Who We Are:
We are SaddleBrooke residents who recognize the need in our community for a caring place of support and education for those experiencing hearing loss and those beginning to research this topic for themselves or a loved one.
What We Do:
(1) Discuss issues we face, learn tips and solutions, receive handout educational materials, and offer guidance and encouragement. Occasionally, an audiology doctoral student from the University of Arizona will be a guest, as well as hearing technology reps.
(2) Submit articles for the SaddleBrooke newspapers covering hearing loss topics and personal testimonials from members of our community about their hearing loss journeys.
(3) Sponsor periodic “Hearing Night Out” community-wide presentations by local audiologists.
(4) Advocate for better technical support in SaddleBrooke facilities for those who have hearing loss.
Meetings:
Meetings are held the second Friday monthly at 10 a.m. in the Sonoran Room at the MountainView Clubhouse.
Questions:
Jennifer Jefferis at [email protected] or Lyle Larson at [email protected]
Did You Know?
• Only one in five people who would benefit from a hearing aid actually uses one.
• Hearing loss has been shown to negatively impact nearly every dimension of the human experience, including physical health, emotional and mental health, perceptions of mental acuity, social skills, family relationships, and self-esteem.
• New findings linking cognitive decline to even minimal hearing loss suggest that we could do a lot to protect our brains if we protect our hearing.
• Hearing loss is now known to be the largest modifiable risk factor for developing dementia, exceeding that of smoking, high blood pressure, lack of exercise, and social isolation.
Taken from The New York Times article “For Better Brain Health, Preserve Your Hearing” and The Hearing Loss Association of America.
Suggestions for Hearing the TV
Tim Gaule
In this month’s article, I would like to discuss suggestions for helping to hear the TV. Initially, my hearing loss was moderate. At that point, I could hear the TV fine as long as I wore my hearing aids. But as time went on and my hearing loss became more pronounced, I started using closed captions. Closed captions are a useful tool but are a challenge during live programs, such as the news, due to the delay in the caption display. Another frustration with captions is that they can get cut off at the start of commercial breaks. Captions are very helpful when watching movies or previously recorded shows.
Early in my hearing loss journey, I was fortunate that we had a dedicated theater room in our previous home. The room had very good acoustics and a great sound system. As my hearing loss got worse, I spent more time watching TV in that room. Unfortunately, many of the homes here in SaddleBrooke have poor acoustics due to high ceilings and hard-surface floors.
If I wanted to use my treadmill while watching TV, I used a set of wireless headphones. The transmitting base plugged directly into my television’s headphone jack. One popular brand is TV Ears, which uses infrared light to transmit the sound signal from the transmission base to the headset. TV Ears may be a useful option for those with mild hearing loss.
I now rely on a TV streamer. I use a TV streamer that is compatible with my hearing aid cochlear implant combination. It is the Phonak TV Connector. The sound quality is outstanding, and my wife can listen at the same time. I have a TV connector for each of our TVs. In both cases, I connect to the TV’s optical digital audio output. In one case, I need to use an optical splitter, since that TV uses a soundbar. By using the splitter, my wife can listen via the soundbar. While the Phonak TV connector only works with Phonak devices, other manufacturers offer similar streamers.
Bluetooth is another potential option if your smart TV has Bluetooth capabilities. You can pair it directly to your Bluetooth-enabled hearing aid. This provides a seamless audio streaming experience without the need for additional accessories. If your TV doesn’t have Bluetooth, the Avantree Audikast Bluetooth 5.3 Audio Transmitter for TV is an inexpensive option for adding Bluetooth capability to a non-Bluetooth TV. It is available from Amazon.
Finally, induction loops, or neck loops, have been available for a long time. An induction loop sets up a magnetic field that can be picked up by hearing aids with telecoils. These systems may connect to the audio via the jack on your television or with a small microphone placed near the speaker of your television.
If you have comments regarding this article, my contact email is [email protected].