- Hey guys, welcome back to the Doctor Cliff AuD vlog.
This is vlog number 45.
And today I'm going to be talking about hearing loops.
In fact, I'm actually going to take you into my clinic
and show you the hearing loop installation
that just happened yesterday.
And I'm going to show you an interview that I did
with Thomas Kaufmann who is the founder of OTOjOY,
who happened to complete the hearing loop installation.
So, I'm just gonna go ahead and jump
right over to that installation
and the interview that I did with Thomas, enjoy.
Hey guys, I'm here with Thomas Kaufmann from OTOjOY,
actually, I should say the founder of OTOjOY.
- That's right.
- Because today is a really big day in the clinic.
We actually just had installed a hearing loop,
so individuals with telecoils inside
of their hearing aids, or actually using
an OTOjOY system that you have can be able
to tap into an audio system wirelessly,
directly from the loop that we had installed.
Thomas, thank you for joining me today.
- Of course, thank you.
- Of course, it's a Saturday morning.
We're all working on the weekend, of course.
- What's a weekend?
- Right, there's no such thing
as a weekend in the entrepreneurial world.
What I'd like you to do is kind of explain
just in general what a hearing loop is.
- Yeah, a hearing loop is an assistive listening system
that takes the audio signal, the sound
from the sound system in a venue,
in a building, and sends it wirelessly
to people's hearing aids or cochlear implants.
- So, what type of facilities would you find those in?
- You'd typically find it in performing arts theaters,
in lecture halls, in places of worship, in community rooms,
and retirement homes, and senior centers, and libraries.
- And then, what are the benefits that come along
with having a hearing loop in a facility?
- Typically, what happens when you use your hearing aid
in the regular microphone mode is it picks up all the sounds
around you, anything that you here in the space.
Like rustling, or a baby crying, or something.
And when you're using the loop system what it does
is it cuts out all that background noise
and sends you clear sound directly to your ears.
So, essentially, what the person hears
is the equivalent of listening to
an audiobook with noise canceling headphones.
That's awesome, and I'm actually gonna insert a clip
of that, so you can hear the audio difference.
But tell me, Thomas, what is the process
like of getting one of these hearing loops installed?
- So, it depends on the facility.
In small spaces like what we're dealing with here,
all you need is essentially one wire around the perimeter
of the room that connects to an amplifier.
And that amplifier connects to the sound system.
We're sending out a signal into the wire.
And that creates a magnetic field in the space
that can be picked up by the device.
So, in this case what we're doing
is we're running a copper foil on the floor
around the perimeter of the room.
And that'll get covered with the vinyl tile or carpet,
whatever the finished flooring material will be.
So, in the end you don't see any of the system at all.
All you see is the signage,
and you'll know the system is there.
So, when there's new construction
or a remodel it's rather easy to install.
- And that's what we're doing right now because we have,
of course, a new construction in this facility.
And I got ahold of you, probably it's been
like six months to a year ago at this point.
Because our buildout's been taking so long.
And everyone watching this is fully aware
of the issues that we've had with that.
But we actually have flooring going in in two days from now.
So the perfect time frame for you
is really to get in right at this point.
- Exactly, we generally want to come in
a day or two days before the flooring goes in
so that the wire isn't exposed for too long,
that there's no risk of damaging it.
And then the flooring goes on top of it.
And you won't ever see it again.
And it'll be safe and secure.
- That's awesome.
Now, what do you do if you have a public facility
or public venue that already is finished out.
Like, they have flooring installed.
What happens then if they want a hearing loop?
- Most situations are solvable for us.
A lot of times what we do is in churches or in synagogues.
They have carpet, and we can pull up the carpet
around the edges, and run the copper foil underneath that.
Then, other situations you may have a tile floor.
And we can cut into the grout line
and bury the wire in the grout line.
Or if it's a small space, and installation
in the floor isn't an option, we can sometimes
go in the ceiling, in a suspended ceiling,
and install the wire in there.
So, typically, there is some way of us being able
to install the wire in the facility
to have good signal throughout.
- That's awesome, so there really
is no restrictions when you look at it.
If you're in a public venue there's no reason
why they couldn't have one of these installed, right?
- Exactly, one of the most difficult situations
is if you have a hardwood floor,
where all the floor pieces are locked into each other.
- I gotcha.
- Those we can't just lift around the edges or something.
So in a situation like that it would require
to have the floor reinstalled or put new flooring in.
So sometimes the project gets delayed because of that.
But 90% of the situations we come
across there is a way of retrofitting it.
That's the majority of the work we do.
- That's awesome.
Now, I know that a lot of public venues,
they may be thinking that from a cost perspective
it might not be cost-effective to install a hearing loop.
Now, for our facility, definitely
very cost-effective for a space this size.
But when you start looking at expense versus benefit
of having that for the people who frequent your venue,
is installing a hearing loop in these venues cost-effective?
- It depends on how you define cost-effective.
If you're looking at increased ticket sales
from a hearing loop that's one question.
