Operation of a television is particularly important to seniors with low vision as the television may be part of there magnification system and in any event provides information about the outside world that they have difficulty seeing. For the most basic control we recommend the Doro HandleEasy 321 as the most simple to operate or the Journe Universal as the largest product offering although not as simple to use as the Doro.
DORO HandleEasy 321rc universal remote control
The DORO HandleEasy 321rc universal remote control is specially designed for people who have limited dexterity. It is very comfortable to hold and makes changing the channel or adjusting the volume on the TV or stereo quite simple. With large black buttons on a white background, this remote is also a great gadget for low vision sufferers. The HandleEasy 321rc works together with your equipment by being "taught" by your existing remote controls. Easy to read instructions show you step by step how to program your new remote. No need for programming codes.
Extra large universal remote control. Simple to program, this 8-in-1 remote controls your TV, VCR, DVD player, satellite, cable and auxiliary A/V device. Features codes for most popular brands of A/V devices. Uses two AA batteries (not included). 5" W x 11" L x 1" H. It has GLOW IN THE DARK buttons.
Hearing impaired persons with partial loss of hearing may find that the quality of their hearing varies from day to day, from one situation to another, or not at all. They may also, to a greater or lesser extent, depend on both hearing aids and lip-reading.
Many people with hearing loss have better hearing in the lower frequency ranges (low tones), and cannot hear as well or at all in the higher frequencies. Some people may merely find it difficult to differentiate between words that begin with consonantal sounds such as the fricatives or sibilants, z, or th, or the plosives d, t, b, or p. They may be unable to hear thin, high-pitched or metallic noises, such as birds chirping or singing, clocks ticking, etc. Often, they are able to hear and understand men's voices better than women's.
Others will find their condition much worse if circumstances in their immediate environment affect the way they are able to use their hearing aids, or prevent them from employing their speech reading skills. A room with a high ceiling and a lot of reverberation will affect the sound of a speaker's voice adversely. The position of the listener, too, can make a difference; for example, if only the listener's ineffectual ear is turned towards the speaker, then the listener will have trouble hearing. Difficulties can also arise for the listener trying to lip-read, if the speaker is sitting with his back against the light-source and is in this way obscuring his face.
The speaker's accent; a topic with many potentially unfamiliar words; the softness of his/her voice; a speech impediment; a habit of holding a hand in front of his/her mouth or turning his/her face away at times: all these tendencies cause problems for the hard-of-hearing, especially when they have to rely on lip-reading. Rustling papers and turning pages are the noises that hearing aids pick up first.
Noisy situations are especially difficult, because hearing loss affects not only the ability to hear sounds, but also the ability to localize and filter out background noise.
Some of the assistive devices hearing impaired seniors use:
Seniors can communicate by telephone using Telecommunications Devcie for the Deaf (TDD). These devices transmit typed text over telephone lines.
There are several new Telecommunications Relay Service technologies including IP Relay and captioned telephone technologies.
Mobile textphone devices allow simultaneous two way text communication.
Videophones and similar video technologies can be used for distance communication using sign language.
Telecommunications Relay Services enable a hearing impaired person to communicate over the phone with a hearing person via a human translator.
Wireless internet and mobile phone/SMS text messaging.
Phone captioning is a service in which a hearing person's speech is captioned by a third party, enabling a hearing impaired person to conduct a conversation with a hearing person over the phone.
Other assistive devices include those that use flashing lights to signal events such as a ringing telephone, a doorbell, or a fire alarm.
The simplist devices are those that amplify normal sounds such as speaker phones.
T-Coil option in hearing aid for public address systems, telephones, TVs, microphones, etc. Common in Europe.
An attractive alternative is the ClarityLife C900 Amplified Mobile Phone
The Clarity company offers a wide range of home phones and phone amplifiers for people with hearing impairment. This phone offers a wide variety of simple features to make using it easier, such as only 4 buttons, an easy-to-read display and is twice as loud as normal cell phones. It has a very large back-lit display, is amplified up to 20 decibels, sports a big red button for emergencies, flashing ringer, a strong vibration ring and can be used for text messages. This cell phone is unlocked, which means that most major carrier locations can activate it.
ClearSounds UltraClear Home Amplifying Speakerphone CSC600
It has a 99 name and number phonebook directory and easily stores and dials frequently called numbers. The keypad has easy-to-read big buttons including 5 one-touch speed dials and one large one-touch emergency dial button.
