Over the past 67 years, the Rotary Club of Campbell River has put
millions of dollars and thousands of volunteer hours back into the
community. Recently, however, the club was on the receiving end of some
local goodwill.
Campbell River Hearing Clinic has donated both the equipment and manpower to help local Rotarians with reduced hearing sensitivity overcome the challenging acoustics of the club’s new meeting venue at the Maritime Heritage Centre.
“Rotarian Ian Baikie approached me a while back to share his concern that some of his fellow members were having difficulty understanding at the new venue,” explains Martin Jurek, who owns Campbell River Hearing Clinic with his wife Jana. “After some discussion, we concluded that installing a loop system would dramatically improve the listening environment for those members who wear hearing aids.”
A loop system is like a wireless loudspeaker that delivers a clear sound through an individual’s hearing aid. It activates any time the room’s sound system is in use, feeding the sound directly into the telecoil (“t-coil”) of the listener’s hearing aid.
“I’m a huge supporter of Rotary and all the great things they do both in Campbell River and around the world,” says Jurek. “Jana and I immediately volunteered to donate the system and help install it; we felt it was the least we could do for an organization that has done so much for others.”
The Maritime Heritage Centre itself is obviously another benefactor of the Jureks’ generosity, and will continue to be so. Though Jurek says several Rotarians have already commented that the loop system has significantly improved their comprehension at meetings, he plans to also help upgrade the acoustics of the room itself in the near future.
“The loop system is only going to help people whose hearing aids have T-coils, ” he explains, adding that the technology has been around “for ages” and is quite common. “Most behind-the-ear hearing aids have it, as do many custom in-the-ear styles, although sometimes the T-coil needs to be activated. If you’re not sure if your hearing aids will work with the new loop system, just ask your hearing care provider.”
Along with the donation of the system, Campbell River Hearing Clinic is offering anyone with hearing aids a free consultation in order to determine whether they have a T-coil, and to explain how to activate and/or use it.
Campbell River Hearing Clinic is located at 780-D 13th Avenue. To ask questions or book a consult, call 250-914-3200. For free hearing resources, visit www.tohear.ca.