Assistive Listening Devices (ALDs)

Assistive Listening Devices ALDs are a broad category of devices that work with hearing aids or independently to help improve the hearing experience for those with hearing loss. Some ALDs work with T-coils in all types of hearing aids, while others are produced by a specific manufacturer to work with their hearing aids only.

Hearing aids with T-coils—or “telecoils”—allow wearers to take advantage of Assistive Listening Devices like loop systems, FM systems, and infrared systems. These are commonly found in museums, theaters, lecture halls, houses of worship, and other public spaces. Essentially, all of these systems allow a sound source to be sent directly to your hearing aids, rather than relying on the microphones in your hearing aids to pick it up. This effectively reduces the distance between your ears and the sound source, producing a much clearer and more intelligible signal.

Other ALDs include amplified telephones and alarm clocks, and other devices around the house. While our hearing aids do a lot for us, we don’t always wear them, especially at night. A few ALDs can go a long way to providing assistance and peace of mind while our hearing aids are out for the night.

Many manufacturers make TV adapters and microphones to work specifically with certain models of their hearing aids. This can be advantageous in that your hearing aids can remain connected by Bluetooth to your smartphone or tablet while utilizing a different protocol to amplify the sound from the TV or another person directly. Portable microphones can be great for keeping in touch with a partner while out in public or to use in the car to enhance the directionality of another person’s voice.

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