Do you know about Telecoils & Hearing Loops in Public Spaces?

@joyces

Hi,

I’m sorry that Live Transcribe didn’t work for you. It will only work with one speaker at a time. I have been using it since it’s inception.While it has saved me so many times, I found that it does not work well in noisy situations which is where we really need it. It seems to get confused by background noise and doesn’t know which voice to pick up even if the phone is held close to the speakers mouth. It’s fickle but there have been many times my waiter has just spoken near the phone and I was able to read what he was saying. I have used it in my gym class with wooden floors, high ceiling and background noise coming in from the open door with great success.

I have a pocket talker and neckloop. This is really a personal amplifier and the mic needs to be near the person who is speaking. So you are either going to point the mic at each individual one at a time or have several clip on mics for people to wear. It really fails if everyone who is wearing a mic is speaking all at the same time. I found that the clip on mics are sensitive to people’s rustling sounds when they move around and can interfere with understanding. It’s okay in the car when you are a passenger and someone else is wearing the clip on. I’ve tried the desk microphone that they sell that is on a stand that you place in the middle of a conference table. Supposedly you just turn the mic in the direction of the person who is speaking . My experience is that it could not pick up an individual voice because it was too far down the table from the speaker. This is really an individual one on one solution and you need to be near the speaker or the speaker has to hold the mic up their mouth. I use it at home occasionally to listen to musicals or a particular singer if there is a concert being streamed. It’s a big help in that situation. I have a long cord attached to the tv and it’s able to bring the voice closer to me.
I’ve used the neckloop by itself with Tcoil on when I listen to GPS on my phone. While I don’t understand the vocal directions, I can hear the voice as a clue to the next turn etc. God bless GPS.

I plan to use Live Transcribe again at my grandson’s graduation in May since it worked so well at my granddaughters graduation when one speaker at a time was at the podium. There are two Doctors offices and my salon where I need to sign into their WiFi but usually it’s an automatic connect. I discovered this by accident when I was wondering why it wasn’t picking up voices in an ideal situation. And I live in a an area where everyone has WiFi access. I’m wondering if the times you couldn’t connect when you tried it means that you needed to sign in to that particular network or the network was unstable.

I’ve tried 2 Tcoil programs....Full Tcoil and Tcoil +mic where you can also hear voices around you while in this program. The audiologist can adjust what percentage of the program to allot to the mic setting. At this stage I need full on Tcoil and don’t care about the voices around me.

When I was working I asked about using a CapTel phone at work but was told that there was something about two lines being needed and , as it was a small office, they were not willing to delve into the problem. That was okay with me as I didn’t need a phone anyway and, as you say, Emil saved the day.

Ideally we could trial these accessories or have a complete refund if purchased. I’ve always wondering about the chair loop. I have deaf friends who have had their living room looped. I have Phonak hearing aids and have trialed some of their accessories but found they didn’t live up to the hype.

Very frustrating in today’s world.

FL Mary

Arrowshooter, thank you! I understand about loops, although I haven't yet found one anywhere in our very rural county. I have t-coil in my aid and used it with the IPhone (before I switched to an android to use Live Transcribe). I had hoped that I could use my cell phone in my home office, by connecting to the modem and router with the password, but the signal isn't strong enough--another Charter failure, no doubt. I'm more than disgusted with them, as it took us three months and four phone numbers to get phone service, and then another three months (seven service calls) to get reliable internet. We didn't even try to use the TV for almost a year after we moved to this house full time, and it still pixilates and blanks out, usually just at the very moment the mystery's solved or the most important part of the interview happens. Each person who comes out claims the previous person "did it all wrong." The last time a service person came out, he tried to turn around after backing most of the way down our very long drive and high-centered his one-tone van crosswise on the gravel with the front wheels hanging over our creek. Lesson learned: do not ever call Charter! I'm now looking at a Williams Pocketalker with a neck loop for meetings...if it works, it'll be less than $200. Can't be nearly as useless as the $200 mini-clip mic that pairs with my aid. There's simply no easy way to have each person in a group of a dozen clip the mic to their clothing before they say a sentence or two, and that's the only way that the mic picks up a voice.

If nothing works, I'll go back for another test to see if I qualify for a CI. Last time, I was 5% over the threshold (could understand 55% of words in simple sentences), but my hearing is far worse now, even on a "good" day. The CI would be for my long-useless ear, leaving the one I've relied on for over 30 years as is. There's nothing to lose, but I haven't heard any real assurances that the distortion and recruitment of Meniere's wouldn't make the CI unbearable at least part of the time. Yeah, the doc (who wants the $$$) gave me a glib bit about how great CIs are, but I don't believe that hearing center has much (if any) experience with Menierians, aka wackos. Most days, I can hear enough to know that people are speaking, but there are no discernible words, just raspy noise.

