Tag Archives: assistive listening technologies

Caring About Others Leads to New Hearing Loop

Loop Minnesota Posted on by

Picture by Justin Burwinkel

 

This is not only a story about the installation of a new hearing loop in a Church in Minnesota. It is a story about communication access.  It is a story about empathy and advocacy without having a need oneself. But mostly, it is a story of how caring about others leads to a new Minnesota Hearing Loop.

Not understanding speech-in-noise can be very isolating and life-limiting for those with hearing loss. This is one of the major reasons why people no longer attend book clubs, church services and social club meetings.  As one woman put it:” There is nothing in it for me anymore. I can’t understand a word.” This is why hearing loops are important. So far, this is the only assistive listening technology that helps improve the understanding of speech in background sound.

Hear Clearly at St. John the Baptist Catholic Church in Jordan, Mn

Some weeks ago, the Church became the proud owner of a new hearing loop. It has excellent sound quality and now ALL can hear!  A parishioner saw the need for including people with hearing challenges in the Church community. He suggested the installation of a hearing loop, advocated for it and saw the project through to completion with the help of an equally devoted friend. They deserve double kudos as neither of them has hearing loss. How cool is that – thinking and caring about others and advocating for those who would be excluded!

That said, many thanks also go to those who supported the looping effort and helped fund it. Hearing loops do not install themselves, and they are not free.

And so, the list of hearing loops across Minnesota grows as many people are beginning to appreciate that the time for them to hear clearly in noise is Now – NOT years from now!

In the end, Care about Others! Make venues accessible with hearing loops and help people find those loops! List them on the Access Page of Google Maps. Announce them on Website pages and mention them in any publications, such as Newsletters and Bulletins. Tell the world that you care about communication access and quality-of-life for ALL.

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So, where do you want to hear better? Contact us at Loop Minnesota with any questions or loop suggestions?

Assistive Listening Technologies – Present and Future – to Coexist

Loop Minnesota Posted on by

 

COVID-19? Need for Hearing Loops & T-coils

We still need it ALL!  This conclusion came out of the discussions at the World Congress of the International Federation of Hard of Hearing People (IFHOH). The World Congress was held in September 2022 in Budapest, Hungary.

Worldwide, the ongoing challenge is to help those with hearing loss understand and communicate better in background sound, especially in larger venues. This is when hearing aids and cochlear implants (CIs) are typically not enough. So far, hearing loops & telecoils are the universal, wireless way of providing clearer sound signals and of connecting many people to one sound source, such as a speaker.

As the search for new technology is on, all eyes and ears turn towards Bluetooth®. The new buzzword of the World of Hearing Loss is Auracast™.

A different kind of Bluetooth

Auracast ™ is based on a totally different Bluetooth version from what we have in our hearing instruments right now. This has led to many misunderstandings. In the future, people with hearing loss need re-designed and re-engineered hearing aids and CIs that are Auracast-compatible.

Auracast™ is a wireless, universal broadcast audio using Low Energy Bluetooth as a means of transmission. Besides other helpful and innovative features, it will allow for broadcasting from one Auracast-capable sound source to many Auracast-compatible receivers. Such receivers will include hearing aids, CIs, earphones etc.

On a smaller scale, our “Auracast-capable” phones, TVs, pads and computers will act like mini radio stations. And so, many people can listen at the same time to the same phone call, music or podcast with their “Auracast-compatible” hearing aids and CIs.

But how about large venues, such as conference halls and places of worship? Must they be fitted with Auracast-broadcast technology? At what cost?  Obviously, it is a gigantic project to make the world Auracast-accessible and there are many unanswered questions.

One thing is for sure: It will take time, patience and money. Also, we might expect a lengthy transition period. Not everybody will be on board at the same time. This is one of the reasons why present technology will continue to serve us well. We still need it all.

Hearing Now! 

Meanwhile, we all need to hear and understand better now. IFHOH recognizes this by stating that “it is important that the globally used and proven systems of Hearing Loops, FM, IR + Telecoils not be dismissed.”

In its “Budapest Declaration,” IFHOH recommends that hearing aid and cochlear implant manufacturers continue to integrate telecoils in their products. “Telecoils need to come with clear user instructions and with clear information and training to the hearing health professionals.“  Also, it will be important for future hearing aids and CIs to include both Telecoil and Auracast™ technologies for some time.

In the end…

Yes, change is coming but it will be a while. For clearer sound in loud places, telecoils and hearing loops are still very much needed. And therefore, assistive listening technologies – present and future – will indeed coexist for quite some time.

Reference: Budapest Declaration.pdf (dropbox.com)

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For information on Hearing Loops and Assistive Technologies, contact us on this website.

Also, visit my website where I post blogs on all sorts of issues concerning hearing loss. https://hearing-loss-talk.com/