[Ann Reflection] Using (Cell/Work) Phones: 2 ears are better than
one! Using your FM system with your telephone
2 ears are better than one! Using your FM system with your telephone
If you are having difficulty hearing on the telephone with one hearing aid, consider using your FM system so that you can use both hearing aids. You can either have the signal transmitted to your FM receivers snapped on to the bottom of your hearing aids, or to a bodyworn receiving unit with an induction loop such as the Phonak MyLink receiver unit. The bodyworn receiving unit will transmit sound to your hearing aids through the induction loop. The hearing aids must be set on the 'telephone' or 't-coil' position. Remember that when your hearing aids are on the t-coil position you can't hear anything other than the phone. Consider asking your audiologist if one or both of the aids can have an 'MT' program put in (this means the microphone and the telecoil are working at the same time-so you can hear around you and you can hear on the phone. You don't have to worry about feedback because the ear piece of the phone doesn't need to be next to your hearing aid anymore - the sound is being sent by the FM transmitter to the FM receivers or the FM induction loop around your neck (ie the Phonak MyLink). Parts required:
Your FM system
You will need to purchase a device made by Nexxtech. It is a Telephone Recording Unit. Part #4318237. This is available at The Source. To Connect the FM Transmitter to the telephone: 1. Unplug the telephone receiver from the telephone. 2. Plug the Telephone Recording Unit into the telephone. 3. Plug the telephone receiver into the Telephone Recording Unit. 4. Plug the 3.5mm jack from the Telephone Recording Unit into the Audio jack located on the 'battery charger' unit connected to the bottom of the FM transmitter (This is on the right side of the battery charging unit, upper jack. It says 'Audio'). The battery charger unit must be attached to the bottom of the Smartlink, Zoomlink or Easylink FM transmitter.
The Phonak FM transmitter (Smartlink, Zoomlink, Easylink or Microlink) should be 'off'. It will turn on automatically when you pick up the phone and start to make a call. If you are using 'boot' receivers snapped to the bottom of your hearing aids, when you pick up the phone the FM transmitter will automatically start transmitting the sound to your receiving units. If you are using a body worn receiving unit with an induction loop, you will need to make sure it is turned on. Wear the loop around your neck. Your hearing aids need to be on the 'telephone' or 't-coil' program when you are speaking on the phone. If necessary, adjust the volume by adjusting the volume on your hearing aids (if you are using the FM receivers boots) OR on the bodyworn receiving unit. The earpiece of the telephone handset does not need to be near your hearing aids but you will still need to speak directly into the mouthpiece of the telephone handset.
Note: for systems other than the Phonak Smartlink, Zoomlink or Easylink - you just plug the callcorder into the 'auxiliary audio input jack' of the FM transmitter. For some FM systems the jack is a 2.5mm, or a 3-pin eurojack - and the Call Corder will not fit. You will need to purchase a dual mini jack coupler (Radio Shack part number was 274-886). Plug the call corder into the coupler jack, use the DAI (direct audio input) cord that came with the FM system and plug one end into the remaining side of the coupler and then plug into the auxiliary audio input jack of the FM transmitter.
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-- Posted By Blogger to Ann Reflection at 9/07/2011 07:00:00 AM
[Ann Reflection] How to Make Paper Balloon Lanterns
As fans of lantern making and lantern-making, I bet you already know how to make paper balloon lanterns. If you don’t, you can follow the instruction here, or attending our workshop:
Once you master this basic balloon lantern, you can make lovely puffy fish, angry bird, monkey, rabbit, bee, flower, eerie robot or insect! You name it.
Here are some examples what others start with balloon lantern:
Send us the picture of your creation too so we can post it here :>
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-- Posted By Blogger to Ann Reflection at 8/31/2011 05:14:00 PM
[Ann Reflection] Communition Strategy for hearing impaired:
Visualizing the S...
Tuesday Tips: Planning Ahead – Visualizing the Scenario
Imagine you were visiting Montreal and you know some French, enough to get by. However, you haven’t used your French in eons. You want to go to a local boulangerie to buy some fresh baguettes. If you’re like me, you would practice in your head exactly what you want to say (I want one baguette, please – en francais, of course). Then you are going to practice what they might say back to you (That will be $4.95 – again, en francais). Of course, you may want to practice something that’s totally off topic (Where did you get that dress), but that wouldn’t fit the context (or maybe it will). Visualization is a technique that is often used by athletes in preparation for difficult maneuvers. We can use the same when approaching difficult communication situations.
- Envision the scenario that is about to happen. Important visual and aural cues are missing with hearing loss, but the brain can fill in the gaps if you know what is happening. - Anticipate what is going to be said. In a place like boulangerie, there are certain phrases that are commonly used. Practice those phrases. The practice would help your brain to be prepared for what is about to be said. - Different situations means different possibilities. So what you might expect in the bakery would be different from what is said in a doctor’s office from what is said in a restaurant. Context is everything. Visualize the scenario and anticipate the speech and your brain will be warmed up for each and every difficult situation. Just like many things, planning ahead can help you to avoid unwanted pitfalls.
Posted via email from Ann Reflection
-- Posted By Blogger to Ann Reflection at 8/30/2011 07:00:00 AM
[Ann Reflection] Ann's fish lantern will be at fringe
festival in Centenn...
Ann's fish lantern will be at fringe festival in Centennial Square tonight :> See the full gallery on Posterous
Posted via email from Ann Reflection
-- Posted By Blogger to Ann Reflection at 8/23/2011 03:03:00 PM
[Ann Reflection] How technologies shape our health care? Health
avatar? Tailo...
