meet their loss of hearing standards but research has been painfully slow in this country.
Just sharing my frustration for all the people that suffer in silence because hearing loss just doesn’t get a seat at the table for far too many people.
Come on people. Demand more attention from AARP. I read about research to restore eye sight but nothing about restoring hearing loss. Until we do we will be at the mercy of overworked Audiologists and overpriced hearing aid manufacturers.
Replies to "Tell me more about putting a loop in your home. Who can do it and how..."
@daveshaw
Some resources for you
AARP hearing loss portal
https://www.aarp.org/health/conditions-treatments/hearing-resource-center/
There is quite a lot of research about hearing loss restoration with the regeneration of hair cells. Here's one recent posting
https://hearinghealthfoundation.org/blogs/study-identifies-gene-regulators-behind-hearing-regeneration
Dave, there area a few options for putting in a hearing loop in your home. One could, depending on one's home, somewhat easily install a home loop system. You need a Hearing loop driver or amplifier to hook up to your TV which powers the wire laid around the perimeter of the room or on the basement ceiling to provide the electromagnetic signal to connect to your telecoils in your hearing aids. Or, you could also just get a chair loop pad, which also needs a driver. You would want to make sure you don't have too much other electromagnetic interference before you purchase the items. I am aware of one company in the Denver area that focuses on hearing loop installation. I don't know anything about them but came across them doing my own research. Always encourage researching.
Erin Nichols http://www.assist2hear.com 877-338-1084
They might check your house for EM interference, possibly for free if you purchase from them and they install. I plan to put a loop system in this winter. My basement ceiling is unfinished so just need to loop the wire around and hook it up. Good luck. Be sure to connect with the CO HLAA chapters and be sure read up info on http://www.hearingloop.org and http://www.hearingloss.org
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There are a couple very active HLAA chapters in Colorado. Have you affiliated with them? As I have said before, if the people who have hearing loss would get on the bandwagon to effect change, more attention would be given to hearing loss. There are obviously reasons why this doesn't happen. Unfortunately.
The Americans with Disabilities Act clearly states that if people do not ask for accommodations of venues, they need not be provided. There are tons of hearing loops in the USA, but most are in regions where HLAA members have educated and advocated for them. That is just a reality.
Your concerns are legitimate. AARP does give coverage to hearing loss, but infrequently. There are so many other aging issues to cover. Not excusing them, but realistically speaking.
No easy answers or solutions.