Introduction To Bob’s Story
Bob and his family emigrated to the Okanagan twenty four years ago from Liverpool, England. You could describe Bob as a bit of a ‘Renaissance Man”. In addition to being a recently-retired loved and respected school teacher of over 40 years, Bob is a well known musician, songwriter, actor, theatre director and BC award winning theatre sound designer. These days, he is busier than ever directing, performing, and holding a role as president of a local theatre. It is likely an understatement to say that ‘sound’ has been an integral & central part of his creative life.
Recently, something hit Bob ‘for six’ (British cricket term). Due to a virus, he lost approx. 70% of his hearing in one ear. It set his world in a spin.
Bob: “It was winter and I developed a head cold. I was afflicted for several weeks and couldn’t shake it off. The direct effect was that music rehearsals were uncomfortable because I had a blockage in my right ear and my ability to hear the usual crystal clear sound was compromised. I eventually visited my GP who told me that actually my right ear was completely clear with no blockage at all. This was not a good sign and was confirmed by a local ENT physician. After tests, he told me that I had suffered a sudden sensory neural hearing loss. The cause was somewhat unknown, but the loss would be permanent”.
Hearing Aids
Bob was soon fitted with a hearing aid by an audiologist. Modern hearing aids can improve the quality of life for those with hearing loss. But in certain environments, it is difficult to hear clearly due to unwanted background noise caused by reverberation, echoes, or from being too far from the sound source. It becomes difficult to engage with the sounds you want to hear because of this unwanted ‘noise’. According to Lee Ramsdell, Vice President of the CHHA (the Canadian Hard of Hearing Association) Edmonton, hearing aids work well up to a distance of 1.5m away from the sound source. Beyond that, it is difficult to filter out unwanted noise. The farther you are from the sound source, the less effective the hearing aid mic.
Bob: “The experience of using a hearing aid is a challenge every day. At times I am not aware that I am wearing it – usually when I am in a quiet environment. However, when I am in a public, noise-filled space such as a theatre or church or when playing music, the experience changes and I am constantly reminded of how things are not ‘normal’. Speaking to a bank teller or any other ‘across the counter’ experience is prone to highlighting the stigma of being officially hearing challenged. The moment I ask the person to please repeat what they just said, I might as well be holding up a big sign that announces to everyone around that I’m hard of hearing”.
The Solution: Hearing Loops
Fortunately, Bob found a solution – a hearing loop. Hearing loops wirelessly transmit an audio signal from a microphone, soundtrack, mp3, etc, directly to the users own hearing aid. The audio signal is transmitted via an installed ‘looped’ cable. It’s easy to get connected; the signal is received when users switch on the “Tele-Coil” (or “T-Coil”) function on their hearing aid or via a remote control. The good news is that most hearing aids (around 70%) already have the “T-Coil”/loop receive function built in. With the push of a button, users receive a crystal clear signal and simultaneously eliminate any distractions & background noise.
Bob: “I was aware of ‘hearing loops’ from living in the UK where they are commonplace. Like most things that don’t affect us, though, I paid little attention to their significance. The timing of my re-introduction to loops strangely coincided with my newly heightened attention to the plight of people who have compromised hearing issues. I was aware that my church had installed a loop and that I was able to access the sound source signal with the flick of a switch on my hearing aid ‘remote control’. Listening to the minister from down at the front, even with my hearing aid, was a hit and miss experience depending on the other sounds that were around me. Flicking on the T-Coil suddenly brought the sound right in to my ear. The difference was night and day. Further, I was especially heartened when, on a visit to the Vernon Performing Arts Theatre, I discovered that they had installed a loop system which allowed me the experience of wonderful audio right in my ears. Formerly the theatre had used an FM headphone system. I would never use that because they were so inconvenient & indiscreet”.
Hearing loops are, and have been, the prevalent hearing assist technology in all the other G7 countries, particularly in Northern Europe for over 40 years. Yet loops are relatively new to Canada. David Moore of Auris Loops installed hundreds of loop systems in the UK over a 17 year period before emigrating to Vernon 8 years ago. Since March 2015, Auris Loops has installed nearly 60 systems in churches, residential homes, senior centres, theatres, libraries, hotels, retail counters, and soon, the Kelowna Airport. A full list can be seen here: https://www.facebook.com/AurisHearingLoops/