Hot Springs Village: (501) 922-0053
Arkansas Loops is a division of Saline Audiology. We are strong advocates of hearing loops and sell our hearing aids with a manuel telecoil in them so our patients are able to access hearing loops. If your church, or business would like information on hearing loops, we offer a no cost site survey and estimate. Also, we are available to answer questions and give demonstrations when needed.
Contact us at 501-778-3868 for questions and information.
Hearing loops are
commonplace in Europe. In England, everywhere from Westminster Abbey
to public transportation ticket windows are looped.
The U.S. has been
slower to embrace hearing loops because, until recently, many hearing
aids were not equipped with telecoils. According to the American Academy of
Audiology,
today almost 70% of all hearing aids dispensed in the U.S. have telecoils, and
that number is
on the rise. As a result, there is increasing interest in hearing loops.
Proponents such as
David G. Myers, PhD, a hearing-impaired professor of psychology at
Hope College in Michigan, the Hearing Loss Association of America, and the
American Academy
of Audiology are leading the charge to loop more public spaces in the U.S.
Hearing loops are increasingly being embraced as a way to help hearing impaired
people
enjoy clear sound in:
In the Southeast,
hearing loops are being installed in retirement communities, places of
worship and auditoriums. The public sector has been a bit slower to embrace the
technology
than in other parts of the country, but change is coming.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: What is the biggest
challenge to hearing loop effectiveness?
A: User education is actually the biggest challenge. Many people have no idea
that their hearing aid or cochlear implant has a T-coil. Even if an
organization posts the universal hearing loop symbol, people may not fully
understand that they can easily take advantage of the technology using their
existing assistive hearing device. It helps to provide some information about
T-coils on signs, in programs and in public presentations.
Q: Are there any
venues that just cannot be looped?
A: Ninety percent of all facilities can be looped effectively. Steel and
concrete with rebar can make an installation more complex. It is important to
have a professional hearing loop installer conduct an initial site assessment
to determine the effectiveness of a hearing loop for a particular venue.
Q: Is non-structural
magnetic interference a problem with hearing loops?
A: Generally not. Old computer monitors, old fluorescent lighting, and some old
dimmer switches generate interference, as do some cars and all airplanes. But
all the successful current installations show that interference-free
installation is nearly always possible.
Q: Can hearing loops
serve those without telecoil-equipped hearing aids or without hearing aids
entirely?
A: Yes, hearing loops typically come with portable receivers and headsets to
serve people who don’t have T-coil equipped hearing aids. As T-coils have
become commonplace, we find that most receivers and headsets are not used.
Q: Can hearing loops
be used in adjacent rooms?
A: Yes, systems can be designed that control sound spillover between adjacent
rooms.
Q: Can you see the
hearing loop?
A: No, the hearing loop does not affect the venue’s architecture or appearance
at all.
Q: Do I need to do
anything to maintain a hearing loop?
A: Just check it monthly to make sure that it is working properly.
Installations often come with a special listening device to allow a non-hearing
aid wearer to access the induction loop.
Q: How do people know
that a hearing loop is available?
A: The venue will post this internationally accepted symbol
Why churches notoriously have poor acoustics…
Churches are usually large, with very high ceilings and a large volume of space. Add to that the fact that most churches are constructed of hard – walled materials such as stone, cement, plaster, marble, and glass. The ceilings are usually peaked which gives a megaphone effect. This can create annoyingly loud spots and / or acoustically “dead” spots.
So when a pastor speaks at a large church, the sound bounces off multiple hard surfaces. The prolongation of the voice caused by multiple reflections is called reverberation. Reverberation time can be measured: large churches have a large reverberation time. This lengthy reverberation time “smears” speech by eliminating the stops or gaps in speech that allows us to recognize the beginnings and endings of words. This is why it is so difficult to understand the sermon. To complicate this even more, any noise generated by talking, coughing, by babies crying, and the like adds to the overall noise level to further degrade the speech of the presenter.
In church, the best solution is a hearing loop system. A hearing loop encircles the congregation’s seating area with a cooper wire. Hearing aids equipped with a telecoil (which can be activated by pushing your program button) will pick up the sound that is plugged into the loop area, which should be the speaker or musician coming through the microphone. This provides direct-to-your-ear sound delivery and avoids the noise and reverberation that degrades the speech message.
Arkansas Loops a division of Saline Audiology can do a free site survery and demo for your church. Contact us if you have questions about a loop system or want to set up a survey. 501-778-3868
Most people never think that they will have a need for an audiologist
and many could not even tell you what an audiologist does.
But if you have ever experienced hearing loss or dizziness, then you
should consider a visit to Saline Audiology.
Audiologists work with people who have hearing, balance, and related
ear problems. They examine individuals of all ages and identify those
with the symptoms of hearing loss and other auditory, balance, and
related sensory and neural problems. They then access the nature and
extent of the problems and help the individuals manage them.
Saline Audiology
810 N. East St
Benton, Arkansas 72015
501778-3868
110 Este Way, Ste. 2
Hot Springs Village, Arkansas 71909
501-922-0053
Enjoy the sounds of every day …
If you or someone you love, are missing out on the every day sounds of life,
give Saline Audiology a call!
We would love to be your hometown audiologists!
501-778-3868 or 501-922-0053
