- in meetings?
- in places of worship?
- in theaters or movies?
- in restaurants?
- with shopping transactions like at a pharmacy or bank?
- in public places such as airports or in municipal buildings?
In those situations, an assistive listening device can help.
What is an Assistive Listening Device?
Assistive listening devices (ALDs) expand the functionality of hearing aids and cochlear implants by helping you separate the sounds you want to hear from background noise, and by enabling you to hear when the speaker is more than a few feet away.
The speaker talks into a microphone and the speech is sent straight to your ear, this avoiding the degrading effects of noise and distance on speech intelligibility. It's really that simple.
An ALD consists of a microphone to collect sounds, a transmitter to send the signal across a distance, a receiver to intercept the signal and any one of several different listening attachments to send the sound from the receiver to the user's ear, hearing aid or cochlear implant.
When hearing aids or cochlear implants aren't enough
Hearing aids and cochlear implants can work wonders to improve speech understanding. Still, there are some situations that may be problematic such as listening in groups, hearing in noisy backgrounds, hearing a speaker who is more than a few feet away, and hearing in poor acoustical environments. In these situations, turning up the volume can result in turning up the background noise that you don't want to hear.
What can I do to hear better in noise?
One of the simplest ways is to use a personal amplifier. It is a single unit with jacks for a microphone and a listening attachment, and a volume control. These can come in handy when you are close to the speaker to cut out background noise, such as in the car or a restaurant.
There are also ways to hear better when the speaker is more than a few feet away. FM, infrared, and induction or hearing loop systems use radio waves, light waves, or magnetic fields respectively to transmit the sound you want to hear from a speaker some distance from your receiver (for example, from a teacher at the front of a room to the student sitting in class). You turn up the volume to a comfortable level for you. Each of these systems has options for small, personal/home use or large-area amplification, like in a theater or auditorium.
Are there any options built into hearing aids?
There are options that are integrated into many behind-the-ear hearing aids and cochlear implants. These systems come with a separate microphone that you can give to the speaker and the sound will be sent directly to your hearing aid or cochlear implant. These are convenient but can be more expensive than purchasing separate units.
What about Bluetooth devices?
More hearing aids are equipped to allow for gateway devices that enable digital audio streaming from Bluetooth devices to the hearing aid or cochlear implant. If you enjoy Bluetooth-enabled audio devices, such as cell phones, TVs or computers, you will probably want to check this out.
Do I have to wear headphones?
Not necessarily. If you hearing aid or cochlear implant has a telecoil, you will be able to use a neckloop plugged into the headphone jack. A telecoil (or t-coil) is a small, inexpensive copper coil found in many hearing aids and newer cochlear implant processors. The neckloop is an insulated loop of wire worn around the neck that transmits the information to the hearing aid t-coil through a magnetic field. Many people enjoy using neckloops because they can listen with both ears without wearing headphones while still enjoying the full benefit of their hearing aid amplification settings.
There is an additional benefit of telecoils. If you are using and induction loop system, the only receiver you will need is your telecoil in your hearing aid or cochlear implant. An induction or hearing loop system gives off a magnetic field, eliminating he need for any receiver other than your telecoil. Using a telecoil and hearing loop together is seamless, cost-effective, unobtrusive, and wireless. You don't have to obtain extra equipment.
from hearingloss.com
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