The value of telecoils in hearing aids

The hearing loop movement is alive and well in the United States, but it's sporadic. Areas where there are active HLAA chapters seem to be where most of the loops are. The 'telecoils' are components in hearing aids that can connect directly to hearing loops that are installed in listening arenas; churches, theaters, performing arts centers, auditoriums, etc. The majority of behind the ear hearing aids have telecoils in them, but too often the fitter doesn't turn them on. Or, even worse, a person has to make the choice to have either manual volume control or a telecoil. All hearing instruments should have both. I live in Wisconsin. We have over 700 loops in our state. http://www.loopwisconsin.org has a list of where they are. http://www.hearingloopo.org may also have a list of other states where loops are installed. It's important to understand that we can use telecoils in other ways. One of my favorite pieces of equipment is a neckloop, which is a small wire one wears around their neck and plugs it into an audio device. I use it all the time on my computer. It brings the sound right to my personal hearing devices; a hearing aid and a cochlear implant. It's so helpful with webinars and now with videoconferencing. You can plug a neckloop into a cell phone, an ipad, ipod, portable radio or any device that has an input jack. In some instances, as with newer iphones you will need a small addition that will allow you to plug into the phone's input slot, which cannot receive a standard jack. I hope Canadians get on the loop circuit. I suspect the Canadian Hearing Association is on it, but don't know. The European countries have been using these technologies for decades.

It seems a lot of hearing aids don't have t-coils because there are too few looped facilities. And there are too few looped facilities because people don't have t-coils and ask for them. We need to promote hearing loops more and raise awareness of their potential. I'm appalled at how many audiologists don't promote t-coils.

I'm trying to get VA to install hearing loops in my local clinic and my request has been denied twice. I requested a room loop and counter top models for check-in. VA has more patients with hearing loss than any other provider, yet some facilities refuse to provide hearing loops. I'm not giving up yet.

We installed a loop in our church 2 years ago. My guess was that 95% of hearing aid users did not have t-coils in their hearing aids, or had t-coils that were not activated, or had active t-coils but didn't know how to use them. A lot of these folks were veterans and I told them to go to VA and tell them to provide t-coils. They will generally do this IF the patient demands.

So, since the audiologists aren't promoting t-coils I guess it is on us to advocate for ourselves.

WE WANT TO HEAR! Right? We spend big bucks for hearing aids. They should be able to do everything they possibly can do to make better hearing possible. The new thing is to push BlueTooth streaming. BT is great, but it has limitations. I use it, but I would not give up a telecoil to have it. I want both!

The real issue is 'size'. Look at all the ads for hearing aids. Everyone of them promotes "invisible"; "so small no one will know you're wearing it", etc. The industry is marketing denial. The smaller the device the fewer components inside it. Therefore, telecoils are being left out due to space in new designs. Telecoil components base cost is less than $30, and probably more like $2. On the other hand, BT added to a hearing aid will increase the cost considerably. Makes you wonder how important the profit issue is doesn't it?

Telecoils can be used in many unlooped settings. They can be used with FM systems and with Infrared systems by simply adding a neckloop to the receivers required with FM and IR. As I mentioned earlier, those neckloops can connect to many other audio devices we need to hear on to use. I carry one in my purse to use with my cell phone. Yes, I can use a BT clip, but the neckloop is easier, and I don't have to worry about something clipped on my shirt.

Another issue here is education. To teach a person to use a telecoil, the fitter has to be willing to take the time to show a person how it works. They should install a hearing loop in their office so then can demonstrate it. They should show the patient how to use a neckloop with a computer, cell phone, radio, etc. It takes time and TIME IS MONEY. It's a shame that people have to learn about things that work from people who use them rather than from the people who sell them. I doubt that anyone would choose to buy a car without air conditioning. You don't need it all the time, but when you do, you sure don't want to be without it. Telecoils are like that. When it comes to hearing aids we need to think like consumers, not patients.

People with hearing loss have a right to 'communication access'. We have an invisible disability. It is a disability nevertheless, and it is covered under the American's with Disabilities Act. However, that act also says we have to ask for what we need. When we don't know what we need we are stumped. Learn, do the advocacy. Get out and educate instead of hiding those hearing aids. HLAA is working very hard to promote hearing loop technology, but it takes people everywhere to do the educating.

Obviously, this issue is dear to my heart. Sorry for such expounding. YOU are the solution to this, along with 40+ million other hard of hearing people in the USA. I'm sure that Canada has millions too.

In response to Julie's posts about telecoils and neckloops: I continue to believe that we all need a handbook to help us learn all the various ways to enhance the work our aids do! Even those of us who are somewhat able to deal with tech issues are overwhelmed with all the tech stuff surrounding hearing! For me, it's even worse due to the fact that I live in a beautiful spruce forest...that has absolutely no, none, not any, cell reception! People who sell cell phones, tablets, etc. apparently cannot even imagine such a situation, so they are clueless about answering questions.

