Loss of hearing clarity: Solutions or strategies anyone?

@imallears Thanks Mary, my HAs do not have a T coil. I am not sure why, and what the advantage is of a T coil. I have an appointment coming up with my audiologist so I will have to ask her about that.
JK

For those who don't know what hearing loops and telecoils are, go to hearingloop.org You'll find all the information you need to understand why telecoils are so important and why hearing loops are so terrific. Then take a gander at loopwisconsin.org Thanks to advocates in Wisconsin there are over 400 hearing loops installed in the state. They are in libraries, performing arts centers, schools, worship centers, community centers, etc. If people don't ask for these accommodations, they don't get installed. Hard of hearing people are entitled to 'communication access' by virtue of the Americans with Disabilities Act. However, that legislation states that if accommodations are not requested they don't have to be provided. We can do this, but everyone has to get in the game!

@julieo4 Julie, How did all of these loops get funded? I'm concerned that my church and library would be turned off by the cost.

@contentandwell
Hi,
Most BTES have Tcoils. The major advantage beside looped venues is the ability to hear on the phone without background noise or interference. My landline is not equipped with a Tcoil but I use an earlink....a device I plug into my Captel landline and slip behind my ear. Sound is clear and loud and sent to my ear. Most cells phones have Tcoil settings...you will notice , if you buy a new cell phone, that it will have a Tcoil rating on the box...like T3 or T4....the higher the rating the stronger the signal.
I can also plug my earlink into my cell (Samsung).

Tcoils are valuable when using assisted listening devices. I sometimes wear a neck loop and switch my Tcoil on and use my Pocket Talker when I want to hear music better on the TV. The neck loop is similiar to a looped area, but just around your neck. Many proprietary assisted devices that are used along with hearing aids require a Tcoil setting. I have 2 settings which I recommend.....straight Tcoil which eliminates all outside sound and Tcoil + mic which I use in a looped area so I can hear both the speaker but also those around me.

All hearing aids should come equipped with Tcoils. As an unintended benefit, if you are in an usually noisey environment, and turning down the volume is not helping, switch to Tcoil and enjoy the silence for a bit. Can’t tell you how many times I have used that ....I have gone to churches where the rock band like music before the service is intolerable. Rather than take the aids out, I just switch to Tcoil.
If you wear 2 aids you can choose to have this setting (or any settings) synchronized so that switching to one program will happen on both aids. I chose to have the volume setting individualized since, many times, I want to volume down on the right ear but leave the left ear alone. My Tcoil program and the rest of the programs are synchronized.

If you have the option on your current aids, have the Tcoil program added..If not I strongly advise your next aids to have it. I wouldn’t be able to use any assisted devices without it.

Regards from Mary

Ps I have a profound bilateral loss in both ears and currently wear Phonak BTES ....40 years worth of hearing aids

Worship centers are the easiest. Most want to provide accessibility. Some use memorials, some have had special fund raisers. In many cases, the people who benefit from the loop donate or work to raise funds. They are exempt from the ADA regulations, but the public venues are not. In Appleton WI, the large performing arts center has two major theaters. Both are looped. Funds were raised by a citizen's committee that worked with the HLAA chapter and Juliette Sterkens, the National HLAA Hearing Loop Advocate, to educate the public. A public meeting/event was held at the PAC. The PAC's Board of Trustees got behind it. Some major donations came in, and enough money was raised. Loops were installed in both theaters. I guess it really takes an enthusiastic group of advocates who know what they want to get the movement going. It also helps to get the hearing healthcare professionals involved. The disabilities act is in our court, but we have to understand the regulations and be willing to speak out. I will say that in the 90s, this same community managed to get over 50 FM installations in a variety of venues. That also was due to hard of hearing people organizing to educate and advocate. I was concerned when the loop movement started that these venues would be opposed to change. For the most part they weren't.

@imallears Thanks for your response. I am aware that the higher the T number, the better the compatibility. I have always looked for cell phones with at least a T3. I may have realized at some point that was indicative of it having a T-coil, but if I was, I forgot!

My Oticons pair so well with my iPhone that I just haven't given it much thought. I do not need to do anything when I use the phone, the hearing aids are always ready. My old hearing aids, Phonaks, did require me to change programs when I used the phone. They worked great with my phone too
JK

What you’re trying to say when using the word clarity is, I believe, discrimination, this is the loss of ability to discriminate between sounds of syllables that make up words. It is tested in the booth by the word recognition test. I am very sensitive to the volume of sound AND have severely impaired discrimination. I see my audiologist at least three times for every adjustment my ears need. We have become friends over the 18 years I’ve lived in this area - I count on her and appreciate her for her patience and forbearance. She has me walk outside after each small adjustment and return to adjust some more. I know I’m lucky. Don’t work with an audiologist whom you don’t like and feel doesn’t CARE for you.
Folks, please look for an audiologist who has a Doctorate in Audiology - a bunch of alphabet soup after their name. The doctor will do testing and then will work tirelessly for and with you to improve discrimination of words for different hearing environments. Spend the money for the best most perfect for you HAs. Your brain health, indeed your life depends on this.
Hear Coach is an app that you can use 15 min a day. This app challenges your brain to discriminate between words in challenging noise situations. Your brain & the cells in your ears get a workout. The research is good that 15 min a day I’ll improve your hearing or will allow you to hold your own.
One last word. Wearing one hearing aid while the other ear is struggling will not help. Your brain switches to the HA ear and the other ear founders. Unless you have no loss in one ear, please use bilateral HAs.
Breathe.

@lizzy102

@lizzy102
Absolutely spot on advice that all should listen to. My Audi also tests me in different environments. I think that’s rare. But she is passionate about hearing. I have had some excellent independent hearing techs over the years but I also recommend a Doctorate in Audiology, preferably associated with a hospital or ENT practice.
As for wearing 2 aids.....yup...got to keep those remaining hair cells activated. I can get by fine with one aid but I don’t and have found that there is a difference even though my left ear has very little hearing left. I do better with 2.

Regards from Mary

@lizzy102 I agree with you on pretty much everything, and my really troublesome loss is also "discrimination". That started after I began immunosuppressants and I have always suspected that the two were related.

Is "Hear Coach" an online site or an app or what? It sounds like something that might help me.
Thanks.
JK