Business Phone Solutions for Hearing Aid Wearers: Part 3

This is the third post in a three-part series addressing ideal business phone solutions for hearing aid wearers experiencing difficulty using the phone at work. Part 1 and Part 2 both addressed options for hearing instrument wearers employed in traditional work settings experiencing difficulty using a PBX phone system in the office. Many people conduct business from their home office utilizing a standard landline phone (i.e. non-PBX) and/or via their Bluetooth-enabled cell phone. In either instance, hearing instrument wearers need viable phone solutions for their business communication needs. Here is what you should recommend:

FOR HEARING INSTRUMENT WEARERS with STREAMERS NEEDING HELP WITH LANDLINE HOME PHONE ONLY:

In this situation, the hearing instrument wearer uses the streamer for making and receiving cell phone calls but experiences difficulty using the landline phone within their home business.  The most straightforward solution involves replacing the landline home phone with any available BT enabled landline phones that become available in the market place.  At one time, ClearSounds offered the A6BT Cordless Phone (Item CS-A6BT) that could be paired to a hearing aid streamer, Bluetooth headset, or Bluetooth neckloop.  Unfortunately, that specific phone has been discontinued although there may be similar phones available in the future. one of the following:

FOR HEARING INSTRUMENT WEARERS with T-COILS and NO STREAMER NEEDING HELP WITH CELL PHONE: 

1. Amplified Bluetooth Neckloop: for the wearer of T-coil equipped hearing instruments, an amplified Bluetooth neckloop such as the Quattro 4.0 or the original Quattro represent viable options, particularly for active cell phone users who use the cell phone in many different environments (i.e. home office, car, etc.).

2. Non-Bluetooth Amplified Neckloop: another potential amplified neckloop option in addition to the ones mentioned above includes the ClearSounds CLA7v2 Amplified Power Neckloop. This particular neckloop is not Bluetooth but comes equipped with various connection cables, including one for iPhone connection.

3. Bluetooth Neckloop: traditional Bluetooth neckloops that do not offer additional amplification may also be considered including the Artone-3 Loopset.

4. HearAll Cell Phone Amplifier (SA40): this product is a handset that pairs with a Bluetooth cell phone, providing up to 40 dB of amplification.  Once paired, the SA40 may be used like a traditional amplified handset, set to T-mode for use with hearing instrument T-coils, or in speakerphone mode for hands-free use.

The above recommendations represent viable solutions for users of T-coil equipped hearing instruments, both with or without streamers, experiencing difficulty conversing over the phone via a landline home business phone and/or cell phone who do not want to remove their hearing instruments.  There are other options available beyond the recommendations listed in this blog post (i.e. EtyBlu2); however, this post focused on those options that enabled the hearing aid wearer to keep the instruments in the ears. For additional information, refer to the previously posted Part 1 and Part 2 addressing business phone solutions for hearing aid wearers using PBX systems.