Saturday, May 22, 2010

Hearing Loops

Many public buildings now operate loop hearing systems to help people with hearing loss, and by using hearing aids, communicate more effectively.

If a building has a hearing loop they will normally display a sign showing the hearing loop symbol. This symbol is an ear with a line struck diagonally through it.

When purchasing a hearing aid always ensure it has hearing loop functionality, with an induction pick up, if you wish to use the hearing aid in buildings with a hearing loop. A “T” usually symbols that the hearing aid has this function.

A hearing loop consists of an amplifier which is linked to the source of the sound, such as a microphone used by the clerk in a post office or bank.

The amplifier sends the signal as an electric current through the loop, which is then picked up by the individual hearing aid.

The hearing loop allows the users hearing aid to work very effectively and substantial reduces background noise, to deliver a much improved sound quality. The user can adjust the hearing aid as they would do normally to a suitable level of sound.

Using a hearing loop with a modern hearing aid is very simple and is designed to be as user friendly as possible.
When in a designated hearing loop area a user simply needs to turn the hearing aid to the ‘’T’’ setting, to pick up the signal from the loop.

When using a hearing loop the user is also able to make adjustments on their hearing aid, to optimise the quality of sound, based on their own individual requirements.

The use of a hearing loop makes the importance of a good hearing aid even greater. If good hearing in public buildings is important then ensure you purchase a hearing aid with the loop functionality.

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Coping With Hearing Loss

Oddly enough, I've come to think that losing my hearing was one of the best things that ever happened to me, as it led to the publication of my first novel. But it took a while for me to accept that I was losing my hearing and needed help.

I believe that no matter how tough things get, you can make them better. I have my parents to thank for that. They never allowed me to think that I couldn't accomplish something because of my hearing loss. One of my mother's favorite sayings when I expressed doubt that I could do something was, "Yes, you can."

I was born with a mild hearing loss but began to lose more of my hearing when I was a senior in college. One day while sitting in my college dormitory room reading, I noticed my roommate get up from her bed, go to the princess telephone in our room, pick it up and start talking. None of that would have seemed strange, except for one thing: I never heard the telephone ring! I wondered why I couldn't hear a phone that I could hear just the day before. But I was too baffled--and embarrassed--to say anything to my roommate or to anyone else.

Late-deafened people can always remember the moments when they first stopped being able to hear the important things in life like telephones and doorbells ringing, people talking in the next room, or the television. It's sort of like remembering where you were when you learned that President Kennedy had been shot or when you learned about the terror attack at the World Trade Center.

Unbeknown to me at the time, that was only the beginning of my downward spiral, as my hearing grew progressively worse. But I was young and still vain enough not to want to buy a hearing aid. I struggled through college by sitting up front in the classroom, straining to read lips and asking people to speak up, sometimes again and again.

By the time I entered graduate school, I could no longer put it off. I knew that I had to buy a hearing aid. By then, even sitting in front of the classroom wasn't helping much. I was still vain enough to wait a few months while I let my hair grow out a bit before taking the plunge but I eventually did buy a hearing aid. It was a big, clunky thing, but I knew that I would have to be able to hear if I ever wanted to graduate.

Soon, my hair length didn't matter much, as the hearing aids got smaller and smaller. They also got better and better at picking up sound. The early aids did little more than make sounds louder evenly across the board. That doesn't work for those of us with nerve deafness, as we may have more hearing loss in the high frequencies than in the lower ones. The newer digital and programmable hearing aids go a long way toward improving on that. They can be set to match different types of hearing loss, so you can, say, increase a particular high frequency more than other frequencies.

Once I got my hearing aid and was able to hear again, I could focus on other things that were important to me--like my education, my career and writing that first novel! I didn't realize it then, but that first hearing aid actually freed me to go on to bigger and better things.

I had long dreamed of writing a novel, but like others kept putting it off. As I began to lose more and more of my hearing, it was a chore just to keep up at work, let alone doing much else. Then once I got the hearing aid, I no longer had to worry about a lot of the things I did before, and I began to think that writing a novel would be the perfect hobby for me. Anyone can write regardless of whether they can hear. I was also determined to prove that losing my hearing would not hold me back.

My first novel was published in 1994 and my fifth in the summer of 2005. Writing turned out to be much more than a hobby, as I've been writing full-time for more than 10 years. I'm now hard at work on my first nonfiction work, a photo-essay book to be published in 2007. I honestly believe that I would never have sat down at the computer and banged out that first novel if I hadn't lost so much of my hearing. Instead, I'd probably still be an editor somewhere and still dreaming about someday becoming a novelist. That's why I sometimes think that losing my hearing was one of the best things that ever happened to me.

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Levels of hearing loss

Experiencing hearing loss can often cause patients stress and concern and it is prudent to get as much information as possible. We advise anyone suffering from the loss of hearing, however minor, to seek professional help as soon as possible. With the correct diagnosis and treatment many people can proactively deal with their hearing loss with the use of hearing aids.

Hearing loss & deafness covers a wide range of hearing difficulties and a patient is often confused about the state of their condition. As a result many people buy inappropriate aids to meet their individual needs, especially if purchased without a professional assessment.

Generally hearing loss can be categorised into 4 ‘’types’’ Mild, Moderate, Severe and Profound.

Mild hearing loss - Patients with Mild hearing loss have difficulty hearing sound between 20-39 decibels. This condition often leads to difficulty hearing a television & radio at normal levels as well as conducting conversations over distances. Ambient noise can also increase the effects of this hearing loss.

Moderate hearing loss - Patients with Moderate hearing loss have difficulty hearing sound between 40-69 decibels. Moderate hearing loss would result in an increased level of symptoms as displayed with mild hearing loss.

Severe hearing loss - Patients with Severe hearing loss have difficulty hearing sound between 70-89 decibels. Those suffering from severe hearing loss may only be able to communicate if the speaker is in close proximity with increased volume, without the interruption of ambient noise.

Profound hearing loss - Profound hearing loss / deafness means patients can not hear up to 90 decibels. This is the most severe form of hearing loss making speech inaudible with patients becoming reliant on visual communication.

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