Hearling Loops

Dr. Juliette Sterkens was the guest program of Rotarian Glenn Books at the general membership meeting of the Berlin Rotary Club on Monday, April 18, 2011.  Dr. Sterkens, a Doctor of Audiology with Fox Valley Hearing Center and native of the Netherlands talked about putting hearing loops in buildings so those with the “CI” hearing aids can hear better.  A hearing loops ends clear, pure sound to the most up-to-date hearing technology.  The “CI” hearing aid has a manual telcoil (or T-coil) to pick up the signal from a hearing loop and turns it back into sound in the hearing aid.  This process eliminates much of the background noise that can also be produced by other hearing aids and allows the listener to hear the pure sound that is desired whether it is a speech, from a pulpit, a podium or a television.  The “CI” (or T-coil) serves as a customized, wireless in-the-ear loudspeaker, which can double the functionality.

Hearing loops are helpful in a variety of places including theaters and performing arts centers, places of worship, board rooms, high school auditoriums, court rooms, banquet facilities and fellowship halls.  Hearing loops can also be installed in homes or small rooms to help reproduce the sound of a television, computer, telephone or iPod.

            Examples of places currently looped in our area;

            Grace English Lutheran Church – Berlin

            Pilgrim Center Chapel – Green Lake

            Federated Church – Green Lake

            Good Shepherd Lutheran Church – Oshkosh

            Grand Opera House – Oshkosh