After three days of no phone, internet, or e-mail--but, ugh, TV, we finally got a new modem from Charter/Spectrum and, after five hours driving out to get instructions via cell phone, then driving back to try the suggested fixes, then driving out again and waiting up to an hour each time for a live person, we now have service restored. I did ask the last tech about our lack of cell service using our modem's WiFi (which is supposed to work). He admitted that he lives where there's poor reception and often cannot use his cell phone (either personal or provided by the company) at his house or at many of the places he goes to restore service! Even though we have no cell service here, Charter kept sending texts to my cell phone...and couldn't understand why I didn't respond.

In this rural area, I've yet to find a single meeting room that's looped, so I've never had that experience. Shoot, it's hard to find meeting rooms that offer WiFi, to the point that I've almost given up on Live Transcribe, which requires functioning WiFi. I need to learn about neckloops, esp. when Julie mentions using them with FM or infared (which I'm totally clueless about). Fortunately, the woman who helps me with my aid at Costco is very knowledgeable and helpful, so, now that things are not quite so closed down perhaps I'll be able to schedule an appt. with her to learn more.

The really good news for me is that, after a year of being basically deaf, I've managed to shove the Meniere's Monster back into the closet: I finally found a local doc willing to prescribe adequate hormones for someone my age and am now almost six weeks into living without constant vertigo!!!!! The fact that my hearing is almost as good as it was before Meniere's went bilateral a year ago is a totally unexpected bonus, and I'm thankful every day. The distortion and recruitment are gone as well, so I can actually use the phone again. Freedom! I'm still learning to move around with almost no balance function on my formerly good side and have just begun vestibular rehab--I have some residual balance function on both sides, so it's very hopeful that I'll be able to regain stability through daily vestibular exercises. Even though I can now hear (not well, but enough to get by), I need to use this time to learn more about hearing better.

As a little kid in the 60's I used the t switch to hear on landlines. It was a requirement that both phones and hearing aids be compatible. My hearing aids always had a T switch so I had no idea it was thing not to have one, I have a loop and t-switch and am well familiar with their use and like you would like to see it more available in North America. I am also happy we now have bluetooth now.

I certainly hope for more telecoil and FM systems to be available publicly. Hopefully legislation likr ADA should ask for manufacturers to install the telecoil by default. It should. Theatres and cinemas should get them... closed captioning in the few available cinemas is so clumsy,

My sadness seeing friends fitted with hearing aids is that the settings are not adjusted to the individual. They are adjusted to a theoretical
standard but its like fitting for glasses and the optician saying this is right for you based on theory. I tell my friends to go back and get adjustments based on speech comprehension tests but the fitters won't cause it is not in their book. But they do get some adjustments and the result is a bit better.

But yes! telecoils as much as possible! Thank you for your clarity and advocacy.

What about also trying to get legislative change through ADA? Telecoils are cheap for manufacturers and probably used to be generally installed to enable us to hear landlines. In my experience manufacturers will do the minimum required but will follow laws.

Hi Lucyg. Yes, you are right that legislation should/would/could resolve this.

However, the problem has been defined as a 'state issue', so each state within the US has to go through the legislative process to get laws on the books. So far, 9 states have succeeded. Wisconsin is not one of them, but we are working on it. With everything else going on right now, this issue becomes very small to the lawmakers, and it gets shoved on the back burner without even getting to committee.

Few people understand how the bureaucracy works. If an issue gets to the committee level where it becomes a potential bill with an actual number that will let constituents comment on it, but does not reach the point where it's debated in the senate or house before a legislative session ends, the bills no longer exist. This means that the advocates who got things that far have to start all over again with the next legislative session. Some things get pushed back for years.

There are very few situations where an advocacy group can get the 'ear' of the lawmakers. It's sometimes a matter of hammering away at it for years. Reality: Legislators look at issues like this as non essential. AND, the people they go to for information, the people who dispense hearing aids....who have doctorate level degrees and must be licensed to sell hearing aids....do not want these bills to pass and mandate how they do their business. They think they have all the answers. They don't.

Getting laws in place requires an energized group of people who want those laws, and who are willing to stick their necks out to get involved in effecting change. Where do those volunteers come from? How many who are reading this, who have hearing loss, have become involved in this kind of advocacy? It's not a simple process. But if the answer was 'thousands are actively involved', things would change fairly fast.

I'm happy to hear that your Meniere's Monster has gone away. I hope s/he stays gone! You are right. There is a lot to learn about hearing technology. There ARE books that cover many of our concerns. Also, if you join HLAA you will get the bimonthly Hearing LIfe Magazine. That magazine shares personal stories, innovations in technology and much more. HLAA members know that living well with hearing loss is a lifelong learning process. Technology changes, so any book that is produced strictly on today's technology will be obsolete within a year. Most that are available with only technology are catalogs from distributors.

Still, there are a lot of books to check out. I strongly recommend that you check out the three books written by Katherine Bouton. "Shouting Won't Help", "Smart Hearing", and "Living Better with Hearing Loss". If your library does not have these, and other books on hearing loss, ask them to consider adding them. Libraries want to know what we want and need.