How Do Assistive Listening Devices Help?

Hearing aids are an extremely popular and effective treatment option for hearing loss. But for those whose hearing aids aren’t enough in every listening situation or those who do not have a pair of hearing aids, assistive listening devices (ALDs) can be incredibly beneficial. Below is an overview of popular types of ALDs and their benefits.

Amplified Phones

Amplified phones allow users to turn up the volume as loud as necessary without sacrificing sound quality. They make it easier to hear high-pitch sounds, which are typically what people with hearing loss struggle with most. They also feature amplified ringtones so you never miss a call, and many offer live closed captions of what your conversation partner is saying. Amplified phones can be used with hearing aids or without.

Hearing Aid Compatible Phones

By law, all phone manufacturers must make phones compatible with hearing aids, including smartphones. They generally use either acoustic coupling, which amplifies both sounds from the phone and noise around you, or telecoil coupling, which requires that your hearing aid is equipped with a telecoil and amplifies only your phone signal. Telecoils are typically more desirable for people with advanced hearing loss, people who spend a lot of time on the phone and those who use other telecoil-based ALDs. Smartphone apps can also serve as ALDs, such as caption apps that provide live speech-to-text translations.

Television ALDs

Turning up the volume on your television isn’t always a great option as it distorts dialogue, making it more difficult to understand, and also because it tends to annoy the people in your house who don’t have hearing loss. ALDs like TV Ears are an inexpensive solution that allow you to listen to TV at a volume that is comfortable for you without disturbing others or negatively affecting the soundscape.

FM Systems

FM systems are not a new technology, but they are dependable and effective for helping you hear what someone is saying in a noisy situation like a classroom or public event. A transmitter microphone is worn by the speaker/teacher/lecturer, and a receiver is worn by the hearing aid wearer. FM systems ensure speech signal is delivered clearly to both hearing aids, and some systems block out background noise. These ALDs are widely used in schools but have many other uses as well. For more information about assistive listening devices or to schedule an appointment, call Willamette ENT today.