Hi there–I’m a long time hearing aid user (since I was a wee kid), but I’m new to these forums. Brief history: I started out with analog BTE hearing aids that had tons of feedback and went to digital CIC hearing aids when I was in my late teens. I’ve never looked back and have worn CIC ever since (for 15+ years).
Now I’m rethinking BTE hearing aids–might be nice to have bluetooth, and maybe they would help better with my type of hearing loss?
My one hangup on switching from CIC to BTE is that phones are crucial to my job (I’m in a busy healthcare setting where I can be answering phones at different locations + a work cell phone + my own cell phone). It’s so easy when I can just put the phone to my ear with CIC. I hated answering the phone when I wore BTE as a kid. I know a lot has changed technologically since I last had that style of hearing aid, so I’d love some input.
My questions are:
Can BTE hearing aids pick up phone conversations with me having to hold the phone directly at the microphone? I don’t want to have to find a “sweet spot” every time I answer a phone call.
Next, since bluetooth is out of the question (I think?), it looks like T-coils might be an option. I know that phones have M/T ratings, but even with good T-coil ratings, how easy is it? Will I have to be holding phones at weird angles to get clear reception, or could there be buzzing/interference?
Any other ideas for solutions and making it workable? Will it require setting up special equipment at each phone I sit at?
I know these might be kind of open ended questions, but I would appreciate hearing anyone’s experiences/advice. I did see old posts on this topic, but would be interested to hear if newer technology has made these issues better.
If you are using a cellphone you can have the calls go directly through your aids using the cellphone’s Bluetooth. If you’re using a landline make sure your aids come with a telecoil. Then you can put the ear piece right up to the hearing aid without feedback. All landlines have the device in the ear piece that makes telecoil work. You would have to angle the phone a little towards towards the microphone on your hearing aid. It may be a little frustrating at the beginning but with time will be become second nature. I switched a long time ago from Ite to bte. My loss pretty much decided that. But my audiologist explained I would get more bang for the buck. I now probably wouldn’t go back.
Welcome to the forum.
You mention 2 different cell phones and then a third type at different locations.
Could you tell us exactly what type phones you are using? It might help us with what could help you.
The landline phones at work look just like Avaya 9504 (could be a different model number that looks the same).
The work cell phones are iphones (and I’m not sure if the settings are restricted or whether I can change Bluetooth settings). Depending on which shift I work, I am assigned a different cell phone for the day. I don’t have a work cell phone everyday, but when I do, I also have to answer calls on the desk landline.
Another thing to think about with bte aids. Fewer repairs. In the 15 years.l have with bte aids l have never had repairs done. They’re not subjected to the harsh moist environment found in the ear. And they’re less vulnerable to wax problems. And someone who says they’re exposed to rain that has never ever been a problem. Bte aids are not the end of the world unless you’re ashamed you have a hearing loss and want to hide it. In which case you’re probably only fooling yourself.
I just wanted to follow up on this post with an update. I made the switch and got Phonak Paradise P90s with a t-coil. After a little trial and error I think I’ve figured out how to manage all of the phones that I have to deal with.
Thanks to some old threads, I discovered the Accoustic Phone mode with Duophone–which is amazing! After getting my new hearing aids, I quickly realized that my cordless house phone doesn’t have a t-coil, but now with this mode enabled, I feel no need to buy a new phone. I had to specifically ask my audi to add this program. This mode also works well on my cellphone, for when I don’t have bluetooth enabled. I feel much more comfortable being thrown any random phone to answer with this mode–no need to adjust phone settings in advance!
I also lean heavily on my t-coil at work on the landline telephone. It works very well. Work can be noisy and the t-coil just cuts out some of the noise that the Accoustic Phone mode would pick up on. I also found that I can use the t-coil on my cell phone, and on the work iphone–BUT I had to enable hearing aid compatibility for both of them under the Accessibility settings.
So now, I have Accoustic Phone and T-Coil programs on my hearing aids that I can toggle to depending on what I prefer at the time (I’m going to get a remote control so that I can quickly toggle through these at work).
Bluetooth calling is also great for when I want to be hands free, but so far I’ve reserved this for just my personal phone. Since I have t-coil and Accoustic Phone, I like that I don’t necessarily need bluetooth on all the time (mainly to save battery).
Anyway, I’m glad I made the switch! It’s fun having bluetooth headphones built-in and the P90s even work with my Avantree bluetooth transmitter that I already had for watching TV.