Are Assistive Listening Devices Only For Hearing Aid Users?

No. People with all degrees and types of hearing loss — even people with normal hearing can benefit from assistive listening devices. Some assistive listening devices are used with hearing aids; some are used without hearing aids.

What Are Assistive Listening Devices?

You may have certain communication needs that cannot be solved by the use of hearing aids alone. These situations may involve the use of the telephone, radio, television, and the inability to hear the door chime, telephone bell, and alarm clock. Special devices have been developed to solve these problems. Like hearing aids, assistive listening devices make sounds louder. Typically, a hearing aid makes all sounds in the environment louder. Assistive listening devices can increase the loudness of a desired sound (a radio or television, a public speaker, an actor, someone talking in a noisy place) without increasing the loudness of the background noises. This is because the microphone of the assistive listening device is placed close to the speaker, while the microphone of the hearing aid is always close to the listener.