Have you heard...Assistive listening

Hearing aids are not the sole solution for hearing loss, in fact in many cases and for many people hearing aids would not be the correct choice. Some clients who present hearing loss, may not be in a financial position to purchase a hearing aid, others are not regularly in situations of a social nature or feel that communication is difficult to "*hear".

This is where assistive listening devices may be of more benefit than a hearing aid. Many clients come to us complaining of the TV and radio being too quiet; or more commonly their spouses bring them in complaining of the TV and radio being too loud!

In most circumstances the later may not be very excepting of a hearing aid, for some it denotes the perception of becoming old, or having a disability. In others as said above the client for a multitude of reasons may not need a hearing aid.

There are many great assistive listening devices now on the market, unfortunately there are also some that don't cut the mustard in our mind. Here we have provided our top 5:

NUMBER 5 - The CL-10 Corded Phone.
Corded phone with adjustable volume up to 28 dB, includes flashing ring indicator. Other features include tone dialling, 3 different ringer levels and melodies as well as being network service compatible.

This product has made it into our top 5 due to cost and simplicity.
It's about as simple as it could get with one cable to plug in, large easy to use keys, 3 save able numbers and a slider with 3 choices for volume control.

It works well too, we have one in the office which never leaves it's first volume setting. We especially like the ringer feature, which, with the flick of a switch, allows you to turn off the ringer sound. Great for when we are holding hearing tests (you are still alerted to the call by a flashing LED)

The cost is what really pushes this simple bit of tech into our top 5
Our Price £29.99



NUMBER 4 - CL2L Ringer

• Extra loud ringer :up to 95 dB

• Volume and tone control

• Led flasher

• Outdoor range: 60 meters

• Indoor range: 20 meters

• 3 doorbell melodies

• 3 individual tracking LED

 This feature rich door and telephone ringer comes in at number 4 on our list. With a combination of sound, lights and vibration it will alert even the profoundly deaf to the door or telephone. It's simple to install also with a simple plug and play use and convenient wireless doorbell button.

Our price is only £54

NUMBER 3 - CL8300 Mobile Phone

Extra Loud Mobile Phone with volume control up to 45dB

Product Features:

•     Volume control (up to a record +45dB)
•     Tone control (+/- 10dB)
•     Hands free speakerphone
•     Visual ringer indicator
•     Vibrating alert feature
•     Extra loud ring (up to 100dB)
•     External boost button on the handset
•     Three direct memory buttons
•     Extra large black and white display
•     Extra large characters (adjustable size and contrast) 
• ....and more 

As with all current mobile phones the CL8300 is feature rich providing all that you would expect in the latest technology. Something you may not expect however is the volume this handset provides, making it one of the loudest phones in the world, added to that the large buttons and LCD display this unit can be used for either a hearing or visual impairment.

Our price, only £105

NUMBER 2 - A200 Headset

The A 200 is a stereo personal sound amplifier for people who may sometimes need to rely on artificial assistance for their hearing. Due to the stereo amplification via two integrated permanently polarised microphones, the user can clearly determine the direction of the sound source. Dynamic headphone transducers ensure a natural and transparent sound reproduction with optimum speech intelligibility.

Great for the localisation of sound, especially in social environments and particularly popular in meetings and seminars due to its portable, wireless nature.



This products sits comfortably at number 2 because of it's functionality. We have fitted hundreds of these products with only good comments.


Particular benefit may be for those whom a hearing aid is just slightly out of their financial reach.


Our price £280






NUMBER 1 - 830-TV

 

The Set 830-TV is an infra-red stereo TV assistive listening system. The set enables assistive listening anywhere in the room without the need for cables and without disturbing others. Directly connectible to a TV, hi-fi system or radio, the Set 830-TV guarantees outstanding sound quality, which, for example, thanks to treble emphasis, can be customised to the listener’s hearing.
What’s more, the receiver is extremely lightweight and, with its perfect-fitting ear pads, offers maximum comfort when worn. Ergonomic controls and
visual signals for the individual control processes mean that operation of the Set 830-TV couldn’t be easier.



Our number 1 assistive listening product, although named the 830-TV this instrument can be connected to any device with with an audio output, and even numerous devices at once. Functionality and reliability along with great sound puts this device at the top of our list. It's easy to use too, simply placing the headset into your ears turns it on and the large volume control can be used with out looking, giving volume independent of the level the TV is set at. Whats more clients with a unilateral hearing loss can adjust the volume to each ear giving maximum control of sound.

