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Cochlear Implants: How well do they work at an older age?
Hearing Loss | Last Active: Aug 7, 2022 | Replies (143)Comment receiving replies
Thank you,Julie, for saying everything I wanted to say after reading Christy’s post. Wow- the audacity of the audiologist’s response is terribly alarming. There are some states that have laws requiring AuDs to inform their patients about telecoils. Even if your community does not have many looped spaces, for anyone who travels, both through the US and Europe, hearing loops are everywhere, and awareness of their effectiveness is well know to many HOH people. I hope Christy’s AuD is reading this thread.
Replies to "Thank you,Julie, for saying everything I wanted to say after reading Christy’s post. Wow- the audacity..."
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Thank you.It's really frustrating. In Wisconsin we have over 900 loop installations. There are also many venues that use FM or IR systems. Those systems also work with telecoils but require the use of a receiver and a neckloop, which those venues are required to provide.
HLAA Wisconsin has been advocating for a mandate that would require people who sell hearing aids to disclose, educate and demonstrate telecoils to people who purchase hearing aids from them. We have not been able to get such legislation passed. A few other states have managed to get this passed, so we will keep trying. The audiology profession fights this. They don't want to be told what to do. It just doesn't make sense.
The reality: Marketing denial and shame by the hearing industry by telling people that their hearing aids should be so small that no one knows they are being worn, means they promote the tiniest hearing aids. Those tiny aids don't have room for telcoils even though t-coils take up a very tiny bit of space within them. We all need to let the industry know that when we pay thousands of dollars for the hearing aids they manufacture and sell like consumer products, we want to be able to connect to hearing and life as best we possibly can.