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Hearing Assistive Technology - What do you find helpful?
Hearing Loss | Last Active: Aug 4, 2022 | Replies (56)Comment receiving replies
I use Signia hearing aids bought in 2018, my first pair with [functioning] bluetooth. No, they don't have telecoils. When and if I need to replace these $7,000 hearing aids I would investigate getting a pair with telecoils. If it adds a lot to the cost, though, I might forgo it. That's because so few public venues in the DC-MD-VA area where I live are equipped with telecoil loop systems. Not sure how much benefit the extra cost would provide. Very very few venues retroactively install them, only brand-new buildings include telecoil loops.
Add to that the pandemic-related questions about when people can even safely gather indoors. So many meetings (including HLAA meetings) have gone virtual. Will in-person meetings make a comeback post-pandemic? We don't even know. So I'm not sure telecoil tech is going to attract a lot of advocacy effort right now. Hearing people by-and-large are clueless about telecoil. It takes a lot of education and fundraising to move the needle on the status quo in such an uncertain environment.
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Telecoils add less than $15 to the cost of a hearing aid, and are often included at no cost. BlueTooth adds $1000+. Guess which tech the sellers choose to promote? Often the sellers tell customers that telecoils are 'old technology'. That's true, but telecoils can connect you to things that BT cannot. A simple neckloop, average cost $50, can connect telecoils to any audio device with an input jack. Cell phone, radio, iPod, laptop, FM or IR receivers, etc. Easy. If you enter a looped venue with telecoils equipped hearing aids all you have to do is turn them on and you will hear everything coming through the public address system(s) clearly with no background noise.
I'm surprised to hear there are 'few' looped venues in the DC/MD/VA area. That is where HLAA is located. I believe Kennedy Center, and other major venues have the assistive listening technology that telecoils connect with. Some venues have FM technology. Some have Infrared (IR) technology. FM & IR require a user to pick up a receiver. Those receivers can be used with basic headsets or ear buds, but can also be used with a neckloop and telecoil equipped hearing aids. The Americans with Disabilities Act requires these venues to provide 'communication access'. The ADA doesn't require a specific kind of technology. BlueTooth does not connect in large venues because it must be paired with the sound system. Each BT user would have to have his/her BT equipment paired, which means that main PA system would have to have many microphones connected to it. Not possible.
I love the BT feature in my hearing aid and also in my cochlear implant processor. But I'd choose the telecoil over BT every time if I had to make a choice. We should not have to make a choice as both should be included.
If people who sell hearing aids would demonstrate what telecoils do so their buyers understand it, there would be a lot of happier hard of hearing people.
Some explain it this way: "I love the new microwave in my kitchen, but I'd never give up my stove. Another pointed out: "Telecoils are like the air conditioning in my car. I don't use it all the time, but when I want it I'm sure glad I have it!"
There is good information at: http://www.hearingloop.org
Have you ever advocated for better hearing in large venues?