Half of Hearing Aids Come with Telecoil
January 2005
Editor: It's amazing how often I run across people whose hearing aids
do NOT include telecoils. Their value for talking on the phone is
unquestioned, and current efforts to increase the use of induction loops
makes telecoils all the more important. Yet hearing aids continue to be
sold without them.
There is good news, however. The common wisdom has been that roughly
a third of new hearing aids in the US are telecoil-equipped. It now
appears that the number is closer to half! Here's David Myers with the
story. For more information, please point your browser to
www.hearingloop.org
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One of the impediments to the spread of hearing aid compatible phones
and assistive listening has been the claim that here in the USA, unlike
certain other countries such as the UK, only 30 percent of hearing aid
wearers are equipped with telecoils. For assistive listening, that's, of
course, not a real problem, because anyone can be served with a loop
receiver/headset. Moreover, many of us have reasoned, if we build it
they will come. If, for example, SHHH enjoys continued success in its
effective efforts to have tomorrow's digital phones, as well as today's
landline phones, hearing aid compatible, then hearing aid manufacturers,
hearing professionals, and the hard of hearing will all gravitate to
telecoils, which will further increase impetus for hearing aid
compatibility.
Happily, a long-awaited survey of the six leading hearing aid
manufacturers (producing more than 90 percent of new aids) has just been
presented at the 2004 ASHA Convention in Philadelphia. The
investigators, Rebecca Blaha and her Ohio State University audiology
mentor, Stephanie Davidson, presented their findings on "Hearing
Aid Telecoils: Current Numbers in the U.S. Market." Their main
finding: "The results from this study showed that 48% of the
hearing aids sold in the United States contain telecoils."
So, when asked or publicizing what percent of hearing aids have
telecoils, the best estimate is now "half" (not 30 percent).
Moreover, virtually 100 percent of BTE aids (which tend to be worn, I'd
presume, by the folks who most need telephone help and assistive
listening) have telecoils.
One other striking finding was the variation among the six companies,
three of which put telecoils in most of their aids, and three of which
did so for less than 40 percent of their aids. Although the companies
were guaranteed anonymity, so I can't tell you who they are, it triggers
the idea that the NCHAT might communicate with the leading
manufacturers, commending those who are leading the way and encouraging
the others to follow suit. Might this be one way in which we could
support the spread of both hearing aid compatible phones and assistive
listening. (It also is consistent with Mark's letter to the VA on our
behalf, encouraging the same.) There seems to be positive momentum
toward the inclusion of telecoils, which maybe we can help accelerate.