The other question is do you want to make
your facility accessible to all people?
And when you look at the total cost over here
and loop installation, say an average-sized church,
it's typically somewhere between eight and $15,000.
I would argue it's a very cost-effective solution.
And if you look at the total cost of construction,
I mean, if you're looking at your buildout,
what you're spending in total, and you compare
the cost of a hearing loop installation
to that, you'd probably won't even notice
much of it in the budget overall.
- Right, I think it's a no-brainer
to be quite honest with you to have accessibility.
And I think this is probably the best form
of accessibility that you can have inside of a public venue.
Because I know that some venues, they're picking out
like infrared systems and other things like that.
How much better is the telecoil than all
those other things that exist out there?
- So, with a hearing loop system
it's only technology that allows direct access
to the hearing aid or cochlear implant.
So with an infrared system or an FM system
you always require a receiver
for each person that wants to use the system.
And then a neck loop that's essentially
a mini hearing loop around the neck
that then transmits to the telecoil.
Or you could use headphones with it.
So, with any of the other systems each person that wants
to use it needs to have one of those receivers
that they need to borrow from the venue.
With a loop system you can walk in with your own device.
You see the sign, you press the button on your device.
- You turn it on instantaneously.
- Exactly, and you're connected.
And you sit down, and you look and act like everybody else.
And you don't need to stand out.
You don't need to identify as someone with a hearing loss.
You don't need to communicate with venue staff.
So, a hearing loop system is really
the only assistive listening technology
that creates equal access for people.
- And I would say that the quality
of the sound that you get's better
from an installed hearing loop system,
compared to just wearing your own neck loop, right?
- Absolutely, absolutely.
- I'm actually gonna show you guys
through the area that we did.
Can you actually explain to us right now,
what are we actually seeing done here?
- What we're seeing done here
is we install loop systems in four rooms.
We're in the waiting area right now.
So there's going to be a TV on the wall
that will play some demo videos
and informational materials for people waiting here.
And they can hear the sound from the video directly
in their hearing device by switching to the T-coil mode.
And then we install loops in the three fitting rooms.
And the benefit of that is that when someone
is being fit with the hearing aid they can experience
the loop right there with a demo video
that's being played on the computer.
And then you can make adjustments to the settings
in the hearing aid and make sure the person
gets the best sound quality they can possibly get.
- Yeah, like, hearing is believing, right?
It's one thing for me to try to explain
what a hearing loop sounds like with your telecoil
inside of your hearing aid or your cochlear implant.
It is a completely different thing
to actually experience what that sounds like.
And I'm gonna cut away from us right now.
And I'm gonna give a quick sound sample.
So, enjoy this sound sample guys.
- [Preacher] "You also must be patient.
"Strike from your hearts,
"for the coming of the Lord is near."
- [Preacher] "Beloved, do not grumble against one another,
"so that you may not be judged.
"See the judges standing in the doors
"as an example of suffering in patience."
"Beloved, take the prophets who spoke
"in the name of the Lord."
- So, we have loops in every single
one of our treatment rooms.
What's the benefit of having that,
versus just looping a waiting area.
- Most hearing professionals think,
oh, we should loop the waiting area,
and that's definitely a great idea.
But, now, if you want someone to listen to that
and experience the loop you have to walk them out
to the waiting area and listen to it.
And now if you want to optimize the sound,
they could give you feedback and say, okay,
like, it sounds a little tinny, and you can adjust that.
Now, you go back to the fitting computer,
you make the adjustment.
Now you have to bring them back out.
And they can't compare it side by side.
- Yeah, it's much more difficult to do it that way.
You're wasting a lot of time.
And if mobility's a difficulty, right,
actually getting up and walking out into the area.
And then you can't necessarily fine-tune it
when they're actually listening to it,
which would be a big benefit for sure.
- Yeah, so if you have the loop system
in the treatment rooms you have the ability to do that.
And even if you can't install a loop under the floor
in the ceiling, we have a chair pad solution
that's just like a little cushion basically
that you would place on the chair the person is sitting in.
And that creates a magnetic field
for them just in that one seat.
And that's a really simple installation,
people could do it themselves.
- Absolutely, that sounds awesome.
Now, you were telling me another thing
about like a countertop loop.
So, if you're someone who has hearing loss,
and you're standing at the front counter,
and you're having difficulty hearing the person talking
to you, what's the solution for that?
- Yes, we have these counter loop systems with a gooseneck
microphone for the staff person that would speak into it.
And then it creates a field around the area
where the loop system is set up.
And the person with the hearing device can stand
in front of it, be switched into their T-coil.
And they would only hear what's being
spoken into the microphone.
- Great, so like if there was conversation
going on somewhere else, like in the waiting area,
that would no longer be an issue.
- Exactly.
- All you'd be getting is the voice of the person
who's talking to you from across the counter.
- Exactly, and those systems are excellent
for reception areas, for anything we have
like glass windows for someone speaking
through a microphone and a loudspeaker.
I mean, even for someone without
any hearing difficulties, difficulty hearing.
