Having A Chat: The Hearing Aid Compatible Bluetooth Headset
If you wear a hearing aid, how do you use a cellphone? Cellular phones usually don't work with hearing aids because of radio frequency interference. This is why you hear noise and squealing feedback when you try to talk on the phone.
If you are lucky, and your hearing loss is not particularly severe, you may be able to take the hearing aid out to talk on the phone. This works, but it is hard to hear what is on the other end.
Hearing aid manufacturers are always trying to find new ways to enable hearing aid wearers to do all the things they did before.
The newest thing in hearing aid technology is the Bluetooth-compatible headset. This is a system designed to help hearing aid users talk on the telephone.
Bluetooth is not the name of a product or company, but a wireless radio system. It is a set standard, and hearing aids that are compatible with it can be used with a cell phone or a PDA.
The Bluetooth device that is most commonly used for hearing aids is the ELI, or Ear-Level Instrument, produced by Starkey. It is designed specifically for use with cellular phones and PDAs.
The ELI is small and light. It comes with a rechargeable battery.
The ELI is digital, so there is little radio interference. It allows you to use the cell phone hands-free, and offers good, clear reception.
ELIs are new and somewhat difficult to find. Another difficulty is that everything must operate on the Bluetooth system for it to work.
The Bluetooth system is wireless. This is another bonus. There are no messy cords and complicated things to hook up.
Here is how it works. The ELI sits behind the ear. It uses telecoils to send the telephone conversation directly into the hearing aid. It also analyzes the sound data and eliminates feedback and excess noise.
The only downside of the ELI is that it uses up the battery quickly. This is why it comes with a rechargeable battery, so you don't have to keep buying new ones. It takes quite a bit of power to run, but in the future, Bluetooth headsets will be made more energy-efficient.
Bluetooth technology has been used with other wireless systems for several years. Already, personal computers, PDAs and cellphones use Bluetooth. It works within a 10-meter radius, and allows bi-directional communication.
So, how do you know what is Bluetooth compatible? There are two ways. One, the Bluetooth logo will be on the product's box somewhere. If you see this logo, you know you've got Bluetooth compatibility.
You can also check the product's specifications. This would be somewhere on the box in the "fine print." Make sure that your cellular phone is Bluetooth compatible before you buy.
Many believe that Bluetooth technology may be the way of the future. Bluetooth compatible headsets are still new, but in the near future they may become more widely available.