To make a double wire loop, get a roll of standard 18 gauge speaker wire. (With speaker wire, the two wires lay side by side like in a normal extension cord.) I use Radio Shack’s speaker wire Double wire loop layout(Catalog No. 278-1104) which costs $19.99 for a 100 foot roll. If you look at […]
Two Basic Kinds of Loop Amplifiers and Why the Current Amplifier is Better for Loop Systems
There are two basic kinds of amplifiers-voltage amplifiers and current amplifiers. Amplifiers designed specifically to work with loop systems (like the Contacta HLD3) are current amplifiers. Amplifiers that drive normal loudspeaker systems are voltage amplifiers. Current Amplifiers If you are setting up a loop system, using a current amplifier is much easier than using a […]
Where Hearing Aids Fit into the Grieving Process
You come home with the shocking diagnosis—you have a hearing loss. The first reaction of your hearing family members is to pressure you into getting hearing aids. Family members, resist this temptation. This is not the right time for a person with hearing loss to get hearing aids. The truth is, multitudes of hearing aids […]
The Rest of the Family Needs to Grieve Too
When hearing loss hits one family member, it affects everyone in the family, not just the person with the hearing loss. Typically, the other family members miss the free and easy (and intimate) conversations they used to have. This saddens and sometimes angers them. Thus, just as for any other kind of loss, they too […]
There’s Nothing Wrong With My Hearing!
Question: What is the best way to help someone who is in denial regarding their hearing loss? The statement, “You need to get hearing aids” just doesn’t work!—J. D. Answer: It sounds to me that the real question you are asking is, “How do I knock some sense into a hard of hearing person so […]
Ototoxicity—The Hidden Menace. Part II: Ototoxicity and the Practice of Audiology
Part I of this series presented an overview of the hundreds of ototoxic drugs currently available and how their potential side effects relating to hearing and balance turn countless lives upside down. Part I also detailed risk factors that predispose people to ototoxic effects and concluded with what individuals can do to reduce their risk. […]