This group has a lot of experience and knowledge. Fortunately, the gal I see at Costco is aware of Meniere's and knows quite a bit about it--unlike either of the two audis at the CI hearing center. I have zero complaints about the price/service/care I've received at Costco. Yes, I know that's not only the case, but I drew a great person who really works hard to help.

Thanks again!

Thank you, FL Mary! Great review of the Pocketalker and other devices. So far, I've avoided going to a different phone in my home office because we have an extended-range system which means my invalid husband can call me while I'm outside, at least within 400' of the house (we have base units at two far corners of the house to extend the range even further). I don't want to give up that freedom...due to having zero cell reception it's not like he could call me on my cell while I'm cutting wood or mowing grass or shoveling dirt or gravel! Great to hear, also, that the neckloop works with (I assume) an android phone as that would make it possible for me to go a few miles to get reception and use my cell. Actually, there are lots of "dead" spots in our small town, including the City Hall, all four floors, which I find kinda funny.

I still think it would be helpful, especially for people newly deaf, to have a book to refer to as we thread our way through all the electronic crap we need to learn to use. I used Siri's directions during the short time I had an IPhone, and they weren't nearly as correct as those offered via android. The voice on android doesn't begin to nag about "returning to route" if I stop for gas, can pronounce the name of our street correctly, and says "welcome home" as I turn into our long driveway. Much nicer than Ms. Siri! I really think of GPS as something to help me do instream data collection by marking locations as I go. I only turn maps on during my long, dark drive home every Wed. night because it helps to pass the time now that I can't listen to the car radio.

@bobbiefriend Same same, audiologist just dismissed my questions and I've never been clear on how it works, or even if my hearing aids are compatible. Or how to turn it on. It's not automatic because I've been in venues with it, but never got any help.

With the advent of blue tooth technology is a t-coil still a necessity?

Yes, I am aware of the loop, neck loop, FM loop, etc. but I am upgrading to new bilateral hearing aids and so I have the question. Thank you!

If you want the most bang for the buck from your hearing aids, you will want both BT and telecoils. BT works great in personal situations such as using your cell phone. It is not effective in large venues because each BT receiver (your personal devices) requires a unique transmitter. It would be impossible to serve the public in a performing arts center, for example if the sound system had to have a separate transmitter for every BT receiver in the venue.

A system that connects to telecoils only requires a single transmitter connected to the PA system. That means that anyone in the venue can bring the desired sound directly to their hearing aids or cochlear implant processors. If the system in the venue is a hearing loop, all you have to do is turn on your telecoils to pick up the sound. If the system is an FM system or an Infrared System, you need to use a receiver that is compatible with the sound system in that venue. In most instances, that means that you have to pick up that receiver, leave some form of ID so the venue gets the receiver back, and then don a pair of headphones that connect to the receiver to hear. For the most part that means taking off your personal hearing devices and using only the headphones. Not very convenient.

That is where the telecoils come in. Even with FM and IR receivers you can use a neckloop rather than the headphones. The neckloop works the same as a room installed hearing loop but only for you while you are wearing it. All venues that provide FM or IR should have both headphones and neckloops available. However, sometimes that takes some advocacy and education as the equipment managers don't always know this.

It is a shame that the hearing aid industry, including manufacturers and people who sell hearing aids do not jump on the advocacy/education bandwagon to let venues know what works for the nearly 20% of the US population that experiences hearing loss. For those of us who are in the know and who use this equipment, it's the difference between enjoying and attending theater and other events that require hearing and understanding to participate or simply not going to such events.

So, the answer is YES, telecoils are still valued, especially in places where the population that benefits from this technology is actively advocating for it. All it takes is one or two people who are willing to let venues know that communication access is a piece of the Americans with Disabilities Act.

Again, shame on anyone who sells hearing aids who does not educate their clients about this technology. It is very inexpensive and simple to install a hearing loop in an office where it can be demonstrated to anyone who needs and wants to know how it works.

By the way, a telecoil included in a hearing aid adds less than $10 to the cost of the hearing aid. BT adds considerably more. One more thing: Most expensive hearing aids contain telecoils, BUT they have to be activated by the provider. Be sure to tell whomever you are purchasing hearing aids from that you want the telecoils activated. If they tell you there are no telecoils in the product, ask for a different model that has them.