Contact Us
Call Us (631) 378-0061 Hearing aids have not in the past always worked well with cellular phones, because of electronic interference between the 2 devices that caused static, whistling or squealing noises, or lost words. Fortunately, improvements in technology and new government regulations have made the question “Will this phone work with my hearing aid?” simpler to answer. The regulations mandated new labeling requirements and ratings that help you to easily find a mobile phone that works well with your hearing aid.
To understand how this rating system works, you should first understand the two modes that hearing aids work in – M mode (for microphone) and T mode (for telecoil). In M mode, your hearing aid uses its built-in microphone to pick up audible sounds from the environment and amplify them so that you can hear them. In T mode, the hearing aid instead uses an inductive process to pick up electromagnetic signals inside the phone directly, without the need for a microphone. Roughly 60 percent of all mobile phones sold in the US have a telecoil (T) mode.
Under the new regulations, these two modes of operation have ratings that range from 1 (the lowest sensitivity) to 4 (the highest sensitivity). To be sold in the United States as hearing aid compatible (HAC), a mobile phone or cordless handset must have a rating of at least M3 or T3.
In addition, many hearing aids (and cochlear implants) have a similar M and T rating to measure their sensitivity and their resistance to radio frequency interference. When shopping for a phone, to determine its compatibility with your hearing aid, simply add its M and T ratings together with those of the phone to create a combined rating. A sum of 6 or more makes a solid pairing. That hearing aid and mobile phone combination should work well for you. If the combined rating is 5, this combination is considered normal and suitable for most regular phone use. A combined rating of 4 is considered usable for brief calls, but may not be suitable for extended phone use.
If you are shopping for a mobile phone online, you can usually use this combined rating to determine how compatible the phone you are interested in buying will be with your hearing aid. In the end, nothing beats a real world test so you may want to wear your hearing aid to the cell phone shop and test out a few different phone in real conditions.
Picking the Right Cell Phone if You Use a Hearing Aid
Hearing Aid Accessories 101
Many hearing aid buyers are curious about add-ons and options, so in this article we provide some of our suggestions. Certain accessories work only with a particular hearing aid model, but these broad recommendations are applicable to nearly every hearing aid user.
First of all, stock up on batteries. These aren’t exactly an accessory, but take any opportunity you can to buy them in bulk or at a discount since you will need them. Expect that disposable batteries will need to be replaced every 5 to 14 days.
A dehumidifier is optional, but a very good idea. The electronics in hearing aids are very susceptible to damage from moisture. To use it, you remove your hearing aids at night before you go to sleep and leave them in the dehumidifier overnight, while you’re not wearing them. Cleaning kits are also a sensible investment, as are ear wax filters to keep ear wax away from the unit, because the cleaner you keep your aids, the longer they’ll provide you with trouble-free service.
There are various Bluetooth extensions for specific hearing aids that will extend their capabilities. Many digital hearing aids support the Bluetooth wireless connection standard, which means that they can be configured to stream sound directly from many mobile phones, audio players such as iPods, and televisions. Having a Bluetooth connection to these devices means that you don’t have to sit near them or turn the sound up to enjoy them.
Another way of doing this if you have an analog hearing aid is to use an FM system, which is basically a remote microphone/transmitter that you can place near the TV or stereo and a remote receiver/amplifier that you place closer to your hearing aid. These low-cost FM systems can be an advantage in noisy environments or those shared with other people; you can hear conversations spoken in a normal tone of voice near you while also hearing music or the TV played from much further away.
There are constantly new hearing aid accessories being introduced. If you have questions about these or any others, just ask. Smart selection of accessories goes a long way toward maintaining and enjoying your aid.