Hearing Aids in Synagogue, Lectures and Events: Hearing at a Distance

Why big rooms are hard

A Shabbat sermon, a shiur, a university lecture, a bar mitzvah speech in a hall, a wedding: these are moments people very much want to hear. They are also some of the hardest listening situations, even with good hearing aids.

Two physical problems make them hard:

• Distance. A leaflet from Whittington Health NHS Trust explains that sound fades quickly as the distance between you and the sound increases. The microphones on your hearing aids pick up the speaker only after the voice has travelled across the room.
• Echo (reverberation). The same leaflet explains that reverberation, many sounds overlapping at once, can make speech sounds difficult to understand. Large rooms with hard walls, stone floors and high ceilings are typical examples.

Hearing aids amplify what reaches them, including the echo and the noise between you and the speaker. The most effective solutions therefore bring the speaker's voice directly to your ears.

Assistive listening systems in venues

The US National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD) explains that some assistive listening systems are designed for large facilities such as classrooms, theatres, places of worship and airports. The World Health Organization (WHO) lists frequency modulation (FM) and loop systems among hearing assistive technologies.

The Whittington leaflet explains that assistive listening devices can send a speaker's voice directly to a listener in a lecture theatre, reducing the effects of background noise, distance and room acoustics.

Hearing loops and the telecoil

• NIDCD explains that hearing loop (induction loop) systems use electromagnetic energy to transmit sound, and that a hearing aid's telecoil receives the signal from the loop.
• A telecoil, or T-coil, is a small coil of wire built into many hearing aids and cochlear implants, according to NIDCD.
• The American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) explains that sound from a microphone is transmitted through the loop as a magnetic signal and converted back into sound by the telecoil.
• NIDCD notes that induction loop systems can be found in many churches, schools, airports and auditoriums.

NHS Tayside notes that a telecoil system is available when the T-loop sign is displayed. Look for the sign near the entrance or the seating.

Two things must both be true for a loop to help you: the venue has a working loop, and your hearing aids have a telecoil that is set up and switched on. Not every hearing aid has one.

FM and infrared systems

• NIDCD explains that FM systems use radio signals: the speaker wears a small microphone connected to a transmitter, and the listener wears a receiver.
• ASHA notes that FM systems and Bluetooth devices help listeners in noisy settings or at a distance from the speaker, including at conferences, senior centres and places of worship.
• NIDCD explains that infrared systems turn sound into a light signal beamed to a receiver worn by the listener, and that they cannot be used where there are too many competing light sources.

Personal options: remote microphones

If the venue has no system, a personal remote microphone may help in some settings. Philips, for example, describes its AudioClip as able to help you hear one-to-one conversations in noise or a speaker at a distance; the person speaking places the device near their mouth.

Whether a speaker at a lecture or a rabbi will wear a microphone for you is a personal arrangement. Ask politely in advance. Compatibility depends on your hearing aids. See accessories and connectivity.

Practical tips for the day

• Ask the venue in advance whether it has a hearing loop or another assistive listening system, and where coverage is best.
• Sit closer. Because sound fades with distance, a seat nearer the speaker or the loudspeakers usually helps. Choose a seat where you can see the speaker's face.
• Know your programmes. If your hearing aids have a telecoil or other programme, practise switching to it at home first.
• Follow along. A printed text, slides or a siddur open at the right page give your brain extra clues.
• Shabbat and festivals. If you avoid operating devices on Shabbat, discuss your settings and routine with your hearing care professional in advance so the hearing aids are ready before Shabbat begins.

Ask what your hearing aids can do

Before buying anything, find out:

• Do my hearing aids have a telecoil, and is it activated?
• Which remote microphones or accessories work with my model?
• Can a programme be set up for large rooms?

NHS Tayside advises asking your audiologist which assistive listening devices are compatible with your hearing aids. G-Sound offers Philips and Oticon hearing aids; call G-Sound in English with your make and model. See also follow-up and adjustments and, for restaurants and family meals, hearing aids in noisy places.