Assistive Listening Devices
As much as hearing aids and cochlear implants can improve your hearing, certain conditions such as distance and background noise can still create listening challenges. That’s where assistive listening devices, referred to as ALDs, can make up the difference.
Colorado West Audiologists hearing health providers can evaluate your needs and fit you with one of numerous assistive listening devices (ALDs). Effective for all types of hearing loss, ALDs can be used alone or alongside hearing aids and cochlear implants to enhance various listening environments in your home and social life.
ALDs and Background Noise
Sound fades over distance, so when you’re seated far away from a speaker, listening to them becomes even more difficult. Noisy backgrounds outside or in public settings can also hinder speech comprehension. In large, open rooms such as classrooms, lecture halls and places of worship, poor acoustics encourage reverberation and can cause further distortion. All these problems are compounded with hearing loss.
How ALDs Help
Merely turning up the volume on a hearing aid doesn’t solve these problems, since basic hearing aids amplify all noises equally, not just speech. ALDs tackle this problem by giving you the ability to separate background sound from speech and increase only the volume of the speaker., and, Because they’re portable and versatile, ALDS can be used at home, on the job, in the classroom, or out on the town.
How ALDs work
ALDs are essentially portable amplifiers. Three components – a microphone, transmitter and receiver – work together to deliver speech sounds directly into the hearing aid or cochlear implant while filtering out distracting background noises. To transmit sound, ALDs may utilize a variety of technologies, such as FM systems, infrared systems and inductive loop systems.
Schedule With Us
Ready to take your hearing health into your own hands? Call our office today to schedule a visit with one of our hearing care professionals. With a variety of hearing technology available, we’ll find the right fit for you!