The Difficulty Of Using Hearing Aids And The Telephone

If you have mild to moderate hearing loss and use hearing aids, then you've probably experienced the difficulties associated with using hearing aids and the telephone. Too often, getting on the phone means dealing with annoying feedback, loss of sound quality, and weak signals. In the past, if you didn't want the telephone receiver squealing in your ear, you had to take your aids out, and risk not being able to hear at all. A new solution has been developed to reduce the difficulties associated with using hearing aids and the telephone at the same time - the telecoil.

What Is A Telecoil?

A telecoil is sometimes also referred to as a telephone switch. This small, wire coil was invented to reduce the number of problems that those using hearing aids and the telephone at the same time often experience. The function of the coil is to pick up the magnetic signal that is transmitted over telephone lines. Telecoils are only designed to work with the BTE (behind the ear) and ITE (in the ear) types of hearing aids, as ITC (in the canal) aids are not large enough to accommodate the coils. The introduction of telecoils has greatly reduced the number of problems associated with using hearing aids and the telephone at the same time.

How It Works

A telecoil picks up the electromagnetic signal that is sent through the telephone. The signal is then transferred to the hearing aid which converts it into sound. While a hearing aid microphone picks up all sounds, the telecoil will only pick up a single type of signal. This has made it much easier for those with hearing impairments to be using hearing aids and the telephone at the same time. The telecoil, due to the fact that the electromagnetic signal is all that is being received, eliminates the feedback associated with making a phone call using only the hearing aid microphone.

Drawbacks Of The Telecoil

Although greatly reducing problems associated with using hearing aids and the telephone at the same time, the telecoil does have a few drawbacks. Many people have reported being able to pick up the electromagnetic signal from computer screens, televisions, and fluorescent lights while using their hearing aids' telecoils to make telephone calls. Typically, moving away from the affecting device will cause the interference to stop. Also, not all phones are hearing aid compatible, and therefore do not emit a strong enough signal for the telecoil to pick up.

Even with these minor difficulties, all in all telecoils have solved the problems associated with using hearing aids and the telephone at the same time for millions of people with hearing difficulties.