Being able to enjoy free time is a privilege, especially for the older generation. Meeting people, traveling, sports, enjoying culture - there are now many opportunities for all of this. Find out here how you can make the most of this time despite your hearing impairment!

Everything around us is culture. We encounter it in almost all everyday situations and in almost all situations in life. Culture - from the Latin word "cultura" - describes how people shape and cultivate their lives, how they shape and change them spiritually and how they live. In other words, everything that nature does not produce is culture. However, most people think first and foremost of music, painting and art when they hear the word culture - important aspects of culture that should also be accessible to people with hearing impairments.

Audio technologies

Large venues often have room acoustics that can have a negative impact on the intelligibility of speech or music. Especially for users of hearing aids and hearing implant systems, it is often difficult to hear voices and music at events such as concerts, theater performances, church services or lectures in large rooms. Echo, ambient noise or other disturbing noises can mean that those affected understand little or nothing at all. This can be remedied by various audio technologies that enable users of hearing solutions to receive audio signals in their audio processors without interference.

Induction

With the installation of an induction system, the useful signal is transmitted directly into the hearing system by means of a magnetic field. Such systems are now available in many public places such as cinemas, lecture halls, churches, at bank and ticket counters, and in some countries even in cabs or buses for city tours - of course, simple systems can also be installed in private homes, for example to make television sound available inductively.

Technically speaking, an induction loop can be seen as a wire loop that is laid along the boundaries of the room or around a predefined seating area. The input from a microphone or other signal source is then fed into a wire loop via the induction system's amplifier, which generates an electromagnetic field. Audio processors of hearing aids or hearing implants that have an induction coil can pick up the alternating electromagnetic field and convert the signals in the audio processor. In this way, external noise is minimized. By adjusting the volume on their own audio processor, users can also adjust the signals again as required.

Users who wish to receive this signal should stay within the wire loop and set their system to the corresponding reception mode: If you only want to hear those signals from the induction system, the mode is usually labeled "T", while the equally common designation "MT" stands for the combination of the signals from the induction loop and the hearing system's microphone in equal parts. With cochlear implant systems, as with some hearing aids, the desired operating mode is selected by remote control.

In public areas, the presence of an induction loop is usually indicated by a corresponding pictogram. If you want to book tickets for a theater or cinema performance, it still makes sense to find out about the possibility of inductive hearing in advance.
In Austria, the Austrian Association for the Hard of Hearing has for many years provided lists of hearing systems installed in public spaces as pdf files on its website at https://www.oesb-dachverband.at/.

Radio systems
While infrared and radio systems are mostly used in the private sector, schools mostly use so-called FM systems.

Audio live streaming

New technologies now make it even easier for operators of cultural institutions and also improve the sound quality for users. The audio signal is transmitted to the personal smartphone via Wi-Fi and an app. From there, it can either be heard with headphones or fed into the hearing system via Bluetooth or a personal induction loop - depending on the individual listener's own equipment. If you don't have any of these with you, you can borrow a cell phone with a pre-installed app and portable induction loop from Audience Services - provided the hearing system has T-reception. You can find more information about this at https://de-at.sennheiser.com/
As this technology is still relatively new, it makes sense to enquire in advance about availability at the cultural institution of your choice.

Audio guides
Museums in particular offer audio guides as standard, which act as an electronic museum guide and lead you through the museum or an exhibition using audio recordings.

A selection of audio technologies that you can also purchase yourself and are compatible with your hearing implant system can be found here!

Discounts

Some cultural institutions offer a discount on presentation of a disabled pass. As there are no uniform regulations, it is worth finding out in advance on the relevant website to avoid any discussions on site.

Music

You can find out more about the power of music, no matter what style you like, and how important it is in our lives on the website hoerenbewegt.at, which takes an in-depth look at the subject.

Theater and cinema

A nice visit to the theater, an entertaining and exciting evening at the cinema: even with a hearing impairment, you don't have to miss out. Many theaters offer high-quality technical hearing aids that can be connected to your hearing system.

Museum

Museums offer people an incredibly diverse insight into the world of visual art and the collection of cultural assets. All over the world, there is the opportunity to admire works from the beginning of human history to contemporary art. If you would like to find out more about an exhibition or the individual works of art, you can join a guided tour by an art educator or borrow an audio guide, which is available in various languages in most museums.

The audio guide can usually be connected to the MED-EL AudioLink, and even directly with the latest audio processors, making a visit to the museum a visual and auditory experience for users of hearing implant systems.

Literature

"Literature must be fun. It should give people joy, pleasure, fun and even happiness."
Spiegel 25/2001

Literature has multiple functions for us - entertainment, education, relaxation or excitement, time travel, in short: adventure in the mind. For the hearing impaired, literature can take on another facet as auditory training if it is presented in the form of audio books.
Fairy tale literature helps even the very youngest children to process developmental steps, pupils to acquire reading skills and develop their own ability to express themselves, and ultimately sophisticated literature is also an important part of personal development.

For listening training, it is helpful if the work is available in audio and unabridged form as an audio book as well as in word-identical, visual form, i.e. as a download version or CD and also as a pdf file or as a book. This means that what you hear can always be read along. To make things easier, you can of course also read sections of the text before listening in order to familiarize yourself with the text and especially with the proper names. However, listening to the audiobook without reading along is only recommended with appropriate practice.

