Assistive Listening Devices
There are various assistive listening devices available that can drastically improve communication and interaction. Ask your hearing healthcare professional to recommend a system that's best for you.
Loop Systems
With a loop system, a person who wears hearing aids with a telecoil is able to hear sounds that are picked up by a special microphone. The sounds are sent to an amplifier, then into a wire loop that has been installed around the outside of a room (either on the ceiling or under the carpet on the floor). The loop generates a magnetic field. The telecoil on your hearing aid picks up the energy in the magnetic field to make listening easier.
Listening to the Television
Headsets or wireless systems can help you hear the television. Many television programs and movies provide closed captioning, which is an effective tool that allows people with hearing loss to follow the dialogue, especially if the actors are not directly facing the screen.
FM Systems
FM systems use FM-radio waves to improve hearing in background noise or over distances. The person speaking wears a microphone that transmits the sounds to a receiver worn by the listener. This receiver requires that a boot be snapped onto their hearing aids. FM systems are ideal for lectures, public meetings, classrooms etc.
Telephones
There are two ways to set your hearing aid when using the telephone:
- Put your hearing aid on M (microphone setting). Hold the telephone over the microphone of your hearing aid.
- Put your hearing aid on T (telecoil). Hold the telephone over your hearing aid and move the phone to find the place where the sound is clearest. If it is still too soft, increase the volume to maximum.
Text phones are available for people with hearing loss who find telephone communication difficult. Instead of talking into the telephone, messages are typed. You can chat with your friends or send emails and faxes. Systems are now available that are portable and wireless so they can go anywhere. Your telephone company can tell you if they offer text phones.
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