Alerting Devices & Alarms – Amplified Telephones
ALDs is the abbreviation currently in vogue for assistive listening devices – products which are truly “life enhancing.” If you are a past visitor to our website, you already know that Audiolinks has a significant number of ADA compliant products available to the hearing impaired. Now, we are expanding our offerings in the somewhat more specialized area of alerting devices & alarms.
More and more, these specialized ALDs are being recognized as important contributors to a superior quality of life for a growing portion of our population. Coincidentally, two of our readers recently sent in questions about this very topic. So I thought it might be time to address the issue in a little more detail.
In general, ALDs are any type of device that can help you interact with your environment more effectively. ALDs can be used with or without hearing aids to overcome the negative effects of distance, background noise, and poor acoustics. So even though you may already have a hearing aid, assistive listening devices can offer a better chance of hearing effectively in many routine circumstances.
There are three basic types of assistive listening systems: portable systems (which allow you to move freely both inside and outside), stationary systems (with table top or fixed transmitters) and personal systems (for the home and the workplace).
The new ALDs that we have vetted for sale are primarily in this last category – personal systems for the home and the workplace. Let me highlight three of them.
The telephone amplifying devices work with your existing phone system by attaching to the handset or the input jack (RJ11). My personal favorite is the Mega-Phone by Global Assistive Devices. I do take issue with their name for the product because I am at heart an audio purist and megaphone means something very specifc to me. In any case this device fits right on the earpiece of the handset and allows most phones to still fit in their cradles. My other favorite in this category is the ART Headset Amplifier which is best suited for a multi-phone office environment.
The amplified telephones include both wired and cordless models. Cordless models work on different frequencies to match the local console (this is to reduce interference on multiple cordless phones in the same general location). Also available are amplified answering machines, paging systems and related paraphernalia. If you don’t see exactly what you want on our website please email us for details and pricing.
The third category, alarms, including wake-up alarms, is just what the name implies. I can personally testify to the need for a vigorous wake-up system. When you are on-the-road (Hey DJ-Man can relate!) and you need to get-up at 3 A.M. to do your set-up everyone needs an ALDs. Personal favorite? The vibrating alarm wristwatch wins hands-down (no pun intended). It flashes and vibrates at the pre-set time. No more relying on soft little beeping wrist watches. Of course, nothing quite compares to a super LOUD alarm clock – and what a great price.
Last but not least – again something that you just don’t think of until it is suggested – are the alarms for the front door or fire alarms that need to rely on something other than sound. Current product offerings include doorbell alarms with flashing lights, knock-at-the door vibration sensitive alerting systems, fire alarms and smoke detectors that use bright flashing lights, baby-cry devices or room-to-room sound alerting systems.
