Is the Telecoil Making a Comeback?
In the past few years, hearing healthcare professionals have, in general, moved away from the telecoil, a hearing aid feature that was necessary in the past to assist hearing aid users with hearing on the telephone. Technology as of late has improved significantly. Enough so that the telecoil is not necessary for most patients. However, due to the additional perks of having a telecoil, it appears to be making a comeback when it comes to hearing aids.
Before we can understand these additional perks, we need to understand the telecoil itself. So what exactly is a telecoil? It is a small coil of wire that is designed to pick up the magnetic signal that is emitted by a telephone. This sends the signal from the telephone directly into the hearing aid wearer’s ear. Initially, one could access their telecoil by flipping a switch or pressing a button on their hearing aid. Some hearing aids are still designed this way, but others now directly and immediately connect to the telephone when it is held up to the patient’s ear and hearing aid which eliminates the need to press a button, providing improved ease of use.
The telecoil used to be a necessary feature because of a little issue called feedback. Ask anyone who wore a hearing aid in the past if their aids ever whistled at them. Chances are, they will say yes. This irritating whistling sound is called feedback, and can be caused by closing up the space between a hearing aid microphone and speaker, ie; by cupping your hand over the hearing aid or by putting a hat on, hugging someone, or putting a phone up to the hearing aid. The good news is that hearing aid manufacturers have greatly improved feedback suppression, an algorithm that helps eliminate feedback before it is an issue, in modern hearing aids, therefore lessening the need for the telecoil.
There was a period of time in which telecoils were not offered in certain hearing aids because they were no longer as necessary. Eliminating the telecoil enables manufacturers to make smaller hearing aids, which appeal to those of us that are cosmetically conscious.
However, as previously mentioned, recently, the telecoil appears to be making a comeback. Not necessarily because it is needed to communicate on the telephone, but because of the increasing popularity of loop systems. A loop system is a copper wire that can be connected to a PA system. This wire sends the signal of interest (a person speaking into a microphone, a movie, theatre production, etc) directly into the hearing aid wearer’s ear. What constitutes whether or not your hearing aid is loop system compatible? The telecoil. Only hearing aids with telecoils have access to these looping devices. Because of this, hearing healthcare providers are beginning to counsel their patients more extensively on the benefits of having a telecoil in order to assist patients in their decision on whether or not a telecoil is a must in their hearing aid or not.
As already stated, the main benefit to not having a telecoil is the ability of being able to wear a smaller hearing aid, so you must weigh your pros and cons carefully in order to make the best decision for yourself. Find a local hearing healthcare provider to assist you in the decision making process by clicking here
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