Fox Valley Hearing Loop helps clear the air in public venues for those with hearing aids

Story by Cheryl Hentz

ABOUT 10 PERCENT of all Wisconsinites have some type of hearing loss. On a national basis, about 17 percent, or 36 million, American adults report some degree of hearing loss, according to the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders. About one in four of those – some 8.4 million – have hearing aids.

Today’s digital hearing aids enhance hearing in conversational settings. Yet for many people with hearing loss, the sound becomes unclear when auditorium or television loudspeakers are at a distance, when the context is noisy, or when room acoustics reverberate sound. Because of those situations, Oshkosh audiologist Juliëtte Sterkens, co-owner of Fox Valley Hearing Center in Oshkosh, and her husband LeRoy “Max” Maxfield, started Fox Valley Hearing Loop LLC, a firm that installs hearing loops in venues where larger numbers of people gather. 

A hearing loop helps people who use hearing aids that are equipped with T-coils hear sounds from a PA system directly and clearly in the hearing aid, because it reduces or cuts out background noise. Hearing loops provide a magnetic, wireless signal that is picked up by the hearing aid when it is set to “T” (Telecoil) setting. The loop system consists of a microphone to pick up the spoken word; an amplifier which processes the signal which is then sent through the final piece; and the loop cable, a wire placed around the perimeter of a room to act as an antenna that radiates the magnetic signal to the hearing aid.

When a hearing aid user selects the “T” setting, he or she can pick up the sounds spoken into a public address system’s microphone instead of the hearing aid’s internal microphone. That results in improved speech understanding because the listener receives a clear signal without any background noise.

Not exactly new

LOOPS HAVE BEEN USED in Europe for decades, but Sterkens, who was born and raised in the Netherlands, believed that for any number of reasons they hadn’t caught on here in the United States.

“But in 2008 I heard a gentleman from Michigan talk about how he has been able to advocate for hearing loops, and I remember sitting in the back of the room thinking ‘The only reason this is not happening in Oshkosh is because I’m not doing it, advocating and promoting it,’” said Sterkens. “But I thought I should be doing it because hearing loops are good for people who are hard of hearing.”

After the meeting she spoke with her husband, Max, then 63, who suggested he could retire from his job at Oshkosh Corp. to install hearing loops in areas where there was interest. So in late 2008, the couple formed Fox Valley Hearing Loop and began getting the word out.

Sterkens called other audiologists to gain support, and reached out to architects and businesses, especially publicly used buildings to discuss the benefits of having a hearing loop installed. Support has been strong. In two short years they have gone from one loop system already installed in a fellowship hall in Appleton to more than 55 systems being installed throughout different venues or public buildings in northeast Wisconsin.

Many of the locations include churches, but performing arts centers, meeting rooms and lecture halls, assisted living facilities and nursing homes, retirement facilities – even funeral homes – are all places where hearing loops can benefit people who suffer even a slight hearing loss.

“Really, any place where people go to listen should consider this technology, because many people are affected. 

Hearing loss is an invisible handicap and the need is growing,” said Sterkens. “About one out of every 10 people is
hearing impaired and there are about 78 million Baby Boomers who will be turning 65 in the next 20 to 25 years.

“But that whole aging process also takes a toll on the hearing. And at the age of 70 that number increases to 30 percent of people having some form of hearing loss. So the need to have accommodations for people who do not hear well is growing.”

Obstacles to overcome

ONE OF THE CHALLENGES Sterkens has encountered is getting people to understand why this technology is necessary if someone is already wearing a hearing aid. 

“If somebody was sitting in a wheelchair outside of a building and there was a 2-foot step preventing that person from getting inside, people would be aghast. But if a person is essentially excluded cognitively because they cannot understand the speech because of the severity of the hearing loss or because of the acoustics in a larger area, that is really the same thing,” she explained. “But nobody knows for sure how many people are being affected that way because it’s an invisible handicap. I’m even finding that people who are hard of hearing are almost resigned (to the fact that there are certain things they will not be able to do because of their hearing loss).”

General awareness is another challenge. 

“Part of that awareness also means that everybody who is hard of hearing – whether they already have a hearing aid or they need a hearing aid – needs to be educated that when they do purchase a hearing aid, they should get one that has a T-coil built in,” Sterkens said. “There’s a lot of emphasis on small hearing aids, but small hearing aids cannot always have that little wireless T-coil built in.”

