If you missed our February 2025 HOPE support meeting, here are the notes. This month, we focused on hearing better at home, in theaters, and on YouTube.
For more information on our free, online HOPE program to help people with hearing loss, visit our HOPE page.
Hearing Loops at Home
A member installed a hearing loop in her home, and it works beautifully! The loop allows her to hear her television clearly, even with surround-sound speakers. Remote lapel mics can be plugged into the loop with a dongle, and the member can hear everyone wearing the mics. The loop is attached to the ceiling around the perimeter of her living room, and it’s nearly impossible to see the loop. Her loop required a receiver, toss link, and an optical cable.
Contacta offers these loops for about $299 for the system; sometimes they can be found more inexpensively on eBay.
For help installing a loop at home, loop advocate Lou Touchette offers this outstanding step-by-step guide.
Cochlear Implant Battery Problems
The packaging of 675 batteries for cochlear implants has become almost impossible to open. A member suggested that before someone leaves the store, they ask the clerk to open the package for them. It might help to call the manufacturer and voice a complaint. If you need help finding the CEO, you could call the library and ask a research librarian for help–the librarians can do some footwork for you.
Hearing Assistive Devices in Theaters
Some movie theaters offer cup-holder caption devices, and some, like Regal Theaters, offer caption glasses. The glasses have worked well with some members, though recently, one member was given the caption glasses for the wrong movie. One member found that the caption glasses caused his CIs to pop off, and he had to try to find them in the dark.
One member said she had a hard time hearing through the loop at the Seattle Rep. Another member mentioned that regardless of the assistive listening system, the mics need to be close to the actor. Also, depending on accents or rapid dialogue, it’s still easy to mishear or not hear clearly. It helps to attend a looped show that is also an open-captioned show; the Rep has an OC performance for each show. You could also email the Rep and explain our experience. One member writes a thank-you after every open-captioned show she attends, which can go a long way toward helping the venue feel good about providing hearing accessibility.
Senate Bill 5486, now in the Washington State legislature, will require more open-caption movies. Read our blog for more information on the bill and how you can help support it.
Artificial Reality Glasses That Integrate with Hearing Aids
A participant had received a survey, limited to people ages 18-40, about artificial reality glasses that would integrate with hearing aids. The HOPE crew will follow up to get more information.
Understanding YouTube Videos Better When You Have a Hearing Loss
If you are still struggling to understand a YouTube video, it might help to slow it down. It can be easier to read lips and follow captions if the video is somewhat–though not dramatically–slower.
Emergency Preparedness for People with Hearing Loss
The wildfires in Los Angeles brought up some questions about how to be prepared for an emergency when you have a hearing loss. Some tips:
- Have a backup pair of hearing aids and batteries in your go-bag
- Make sure you have access to emergency alerts via text
- Keep your hearing aids charged, possibly with an extended-time charger that could keep your hearing aids charged for several days