Of course, it is important to pay attention to the voice quality of the audio book: Musical or sound backgrounds are very descriptive, but often make understanding more difficult.
If you pay attention to all this, nothing stands in the way of enjoying literature and an adventure in your head. Your new hearing will also be trained in a pleasant way.

• vorleser.net
• audiamo.net
• hoerbibliothek.at
• hoergut-verlag.de

Traveling is probably one of the most beautiful leisure activities. Seeing the world with different eyes, from new perspectives; hearing the world with all its diversity - the enchanting sounds of nature, foreign languages, exotic musical sounds. For people with hearing impairments, however, there are many hurdles that can make a vacation a challenge.

Even the departure to the dream destination proves to be difficult for some when, for unexpected reasons, airport announcements are made that need to be understood. The tour guide in your favorite city always speaks too quietly and is also difficult to see due to the large group. Jumping into the cool water must be carefully considered so that the audio processor of your implant system does not disappear into the depths of the sea, never to be seen again. On the mountain top, the wind is blowing so strongly that you can't really enjoy the beautiful sounds of nature again.
There are these and probably many other occasions that make traveling more than just a pleasure for those affected.

So if you want to travel with your hearing implant system, there are a few things you should bear in mind to make your vacation unforgettable and carefree despite the hurdles:

• Remember to take out vacation insurance for your hearing implant systems so that replacement is covered in the event of loss. Contact addresses of the two insurance companies familiar with insuring hearing implant systems can be found here: Insurance Forms Online
• If you want to travel to a remote location where the nearest service facility for your hearing system is too far away, it is advisable to order a so-called vacation kit in good time before you leave, so that you have spare parts and various accessories with you if something should break on the system or so that your system is protected from getting wet. Your contact in this case is the HEARING CENTER
• You should carry your implant ID with you when traveling by air. Even if it rarely happens, you can show it to the security staff for clarification in the event of a signal when going through the security gate.
• Traveling together with a partner, friends or family not only means being able to share experiences, it can also provide support in difficult listening situations and offer security away from home.

Basically, however, with your hearing implant system and some practice, future trips are guaranteed to be an unforgettable experience and can in any case be enjoyed more than in the past without adequate hearing care.

Staying mobile, even in old age, increases the quality of life enormously, as does good hearing.
There are a few things to bear in mind to ensure that your sporting spirit is not dampened even with a hearing implant:

• With the MED-EL WaterWear protective cover, which is available for all types of audio processor, you can enjoy barrier-free bathing fun. You can find more information at medel.com/waterwear. You can order the WaterWear protective covers at at.store.medel.com
• With the latest IP68 certified and therefore waterproof audio processors, you can even dive to a depth of up to one meter without a protective cover!
• You should avoid shocks around your implant system. Constant headers during soccer matches, for example, may have a negative effect on the durability of your system.
• Wearing a helmet when skiing, cycling, mountaineering or climbing is therefore highly recommended, and this applies to everyone anyway, even without a hearing implant. When choosing a helmet, you should make sure that the audio processor does not pinch and that hearing is not restricted by the helmet shell or lining.
• Sweating is a natural part of successful sporting activity, but is sometimes unpleasant for hearing system wearers. The latest MED-EL audio processors have a splash-proof and, with the latest processors, even waterproof housing to protect against rain, sweat and moisture. This means you no longer have to worry about sweating and can give free rein to your sporting ambitions.
• For particularly active athletes, there are additional mounting options to prevent your audio processor from slipping or getting lost. You can find information on this at medel.com/mounting
• You can order this mounting option at at.store.medel.com
• Would you like to practice your sport with your favorite music? No problem at all, the audio technologies mentioned above allow you to enjoy music without restrictions. Many users of hearing implant systems are also very satisfied with over-ear headphones. In addition to the individual sound quality requirements, the shape of the ear-enclosing part is important when purchasing. The oval version has proven itself here, which in most cases does not put pressure on the audio processor. With the latest audio processors, it is even possible to connect directly to your favorite music!

Here you will find valuable tips that can make hearing easier in everyday life and at home!

• Textiles such as curtains, carpets etc. have a sound-absorbing effect and reduce the reverberation of sounds.
• With good and sufficient light, you can see your conversation partner better, which certainly makes communication easier.
• The right place to sit when eating together also helps all family members sitting at the table to understand each other.
• In general, the so-called "Anlitzgerichtetheit", i.e. looking at the speaker's face, is a great advantage in order to better understand what is being said. Facial expressions play an important role in understanding content, and this applies to all people, including those with normal hearing!
• Considering some conversation strategies, such as eye contact, distance, asking questions, repeating, paraphrasing, etc. can contribute to better understanding.
• A selection of additional technical devices, such as alarm clocks, doorbells or alarm systems for your home, can be found here!
• MED-EL offers a range of connection options for your audio processor. These can be used to easily connect technical devices such as telephones, TV sets etc. to the implant system. You can find more information here!
• Do not demand constant consideration from the listener
• Embrace acceptance and be patient with yourself