No one can speak to the differences between hearing with an aid and hearing with loop technology than someone who has used both. 

Karen Bowen, for example, has been wearing hearing aids for about seven years, but has only started using the loop technology within the last year or so. In church, she never had a big problem hearing, but at places like The Grand Opera House in Oshkosh, the loop technology made a huge difference.

“It’s really remarkable at The Grand. It’s like the microphone is in the back of your head, and brain. It reminds me of the first time I listened to something with a really good set of headphones,” she said. “You’ve got your right ear and your left ear, but when everything’s working properly you hear things in the middle of your head. That’s what the loop reminds me of.”

Richard Campbell used loop technology is several places, including a number of churches, the Grand and the convention center in Oshkosh. “Large rooms quite often have echoes, which make it harder to hear clearly, even with a hearing aid. But with the loop, it’s almost as if the speaker is talking right into your ear,” he said.

For Gwenn Jessen, the difference is also like night and day. She recently visited a church that did not have hearing loop technology installed, and said even though her hearing loss is not very pronounced and she only wears a hearing aid in one ear, she had no idea what the priest was talking about.

“I didn’t have a choice of moving up closer or trying to read his lips. I was just trying to hear with my hearing aid on and I couldn’t hear what he was saying, at all,” Jessen said. “A hearing loop is so worth it, especially in places like theaters or anywhere where there are a lot of distracting noises.”

Building awareness, building the market

GETTING PEOPLE TO UNDERSTAND the need for loops is a challenge Sterkens is up for. She also understands it’s a learning process. But as people in northeast Wisconsin become familiar with these hearing loop systems, the demand for the technology to be installed in other places becomes greater as well.

“The learning and retirement group, for example, will only have meetings in places where there’s a hearing loop installed so that their members who are hard of hearing can hear well,” she said, adding that many people ask her where else they can go that has loop technology.

Likewise, several people who have used it tell their kids so they can talk to their churches, etc. about getting the technology, too. “Once people hear about it, it’s an irresistible technology. It’s easy to use because all a person has to do is walk in, push on a button on their hearing aid, and hear.” 

Because demand is increasing, Sterkens and Max have brought on other audio companies, such as Arrow Audio in Kimberly, to help with installation.

“We’re seeing a huge increase in demand, and a lot of that is due to the fact that Juliette is out there evangelizing it and getting the word out. I think she has signed on six other contractors like ourselves through the manufacturers that she works with, to be trained and certified to do this,” said Kurt Maas, owner of Arrow Audio. “It’s now being specified in many buildings when they’re built. We’re currently working on the UW-Oshkosh academic building and (the loop) is the hearing-assistive technology being installed in the three large lecture halls there.”

Installation in a church can run between $2,500 to $6,000 – depending on the size of the church or room being outfitted. The cost also depends on the kind of loop being installed. Larger venues obviously run more money, Sterkens said, adding that price is also determined by the difficulty of installation.

“But once installed in any venue, the system can accommodate any number of people with hearing aids. People can even install a loop in their home,” she said, the price for which is about $250.

Despite the growing demand, Sterkens said she and Max have no plans for expanding their own business, as they have their hands full right now with the requests they already have. However, she would like to see loop technology as a service expand. 

“Part of my advocacy work has been geared toward getting other businesses – companies like audio companies – to recognize that this is good,” she said. “And I do want to see loop technology expand. My wish is that for any kind of new construction or renovation where there’s going to be a PA system, that audio companies recommend a hearing loop and that they learn to do hearing loop installations and add that to the services they provide. Even more than that, my goal is for public places where it can be difficult for people who are hard of hearing to hear, and where they use a PA system, that they tie the PA system in with a hearing loop. Every hearing loop makes every other hearing loop more valuable and it makes every hearing aid more valuable.”

Cheryl Hentz is a freelance writer from Oshkosh with more than 25 years experience. Her articles have appeared in several newspapers and magazines and cover topics including business and economic development, minority issues, family pets and animal rights, finance, politics and women’s issues. She can be reached at 920.426.4123 or via email at cheryl.hentz@gmail.com.