- For sure, I know I go to different places like Costco,
or you go to the bank if they have glass up.
And now with COVID going on, of course,
there's all these barriers.
And you can't hear the person on the other side.
And, I mean, they're also wearing masks,
which makes it even more difficult.
And if you could switch into your telecoil,
have them talk into a microphone,
and then have that sound sent right to your ears,
that would be the best way to go about it.
- Exactly, like you said, bank teller windows
are one of those situations where it really helps,
checkouts at grocery stores, ticket counters
for performing arts or for public transportation.
Basically, any one-on-one interaction
where you're trying to hear the other person.
And in those settings hearing loop technology
is the only technology that's even viable.
You wouldn't be able to do that with an FM
or infrared system because there's no way
for someone to borrow receiver and do all of that.
- Well, you don't have to convince me.
I think it's a hugely valuable thing.
And I think if anyone's building a public facility
a hearing loop should be high, high on the list
for something that they need to have done with that.
And if you don't have a hearing loop installed
in a public venue I think that it's really worth
the consideration to take the time and the expense
to go ahead and get your place retrofit
with a hearing loop for telecoils
to help the individuals who are hard of hearing.
What would you say to individuals who are like,
well, I have a telecoil inside of my hearing aids.
But none of the places I go to, how do they get those places
to install a hearing loop for them?
- Totally, if you have a T-coil in your hearing aid
you're ready to go, and you can make use of these systems.
And every place that has a sound system,
and a microphone, or some kind of audio source,
say a movie theater, et cetera has to have
an assistive listening system, and has to have neck loops.
So, you can at least make use of the system
with the receiver and the neck loop, and use your telecoil.
So, even if their aren't a lot of hearing loops installed
in rooms around you, you can use it with a neck loop.
So, that's the first step.
And then the next step would be to speak up
to the venue and say, hey, there is a better way
you could have a loop system installed in the facility.
And then I wouldn't have to borrow the receiver from you.
I wouldn't need to deal with the neck loop
and have the stuff hanging around me.
So, essentially, if people who have a T-coil
in their device and want to make use of this
in the places they go to, say the theaters they visit,
or the places of worship they go to,
if they talk to the church, or the synagogue,
or the theater, and say hey, you should talk to OTOjOY,
they can install the system for you, we can make it happen.
- So, OTOjOY, of course, is your company.
And you guys install these hearing loops.
And if you ask me I think that it's probably
something you're getting pretty busy with
out here in the Phoenix, Arizona market, right?
- Absolutely, yeah, we currently serve
all of California and Arizona.
And we're in the process of growing beyond that.
- For those individuals who do not have hearing loss,
but go to these public venues, and they can not stand
the sound because the acoustics are so bad
in some of these places, what options
do they have to use a hearing loop?
- Yeah, if you don't have your own hearing device
you can typically borrow a device from the venue.
It's a receiver that would hang
around your neck with headphones.
And then there's another product
that we've created called OTOjOY LoopBuds.
And they're earbuds that have
a telecoil embedded in the cable.
And you can plug that into your phone, download our app.
And now you have access to a loop system.
So your phone combined with our LoopBuds
essentially becomes the hearing loop receiver.
- Now, where can you actually find those?
- You can find those on our website
on loopbuds.com or on otojoy.com.
- That's perfect, I will go ahead and put a link
in the description of this video.
So make sure you guys check that out.
Thomas, thank you so much for coming out
and explaining all about hearing loops today
and about your product that you have for individuals
who don't even have hearing loss,
but want to get better sound quality in public venues.
So, thank you so much.
I'd shake your hand, but you know, COVID,
so let's go ahead and bump elbows.
- Elbow bump. Thank you so much.
- All right, all right guys, back to my YouTube room.
All right, guys, I hope you enjoyed
that interview that I did with Thomas.
I really think that hearing loops and telecoils
are a very underrated thing in the hearing loss community.
I think that if we really banded together
as individuals with hearing loss and as business owners
who run these public venues, I think that we could make
a massive change for the better
for individuals who actually have hearing loss
and who struggle to hear in these environments.
So, do yourself a favor, reach out to these communities.
Go to Facebook, go to the hearing loss
communities that are on there.
Find people in your area that also have hearing loss.
Join your local HLAA association,
your Hearing Loss Association of America local chapter.
And get together with other individuals with hearing loss.
And take that combined power of unity,
and go to these public venues,
and ask them to install these hearing loops.
There is nothing but benefit for you
to have from these large public venues.
Now, I know that COVID is a time where not a lot
of these public venues are really open to the public.
But it doesn't change the fact that right now
is the time for us all to band together and to get
this hearing loop installation movement happening.
All right, guys, that is it
for this week's video, I hope you enjoyed it.
As always, if you liked the video go ahead and give it
a thumbs up, and subscribe if you haven't already.
If you want to check out the other vlogs you can find them
on my YouTube channel or my website, drcliffaud.com.
And as always, I'll see you next week.
(uptempo instrumental music)