Besides a hearing aid, what other assistive devices are available to help me hear?

​Swim Molds: Patients with a perforation (hole) or a ventilation tube in the eardrum often are instructed by their physician to avoid getting water in their ear. Either standard or customized molds can be fitted for this purpose. 

Noise Protection Molds: Repeated exposure to loud sounds can result in permanent damage to hearing. A wide variety of standard and customized ear protection devices are available. For example, specialized devices are available for musicians to ensure that an earplug will not alter the quality of sound. 

Telephone solutions: Phones with volume controls, real-time captioning, and Bluetooth connectivity to hearing aids are now available. 

Televi​sion: FM or infrared headphones are available to direct sound right to the person’s ear. 

Alerting Devices: These devices help a person with hearing loss to detect important environmental sounds such as the doorbell, ring of the telephone, and smoke alarms. 

​​Special systems are available to improve listening in large groups such as church, meetings, and classrooms. Staff audiologists work with patients and families to determine what assistive devices are needed and to assist them in the purchase and use of the devices selected. ​​​