A telecoil or "t-coil" is an underutilized feature in many hearing aids that can improve hearing in noisy environments. A t-coil uses electromagnetic signals from phones or assistive listening devices, bypassing the hearing aid's microphone to reduce background noise. While originally intended for landline phones, t-coils can also help hearing aid users hear better on cell phones or with devices like FM systems. Patients should ask their audiologist if their hearing aids have a t-coil and how it can enhance sound quality.
2. A T-coil Can
Improve Hearing
In Noise
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3. Hearing aids can seem
complicated. Do you
understand or even
know about all of the
features your hearing
aids include?
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4. Many times, easily
accessed features that are
meant to improve hearing
for the listener go unused.
One of the more under-
utilized features in most
hearing aids is the telecoil
or “t-coil.”
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5. A t-coil consists of a tiny
coil of wire wrapped
around a metal core.
The core will generate an
electric current in the coil
when it is in the presence
of a magnetic field.
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6. Normally, a hearing aid
gathers sound through its
microphone or
microphones. It then
amplifies that sound and
sends it into the ear canal
of the listener.
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7. When a telecoil is used as the
input source instead, the
hearing aid bypasses the
microphone and picks up the
electro-magnetic signal
produced by a telephone or
an assistive listening
device, such as an FM
system.
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8. The t-coil was
originally designed
only for use with a
regular land-line
telephone, which has
a speaker that is
driven by magnets.
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9. Telecoils are especially
helpful when there is
a lot of background
noise.
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10. Ask your hearing
healthcare provider
about telecoils and
whether your hearing
aid has one. The more
you know, the better
you’ll hear.
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