Remote Listening

One of these advances is Bluetooth connectivity for hearing aids. Bluetooth accessories like phone and TV adapters let hearing aid users receive sound signals right in their devices. This improves sound quality and speech understanding in situations that used to be challenging.

Children with hearing loss can benefit greatly from these innovations. Hearing-impaired people have been using remote microphone systems for more than 30 years. All of these systems are based on the same principle: by placing a microphone near the speaker’s mouth, their voice can be transmitted directly to the hearing aids. This provides a solution to problems caused by background noise, echoes and distance in environments like classrooms. Because they improve the signal-to-noise ratio (making speech louder than the ambient noise), remote microphones can improve school performance, speech and language development, behaviour and attention in school-aged children. And what if children could benefit from this system even outside the classroom? One study found that when a parent wears a remote microphone at home, hearing-impaired children have access to approximately 42% more verbal stimulus coming from their parents.

The Bluetooth SoundClip accessory doesn’t just serve as a remote control and Bluetooth interface for hearing aids. It also acts as a remote microphone. In its external microphone mode, it acts exactly like a remote microphone system. The difference is that it connects directly to hearing aids via 2.4 GHz low-power Bluetooth technology, while traditional FM systems use a modulated frequency and require a receiver on the hearing aids. Like traditional remote microphones, the SoundClip can be used in a classroom to hear the teacher directly in the hearing aids. However, it can also be used in extracurricular activities like cycling, soccer or dancing. The child can receive a clear sound signal at all times, maximizing their learning opportunities.

For more information, talk to your audioprosthetist.