If you’re living with hearing loss, you should know that in this incredible age of advanced technology, there are multitudinous hearing loss solutions for an active lifestyle, whether or not you wear hearing aids. Here are some assistive listening devices that should do the trick for better hearing, whether you’re taking a community college class or attending a Broadway play:
In the classroom
If you are taking college classes, you can advocate for the school to get induction loop, infrared or FM systems in the buildings to make classes more accessible for people with hearing loss. Another option if you wear hearing aids is purchasing an FM system receiver that attaches to the bottom of your behind-the-ear hearing aid. If you don’t wear hearing aids, an FM neck loop receiver will work. Ask the teacher or professor to wear a small transmitter with a clip-on microphone, or the transmitter and microphone that rests discreetly on a table. This will transmit the sounds directly to your hearing aid receiver or neck loop, making classroom learning much easier for you.
During car rides
If you’re heading out on a trip with your significant other or friends, you probably know that car conversation can be tough when you have hearing loss, especially if you rely on speechreading. This is because the driver must keep his or her eyes on the road, so turning your head to be face to face and facilitate speechreading is not possible. But if you’re not content sitting quietly and watching the scenery whiz by, one hearing loss solution is a personal amplifier or personal FM system. These are designed to bring sound from the speaker directly to your ears, which is excellent because it eliminates the loud traffic noise that can disrupt car conversations.
While dining out
Personal FM systems or hard-wire devices – amplifiers – are also great for dining out with one other person because they can improve hearing in one-on-one situations. With a personal FM device, it’s necessary to use the telecoil option on your hearing aid or cochlear implant. If you don’t wear hearing aids, you can wear a small earpiece with the hard-wire personal amplifying devices. The headphones attach to a small microphone and amplifier that you can set on the table between yourself and the speaker. It’s small enough to not be disruptive and the amplification can be adjusted to the perfect loudness level for you.
Speeches or lectures
If you’ve ever attended a conference, lecture or speech you know that poor building acoustics, rustling papers and whispers of other attendees can make it difficult to hear the speaker, even when he or she has a microphone. But you can request assistance ahead of time. Sometimes, it will be possible for the speaker to have a wireless microphone and transmitter resting on the podium or table in front of him or her. This device could send the speech directly to the hearing aid wearer through the use of an FM system or neck loop.
