Challenges of New technology
I am a member of the Saddlebrooke Hearing Discussion Group. I often get ideas for our monthly articles from the discussion at our monthly meetings. In this article I would like to discuss the challenges of technology for hearing impaired seniors. The challenges can be not knowing what features or accessories may be available, but also not understanding how to use the various features and accessories.
One example of not knowing about an available feature is the t-coil. To connect to a hearing loop, you need to have a t-coil installed and activated in your hearing aid. The room that we use for our monthly meetings is equipped with a hearing loop. The advantage of a hearing loop is that the sound of a speaker’s voice is transmitted directly to your hearing aid cutting out the surrounding noise. This technology is not new, and the beginnings of t-coils go back 80 years.
Yet surprisingly it is not unusual for a new attendee at our meeting to state that they have never heard of a t-coil. I assume that could possibly be due to the provider not informing them of the availability of a t-coil. Arizona state law mandates that if you purchase your hearing aid from an Arizona licensed hearing aid dispenser you must be informed about the t-coil and its benefits. T-coils are not available with every hearing aid model, but patients should at least be made aware of which models contain a t-coil..
An accessory I have found useful is a remote microphone. It can be helpful in certain situations such as a noisy restaurant or riding in a car. I often have my wife wear my remote mic when we are in the car. Like the hearing loop it transmits her voice directly to my hearing devices. At our last meeting we had two attendees who were not familiar with remote microphones.
Most hearing aids on the market today have an associated smart phone app that can be used to control hearing aid volume and to change programs such as to a restaurant program. Unfortunately, not all of us are tech savvy. It is not uncommon to have someone in attendance at our meeting who is unfamiliar with the functions of their hearing aid app. This is an example of not understanding features. The challenge in helping them is that the apps vary by hearing aid manufacturers. Fortunately, the student audiologists that usually attend our meetings can help with these struggles.
I previously mentioned that HOA2 will be installing a Wi-Fi assistive listening system called MobileConnect in the Ballroom and Sonoran Room. To use MobileConnect you need to first download the app using either the iPhone App Store or the Google Play Store. If you have an iPhone, use this link: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/sennheiser-mobileconnect/id848127271. If you have an Android use this link: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=de.sennheiser.sst.mobileconnect. While MobileConnect should be an improvement over the loop in those rooms, I suspect that some residents will struggle initially with both downloading and using the app.
Our group will be happy to try and help. Our group meets on the 2nd Friday of every month at 10 AM in the Catalina Room in the Mesquite Building. We typically have one or two Doctor of Audiology students from the University of Arizona in attendance. Stop by if you would like help with your issues. If you have questions about this article or would like to have your email added to our distribution list, contact me at tgaule@outlook.com.