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The value of telecoils in hearing aids
Hearing Loss | Last Active: Jul 8, 2020 | Replies (18)Comment receiving replies
HLAA only has four chapters in Oregon, all of them at least two hours away. We live on the coast, where I've not found one single meeting room with an induction loop. Shoot, many of us have zero cell reception (not much reason to have a smartphone); in fact, our town's city hall has no cell phone reception without a password to their WiFi! Neither, for that matter, does Walgreen's drug store, which is only a quarter-mile or so from THE cell tower in town. Our entire community of several hundred homes has zero cell reception, other than a few houses where they can sometimes get reception in one particular location out on their decks above the ocean. Because our town of 8,000 relies 100% on tourism, the majority of people are either unemployed or retired, and the town is losing close to a million bucks every month that nightly rentals are shut down. Ordinarily, we'd have more than 40,000 visitors in town most weekends, most of them paying nightly tax. So, I don't see much hope for any changes here any time soon. We're all scrambling just to try to keep everyone fed.
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You are blessed to live in a beautiful area of the country. I live in tourist country too. We know that urban areas are likely to have more actively involved advocacy/education groups than we have, but we can also do some educating where we live if we know what to tell people. It's a choice and a reality. If you have telecoil equipped hearing aids, I strongly suggest that you purchase a Williams Sound neckloop to use with your computer and other personal audio devices. It will work well with a good old Walkman portable radio, and also with newer devices like tablets, iPods, etc. A neckloop will give you a taste of what an installed loop can do in a large venue. I discovered the value of this technology in 1984, and have used it and loved it since then. I also use BlueTooth when it's effective, but that basic induction loop, worn around my neck has everything I need when I'm at home. Your hearing aid fitter can order a neckloop for you. I think they are also available on Amazon and sometimes even on eBay. Be sure to buy new, not used. Cost will range between $35 - $60, with the higher cost being from you hearing aid provider. Nothing ever changes without personal action. And yes, we are all scrambling right now. Tough times all around the country. We are all in this together and it will get better in time.