Making The Land of Enchantment More Accessible to Those with Hearing Loss

Transcription

1 Making The Land of Enchantment More Accessible to Those with Hearing Loss

2 HEARING LOSS STATISTICS There are 37 million Americans with measurable hearing loss. Only 1 out of 5 people who could benefit from wearing hearing aids actually wears them. Hearing loss affects all age groups 65% of people with hearing loss are under age % of school age children have a measurable hearing loss. SOURCE: Better Hearing Institute

3 Estimates are scary... According to the National Institutes of Health, an estimated 15 percent of American adults report having some form of hearing loss. Nearly half of adults ages 75 years and older have hearing loss.. Only 20 percent of people who could benefit from hearing aids wear them. SOURCE: National Institutes of Health - July 2007

4 Hearing Loss in New Mexico STATE POPULATION 1,984,356 HARD OF HEARING 257, 966 (13%) DEAF 4,365 (.22%) Mild to moderate hearing loss 198,436 (10%) Severe to profound hearing loss 43,656 (2.2%) Source: NM Commission for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Persons, 2009 Annual Report

5 What are the causes of hearing Cause of Hearing Loss Percent Due to Cause At birth % Ear Infection % Ear Injury % Loud brief noise % Other Noise % Getting Older % Other % Source: Ntnl. Center for health statistics, data from the National Health Interview Survey Series 10, Number 188, Table 16, 1994.

6 Here s the low cost solution...or you can just cup your hands behind your ears. Try it - it really does work but there are better solutions...

7 HEARING AIDS AND COCHLEAR IMPLANTS ARE USED TO TREAT HEARING LOSS Prices range from $1,000 for a hearing aid to $60,000 for an implant Hearing aids not covered by most insurance or Medicare BUT implants are covered by both

8 Hearing aids correct sound to match each individual s hearing loss pattern.

9 Telecoil (sometimes called a T-coil, T-switch or telephone switch) USA: in 60% of hearing aids in use (up from 37% in 2001) In nearly all behind-the-ear (BTE) aids except smallest In many in-the-ear (ITE) aids In few completely-in-the-canal (CIC) aids Percentage growing with 62% for new sales 85% of HLAA members have telecoils UK: In 90% of aids, including those provided by the National Health Service

10 Telecoils come in a variety of sizes and shapes. A telecoils fitted into a standard behind the ear hearing aid or cochlear implant processor.

11 Land line phones (and an increasing number of cell phones) are hearing aid compatible (HAC) Look for a T-4 or an M-4 rating on cell phones

12 Telecoil use among respondents to a Hearing Loss Association of America survey of their members Do you have a t-switch in your hearing aid or cochlear implant? Yes No Not told about them Number of Responses Percent of Responses 84% 13% 2% Don t know 5 13% Total %

13 Using telecoils in a meeting room equipped with an induction loop system

14 Loop and Telecoil use in the UK Westminster Abbey The whole of the church is served by a hearing loop. Users should turn their hearing aid to the setting marked T. ~The very first sentence read in the program by those attending the 50th anniversary celebration of Queen Elizabeth s coronation in 2003.

15 Canterbury Cathedral

16 Iona Abbey, Scotland

17 Reverberation and echos reduce speech intelligibility Thanks to Siegfried Karg Unaided or hearing aid assisted sound in such settings is problematic.

18 Waiting area at London's Gatwick Newcastle Airport check in

19 Heathrow Airport

20 Heathrow Express SIGN: For users of hearing aids, we ve fitted our on board PA system with an induction loop.

21 Transient venues Bank Teller Bank officer Ticket window Registration desk

22 Theater ticket window

23 Predominant assistive listening technology in the US: Infrared or FM with loaner headsets when used in churches, theaters etc. Where are those headset things? Sorry, the batteries are dead.

24 What s different inn picture number three?

25 Drawbacks of FM and Infrared systems? In the home: User must remove hearing aids and put on a headset. Headset does not correct sound to user s audiogram pattern - it s really just two miniature loudspeakers User cannot hear others when wearing the headset or when removing it without putting on hearing aids. Multiple headsets need to be purchased if there is more than one hard of hearing user. In public All of the above Batteries may be dead User must borrow a headset and then return it. There is concern over cleanliness of borrowed headsets

26 FM and IR systems don t get used L Spokane WA has 12 hearing aid incompatible assistive listening units in their city council chambers. In the last dozen+ years, one of them has been checked out every couple of years. Source: Douglas Christensen, Audio Loop Solutions, Inc. L The Unitarian Church in Los Alamos is considering giving up their FM system. Since installing a loop, nobody is using the FM. Source: Jim Ogle - Pres. Abq.. NAMI and visitor to the church. L The Albuquerque city council owns a portable FM system for their committee meeting room. The last time I asked to use it while attending a meeting, they couldn t even find it.

27 Drawbacks of loops and telecoils? Not all hearing aid wearers or cochlear implant recipients have telecoils in their devices BUT ü That number is shrinking and the vast majority of those with more serious hearing loss do have telecoils. ü Some states are mandating that providers counsel their clients on the availability and uses of telecoils ü Headsets are available for those without telecoils that pick up the loop signal just as there are headset for FM and infrared. Installation issues: interference, metalwork, spillover ü Spillover can eliminated or reduced using newly devised techniques to install the loop wire. ü Interference can be reduced through good design and professional installation and or the installation of filters.

