I am long term sub teaching in a deaf-ed program. Early in the year, the school audiologist and I talked to one sophomore boy about using wireless FM with his new hearing aids. Last year we got him the same kind of hearing aids I use as our losses are very similar. His new aids have the FM built right in, no boot required! Well, he balked. No, he was doing fine, he claimed. Well. I told him how I use my FM and love it. We talked for several weeks. With a little encouragement from me, he tried it. When he discovered that he could hear and understand me when my back was turned to him, he got so excited! He agreed to try it in class. After his first class with the FM, he came back to my room with a huge smile, "It's great!", he claimed. I don't think I had ever seen him smile! He is now using it daily and really getting the benefit. His first grades with it will come out soon, I am curious to see if there is improvement. He was a good student before, but it's easier for him now.
An FM is your own private radio station! It puts the microphone (transmitter or station) near the speaker's mouth. In my case it is a small microphone about the size of a 'snack size' candy bar. about 1 inch by 4 inches. The speaker can clip the extended lapel mic to a collar, or hold the microphone. My hearing aids have a 'boot' receiver-the radio- a small piece that slips onto the bottom of my aid. New ones can have them built in.
The speaker's voice tells my aid to shut off the HA mic and focus only on the FM mic. I have another program for FM only. With no strings attached, her voice is recieved in my hearing aid with no distance distortion and minimal background sound. With the FM/HA program, when she stops speaking, the HA takes priority again and I can maybe catch the audience question (that's with my hearing loss, others can pick it up with no problem.)
It is easy and so nice. In big meetings, I can put the mic on the table and it will pick up with amplification most of what is said. It helps me to follow and gives that added boost of clues that will help me process and follow the meeting. In classes as a teacher, I use it for student presentations, so I can sit in back of the room and concentrate on the info, with even the softest speaker.
All my principals and co-teachers have been very willing to use it and are comfortable doing so. One staff meeting, the presenting teacher was holding it upside down, speaking into the antenna! That was fun, but she was very comfortable when I corrected her with a sense of humor. It can be 'high-tech" which makes it quite a conversation piece in some situations and impresses people with your up-to-date equipment.
FM's are no longer the bulky thing connected with wires that are cumbersome and obvious. If you are in situations at work or school or dining out, I suggest you try one of the several on the market today.