Assistive Listening Devices come in all sorts of guises. They either boost the sound (e.g. a telephone amplifier) or they provide some sort of alert that can be picked up with one of your other senses, usually sight (using lights) or touch (using vibrations).

Sometimes Assistive Listening Devices are known as Environmental Aids.

Examples of Assistive Listening Devices

• Telephones that either have an amplifier or are compatible with hearing aids. They either boost the volume and adjust the tone, or they can be used with the loop setting (sometimes known as 'T' Position or Telecoil) on hearing aids.
• TV Listeners to enable you to listen to TV at the volume you prefer without it disturbing others. These either come in the form of wireless headphones or a home loop system so they can be used through hearing aids.
• FM Remote Microphones, for helping to separate the speech you want to hear from the background noise. They can also be useful for transmitting speech over a distance, such as when you're listening to a lecture.
• Doorbell and Telephone ringers, which are either louder than conventional ringers, or use some sort of flashing mechanism to alert you.
• Alarm Clocks, which have a louder ring or vibrate under your pillow to wake you.
• Baby Monitoring Systems & Smoke Alarms, which use a vibrating pager or dim the house lights to alert you.

Why use an assistive listening device?

• Your difficulties with hearing are too mild to warrant hearing aids, or when you only need help hearing in a specific situation, e.g. watching TV.
• When you are not wearing your hearing instrument, e.g. when you are in the bath or in bed.
• When your specific hearing loss means that you still need extra help even when you're wearing a hearing instrument.

How can Broom Reid & Harris help?

We can advise you on all sorts of different Assistive Listening Devices based on your needs and budget. We can help you understand how they work, show you how to use them and we can even install them for you if you need us to*.

Many Assistive Listening Devices are available directly from Broom Reid & Harris.

*Optional installation only available in Devon and may be chargeable.