28 Cost issues: for huge installations with multiple amplifiers initial cost may be more BUT... ü less cost per user as fewer headsets need to be purchased and maintained including purchase of batteries for the headsets. A Michigan church reported that, after installation of a loop system in addition to their existing infrared system that was used by only 1 member of the congregation that, within a year: No one was using infrared system 10 people were using loop broadcast to their hearing aids More are in contact with (delighted) local audiologists Conclusion: Nearly all HOH people prefer direct broadcast via their own hearing aids and more people are getting telecoil equipped hearing aids. ü Many churches have been looped for under $2,000 ü Room lops for home use can cost under $200 ü Neck loops cost $50 to $125

29 Room Loops Loop wire can be placed Under the carpet Under an area rug Under the mop board On top of mop board and over door moldings Under the room in the craw space or basement In the attic

30 Chair loops Amplifier plugged into TV just like a room loop with a wire discreetly strung to TV viewing chair and hooked to loop pad that goes under the chair s cushion.

31 Neck loops offer portability... Plug in at the gym on exercise Machines instead of a headset to watch TV (and block out other sounds). Plug in to the TV at home or when Traveling.

32 Neck loop with microphone - you talk hands free Personal FM with neck loop An ipod connected to a neck loop with volume control

33 Portable Loops Walgreens - Coors and Montano Albuquerque, NM Reception desk at ALOHA Tucson, AZ Subway token booth New York City

34 Samples of some other loop installations Drive-in bank Holland, MI Disney World Orlando, FL U.S. Congress Washington, DC

35 Other loop applications Albuquerque Little Theater (ALT) main floor looped ALT signage TV in waiting room is looped at Albuquerque Hearing Associates - just one of over one dozen hearing care offices in New Mexico demonstrating the technology and supporting Loop New Mexico.

36 FIRST IN THE NATION The concourse and gate areas at Gerald R. Ford International airport in Grand Rapids, MI are looped.

37 ANOTHER FIRST IN THE NATION Breslin Center at Michigan State University Next?? Pennsylvania Station, NYC

38 One of 642 NYC subway fare booths being looped with federal stimulus dollars Botanical Gardens tour shuttles Brooklyn, NY

39 An already outdated list of known looped facilities in New Mexico Albuquerque Center for Spiritual Living Albuquerque Lit tle Theater Albuquerque Marriot t Abiding Word Lutheran Church ATS Resources Auditorium at the V.A. Hospital complex Bank of Calvary Baptist Church - Christ United Methodist Church Christ Unity Church Cumberland Presbyterian Church Deaf Culture Center Fair Valley Church Faith Lutheran Church Family & Community Services First Methodist Church - First Presbyterian Church First Unitarian Church Good Shepard Lutheran Church Hearing Loss Association of Albuquerque Hispanic Cultural Center Journal Theater Hispano Chamber of Commerce Immaculate Heart of Mary RC Church LaVida Liena National Labs Los Altos Christian Church Metro Court - Room 900 Meadowlark Senior Center- Montgomery Church of Christ New Mexico Relay Network Northeast Church of Christ NM Commission for Deaf and HoH Our Lady of the Annunciation RC Church Popejoy Hall Prince of Peace Roman Catholic Church Presbyterian Church Saint Andrew Presbyterian Church Saint John's United Methodist Church Saint John s Episcopal Cathedral Saint John the Baptist RC Church Saint Joseph s Catholic Church Saint Joseph on the Rio Grande Saint Paul Lutheran Church Saint Paul's United Methodist Church Sandia Baptist Church Taylor Ranch Communit y Center United Church of UNM Mental Health Center Well Spring Church -

40 Hearing care providers Participating in the Loop New Mexico program - waiting room looped in Roswell and fit ting room looped in Las Cruces - waiting room looped, loop in fit ting room, neck loop available for demo. - waiting room looped, loop in fit ting room, neck loop available for demo. (East Side location) - neck loop available to demo. - all Albuquerque locations equipped with neck loop to demo technology. - office and demo room looped. - fit ting room looped - waiting room looped and neck loop available for demo. (Sears location) - neck loop available to demo technology. - Albuquerque waiting room looped, neck loop and/or chair loop available for demo in Los Alamos and Santa Fe. - Menaul and Coors locations have looped demo room. - Las Cruces - chair loop for demo. - demonstration area looped. - Neck loop available to demo technology. - neck loops available to demo technology. - waiting room looped.

41 A national campaign intended to raise awareness of hearing loop technology among the hard of hearing, hearing care providers, business, government and the general public culminating in an International Loop Technology Conference in Washington D.C. next June.

42 Loop use increases satisfaction Survey result of his clients by California Audiologist Bill Diles When asked if their satisfaction with the hearing aids was high when watching TV: 65% of those with telecoils and a loop said yes 5% with hearing aids only responded yes When asked if the satisfaction with their hearing aids in general was high 55% of those with telecoils said yes 5% of those without telecoils said yes

43 There are organized looping initiatives of long standing or just getting under way in: ü Western Michigan ü Arizona ü Silicon Valley ü New York City ü Central Wisconsin ü Colorado ü New Mexico ü Oklahoma City, Houston and other HLAA groups investigating ü Many Hearing Loss Associations around the U.S. use loops at their meetings and teach their members about them.

44 A looped HLAAbq meeting Signage at an HLAAbq meeting HLAAbq members testing headsets

45 NM Another great resource:

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