Telecoms

If telephone callers’ voices seem very quiet or muffled you will find a solution amongst the selection of telephones here that have either been specially designed for people with a hearing loss or that have features that make them suitable. At home, in the office or when out and about we have a selection of desktop (corded), portable (cordless) and mobile phones.

All the telephones here have variable amplification and most have a tone control. With the help of variable amplification using the telephone can be become less frustrating. However, just increasing the volume doesn’t always help. Most hearing loss is not equal across the different frequencies and so a tone control is extremely useful when trying to improve clarity to boost the frequencies that are being lost. This leads to a greater understanding of the person you are having a conversation with. Using both volume and tone together will give the most help. A mute function allows you to have a private conversation at your end without the person on the other end hearing your conversation.

All the landline corded telephones in this catalogue have an inductive coupler in the handset that can be used in conjunction with a hearing aid that has the ‘T’ or ‘Loop’ facility. If phones have this facility they and are listed as ‘Hearing Aid Compatible’ (HAC)

Some of the portable and mobile phones can be used directly with hearing aids and are shown as HAC. Should interference be experienced then a neck loop or ear hook can be used as shown in the accessories to eliminate the interference.

We would recommend the use of caller id. Using this feature enables you to answer calls with confidence as you know who is calling. This is a service provided by your telephone service provider. If your phone has a display then using this service will show the number of the caller. If you already have that number saved in the address book then the name of the caller will be displayed; sometimes with their number as well. This feature is standard with mobile phones but is frequently found with landline desktop and portable phones.

You may wish to keep your own phone even though it is not loud enough. Our Telephone Amplifiers for corded phones can be connected to almost all desktop phones and allow you to boost the volume and more importantly the tone. These amplifiers can be used at home or in the office as they do not affect the line or extension that they are connected to.

Portable or DECT phones allow you the freedom to have a phone anywhere around the house or down the garden. Many have good amplification and tone controls. Some have an answer phone that you can access through the handset and benefit from the amplification. They can be increasingly used with hearing aids without interference.

Mobile phones specifically designed for people with hearing impairments are available that have good amplification and good performance when used with a hearing aid. You may also find the ear hooks and neck loops good accessories to make the use of these even easier. Some of the keypads have very accessible buttons that make using the phones very easy. Some of the displays are extremely clear and menu options very easy to find.