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

Well, it will take me a while to digest this info, but it looks really helpful. I still have only a very limited understanding of how hearing loops are used. It's interesting that organizations can be funded to install them. Where I live in Western Massachusetts I think the only hearing loop is in the movie theater.

First step is absolutely to see your audiologist and make adjustments to see which will help the most. It may take more than one visit but is worth it. 🙂 IF and when you want to share information on looping, visit the new "tool kit" of resources from HLAA: https://www.hearingloss.org/hearing-loop-toolkit/ -- for a sample letter, note cards, info. sheet, etc.

FL Mary: Which Phonak aids do you have? I have two year old Audeo 70's. I will also need to follow up with my audi to see if adjustments can be made on these. Thanks for the info!

@asklar02492
Hi,
Forgot to mention that , in a separate adjustment appointment, I had her fine tune the noise suppression programs . I was hearing way too much environmental garbage that wasn’t necessary. Now the world sounds “normal”.
I would ask the Audi for 2 speech in noise programs. One that would be directional which means you focus on one speaker at a time and surrounding noise is suppressed. The other is omnidirectional which lets you hear around you but also focuses on the person who is speaking. I use that one a lot...supermarkets, malls etc. sometimes switch to the directional if I am at the register.
Also had her put in a mute program...example would be if I am vacuuming. Use my Pilot 2 remote a lot.

Show her my posts if you like if it will help in explaining what you need. Phonaks are powerful aids...I have Nadia UP using 675 battery.

Good luck and I hope she or he is patient. Remember, if she raises the voice level in the omnidirectional program, it may sound a little loud in the office. You need to understand how each program works and where you would be using it. Don’t leave until you do. These babies cost way to much not to have them work for you to the highest level you can get.

FL Mary

@scottyk
Hi,

I have Phonak Nadia UP (ultra power) with 675 batteries. They accomodate a wide variety of programs, some of which I had her take out because they were of no help. My loss is profound...one ear better than the other. The Pilot 2 remote is comparable with these.

FL Mary

@pegbell
Hi
Hearing aids are not suppose to amply all sounds leading to distortion. They can be programmed to suppress loud noise and amplify speech to replicate as near as possible what the hearing person experiences. If they are too loud and distorting then they were not programmed properly and should be adjusted. There should be no need for apps to do what the audiologist should
have done. These aids today are sophisticated and smart. Apps are useful as assisted devices and as an enhancement or in cases where the aid may be limited to what it can do.

Regards from FL Mary

Your hearing aids are programmed according to your audiogram and other testings that have been completed. As you all have been describing with your experiences, there is another part that has been missed when thinking about how a human being hears. Hearing is a complex process - as sounds strike the eardrum, the sounds (acoustic signals) begin to undergo a series of transformations through which the acoustic signals are changed into neural signals. These signs pass thru parts of the brain for additional analysis for recognition or processing. This detecting of presence of sound is only part of the ability of hearing that occurs in the auditory system. Some people have trouble have difficulty understanding conversations in noisy environments, following complex directions, difficulty learning new vocabulary words or foreign languages or communicate effectively because of a process called Central Auditory Processing Disorder. A person can appear to hear normally but their attention is not all there or they may have an 'auditory' problem. I was diagnosed with this disorder since I can hear but can't comprehend what I am hearing with or without my hearing aids. The gap of time ranges from 5 to 10 seconds of time - my history reflects this because my brain has to synthesize what is coming into my ears and damaged auditory nerves and then I have to figure out what has been said. Makes for a very confusing world. Eloise

By "the gap of time ranges from 5 to 10 seconds..." do you mean the time between the sound and your comprehending it? I've never quite counted the seconds but I do sometimes feel pretty slow to hear, understand and reply. At 71, I assumed that was because I had to piece together the limited number of sounds I heard into words and sentences. Interesting to think about . . . I can identify with feeling confused a lot of the time. It must have been a very frustrating disorder to have dealt with most your life - an invisible disorder, like hearing loss. Thanks for your comment.

Indeed - asklar02492 - This particular disability was something I was tested on when I was a grown woman ( instead of as a child when it is suspected that the brain is not understanding what sounds are being picked up by the ears.) I didn't know I was hard of hearing until I was 50 years old...so I had rehab and testing done and was found that my atrophied brain could not understand the spoken word. I had never had any devices to help my brain understand sound/words or parts of the language that my brain evidently did not have or was not aware of when I was growing up. They did not test me either when I was growing up -so I did without. If anyone spoke to me - they would need to speak directly to me in order for me to understand them. I could not hear to the side of me or behind me which still applies today even with hearing aids. I have moderate to severe hearing loss with aids. I use cueing to help me understand what people say to me. I lip read as well. My responses come 5-10 seconds after I hear any response but I still don't always know if I am to response or if it is for someone else. Its an exhaustive undertaking and a cause of my migraines but I usually try to take control of my situations by micromanaging where and what I do. And you are very welcome. Eloise

For the article on looping in the latest Hearing Life Magazine See http://www.hearingloss.org/wp-content/uploads/HL_2019_4_Sterkens.pdf