How technologies shape our health care? Health avatar? Tailored therapy according to dna? Doc get paid by outcome? shaphttp://www.fastcompany.com/1773215/six-major-disruptions-still-to-come-in-health-care Posted via email from Ann Reflection
-- Posted By Blogger to Ann Reflection at 8/16/2011 11:53:00 AM
[Ann Reflection] Communication Strategy for hearing impaired:
Restaurants
Tuesday Tips: Restaurants Restaurants must be the bain of all hearing aids. Hearing aids do well with isolated noises, but with noise from all directions, it becomes quite confusing. A few strategies when dining out, however, can help minimize problems.
- Pick your restaurants carefully. Restaurants with a lot of ambience tend to be bad. Ambience in restaurants usually come in the form of low-lighting, background music, and hard, funky surfaces. The best restaurant from an acoustic standpoint is one with upholstered furniture, no background music, good lighting, and low ceilings. - Go early for dinner. You can miss the bulk of the noisy dinner crowd and you usually have your choice of any seat in the house. So pick the potentially quietest corner or table in the restaurant. - Choose your table wisely. If you can choose a table, pick one that’s in the corner. Two walls mean a little less noise. However, make sure you’re not right by the kitchen; otherwise, you’ll hear all the cutlery and chopping emitting from there. If there are booths available, they are often better for communication. The enclosure of your table can reduce the amount of noise that you hear. - If you do get to choose a seat at your table, pick according to where the noise is. If you have hearing aids, you should set the aids to the noise mode and sit with your back to the restaurant while facing the wall. The wall doesn’t make as much noise as your fellow diners, so it’s better to be facing it. If you don’t have hearing aids, then sit beside the wall so that at least you can hear some of the conversation from one ear. Sometimes, you can do all the above and still have a difficult time in the restaurant. Be patient and have a good humour about misunderstood conversation. Sometimes the misunderstanding can lead to good joke for everyone to share.
Posted via email from Ann Reflection
-- Posted By Blogger to Ann Reflection at 8/14/2011 06:39:00 PM
[Ann Reflection] Tuesday Tips for communicating with hearing
impaired: Reduci...
Reducing Background Noise It doesn’t take too much to make a conversation easier to hear. Just reduce the background noise. I’m not asking you to stop the world from turning and getting all the noise out of the world, but you can do some simple things to reduce background noise.
- Turn down or off any unnecessary music or sound. That could be your own TV or the radio. You may have to ask the owner of the device to turn it down. A conversation is lot easier without music covering over all the words - Close the windows. If the windows are open and you get all the traffic noise, shut the sound out by closing the windows. It’s a tough call during a hot summer day, but less noise makes a huge difference - Move away from the noise. If you can’t control the sound, at least move away from it. Just stepping a few feet away, or even out of a room, from the noise, it will be a relief to your ears and your conversation partner. There’s no one end-all answer to reducing background noise. Use your best judgment and reduce any background noise that you can reduce.
Posted via email from Ann Reflection
-- Posted By Blogger to Ann Reflection at 8/14/2011 06:32:00 PM
[Ann Reflection] Communition Strategy for hearing impaired:
Visualizing the S...
Tuesday Tips: Planning Ahead – Visualizing the Scenario
Imagine you were visiting Montreal and you know some French, enough to get by. However, you haven’t used your French in eons. You want to go to a local boulangerie to buy some fresh baguettes. If you’re like me, you would practice in your head exactly what you want to say (I want one baguette, please – en francais, of course). Then you are going to practice what they might say back to you (That will be $4.95 – again, en francais). Of course, you may want to practice something that’s totally off topic (Where did you get that dress), but that wouldn’t fit the context (or maybe it will). Visualization is a technique that is often used by athletes in preparation for difficult maneuvers. We can use the same when approaching difficult communication situations.
- Envision the scenario that is about to happen. Important visual and aural cues are missing with hearing loss, but the brain can fill in the gaps if you know what is happening. - Anticipate what is going to be said. In a place like boulangerie, there are certain phrases that are commonly used. Practice those phrases. The practice would help your brain to be prepared for what is about to be said. - Different situations means different possibilities. So what you might expect in the bakery would be different from what is said in a doctor’s office from what is said in a restaurant. Context is everything. Visualize the scenario and anticipate the speech and your brain will be warmed up for each and every difficult situation. Just like many things, planning ahead can help you to avoid unwanted pitfalls.
Posted via email from Ann Reflection
-- Posted By Blogger to Ann Reflection at 8/07/2011 06:51:00 PM
[Ann Reflection] Communication Strategy for hearing impaired -
Lighting
Tuesday Tips: Lighting
The amount of light in the room is not the first thing you think about when you talk about hearing. However, you can hear better if you see better. Think of the last conversation you had with somebody standing in front of a brightly-lit window. It wasn’t fun, was it? There are often shadows that can fall on people’s faces. That makes it hard to see their facial expressions and lips, which are important to the context of any conversation. Then there’s that awful glare from staring towards the window too long. I can see imprints of light in my eyes just thinking about it.
- Increase the light if it’s too dark. As romantic as conversations in the dark are, it may not be the best for your communication. Turn on the lights and you’ll often have an easier time talking to each other. - Move away from glaring sources of light. So as with the brightly-lit window scenario, it may be best not to stand right by that window. It can be tiring for all talkers involved and harsh shadows on the face just don’t look endearing. - Put your back to the window. If it’s not too bright, then the window can provide just the right amount of light. However, you will likely want your back to the window so that the light falls on the face of those you’re speaking to. Posted via email from Ann Reflection
-- Posted By Blogger to Ann Reflection at 8/07/2011 06:43:00 PM
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