Let’s look at one potential hazard— fire in your home. Hearing a smoke alarm is not a problem when wearing your hearing aids. At nighttime, however, when you are sleeping without the benefit of amplification, you might be unable to hear the high-pitched warning signal of your smoke detector.

The solution for this difficulty is to replace your current high-frequency smoke alarm with a more effective, low-frequency (520 Hz square wave) smoke detector. A recent study concluded that people of all ages reacted faster and more consistently to this type of alarm. Hard-of-hearing people were seven times more likely to awaken to the low-frequency alarm as compared with conventional alarms.

The name of the smoke alarm I recommend is Lifetone. This device can be purchased through my office for $199.00. It includes a smoke sensor, flashing light and bed shaker.

I strongly suggest that you test your current smoke detector to make certain that it works properly and you can hear it well enough to awaken you when you are not wearing your hearing aids. If you have any questions about smoke alarms, contact our office.