 Our price is only £257

Have you heard...Mini Aids

Traditional Completely in the Canal (CIC) hearing aids were made to sit in the ear canal with the faceplate positioned at the opening of the ear canal, previously this was the most discreet in-the ear hearing aid fitting available.

In 2010 Starkey introduced the first Invisible in the Canal or IIC hearing aid called ‘Soundlens’. Since then the other major hearing aid manufacturers have also brought out similar products, making Invisible In the Canal (IIC) the newest and competitive style of hearing aid.

Improvements in shell design and computer aided design technology, as well as miniaturisation of components mean that the IIC hearing aids can be made significantly smaller and therefore sit much deeper in the ear canal.
If the aid can sit beyond the second bend of the ear canal then it will be totally invisible, however results will vary depending of the physical size and shape of your ear canals.
There are also benefits to IIC hearing aids other than the invisibility:

1. Reduction of the ‘occlusion effect’ – the muffled or blocked feeling that happens sometimes with CIC hearing aids
2. Natural directional hearing and noise reduction due to the placement deep in the ear canal

How do I get an IIC hearing aid?
The first step is to come for a consultation, which will include a hearing test to see if an IIC would be appropriate. Next we need to examine your ear canal and take impressions of your ears. This involves putting some soft silicone based material into your ear canals in order to take their shape. The impression material sets in about 2 minutes and then is removed. These impressions are then used to make the hearing aids.

The importance of good impressions
In order for the manufacturer to make the hearing aids it is absolutely essential to have a detailed and accurate impression, which is deep enough to give all the information needed to make an invisible product. The deeper and more accurate the impressions, the more possibility there is of achieving a truly invisible hearing aid, which will be comfortable and fit properly.

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Commercial Screening

Noise protection in the workplace

Are you aware that by law Employers must prevent or reduce risks to health and safety from exposure to noise at work?

The Control of Noise at Work Regulations 2005 – set out by the HSE (Health and Safety Executive)

The Regulations require an employer to:

_ assess the risks to your employees from noise at work;

_ take action to reduce the noise exposure that produces those risks;

_ provide your employees with hearing protection;

_ make sure the legal limits on noise exposure are not exceeded;

_ provide your employees with information, instruction and training;

_ carry out health surveillance where there is a risk to health.

In the United Kingdom noise induced hearing loss leads to an average injury claim of £18,000 per employee, a figure that could be easily avoided through professional assessment, appropriate protection and the correct advice.

Our Latest Commercial Screening Offer

Is your workforce subject to loud noise?

Spend a day at the place of work then answer the following questions, if you can answer ‘yes’ to any, then you should probably be taking action...

1. Is the noise intrusive – like a busy street, a vacuum cleaner or a crowded restaurant – for most of the working day?

2. Do you have to raise your voice to have a normal conversation when about 2 metres apart for at least part of the day?

3. Are noisy powered machinery or intense sound systems used for over half an hour a day?

4. Did the day leave you with muffled hearing, even if it is better by the next morning?

What action should you take?

Once you have assessed the workplace and concluded that the environment is ‘too loud’, you should contact a qualified, registered Hearing Audiologist who offers ‘Commercial Hearing Screening’. The audiologist should then be able to visit your place of work with an ambiance noise meter and assess the need for noise reduction. If the environment falls under the legislated noise level thresholds, the audiologist can then offer means of protecting your staff, as well as an initial hearing screening, and follow-up annual hearing tests to monitor the efficiency of that protection.

What costs are involved?

Commercial Hearing Screening charges vary from audiologist to audiologist, and depend on the size of your workforce, but most fall in the region of £20 to £40 per person. A wide range of hearing protection products are available, from basic earplugs to electronic filters, and each offer varying levels of protection. This is why the advice of an audiologist is invaluable in helping you select the product that provides the right kind of protection. Prices for hearing protection products can start from as little as £5.

Why are we giving this advice?

Bexhill Hearing Centre has recently become a Father and Son organisation and now seeks to expand its services by offering commercial hearing screening. We are therefore pleased to offer you our new commercial hearing screening service at the special introductory price of £20 per person, with free personal hearing protection with each test. As part of our new screening service, we also offer a free, no obligation, sound level test, which will guide you on which course of action to take.

Want to know more?

Request a free pack, with all the detailed information regarding noise levels and the workplace by calling us on 01424 733030 or visiting our website at www.BexhillHearingCentre.com

Hearing loss is a dangerous thing when communication is so important.