'We need to hear': Albertans with hearing loss can now shop with ease at St. Albert grocery store

EDMONTON -

A grocery store in St. Albert has installed new technology to help shoppers who are hard of hearing.

Your Independent Grocer now offers a loop system that allows direct input into hearing aids by blocking out noise and amplifying the conversation with staff.

“It cuts out the embarrassment,” Cindy Gordon, the executive director for the Canadian Hard of Hearing Association (CHHA) in Edmonton, said.

“When I stand within the perimeter, it cuts out all the background sounds. I can now hear so clearly what someone’s saying.”

Gordon told CTV News Edmonton this type of technology is vital especially during the pandemic when they can no longer rely on lip reading or facial expressions in busy environments.

“We need to hear what’s being said and when we miss it there’s repercussions to that,” she said.

“It has been astronomical for us to be able to appreciate what other people are saying and to be able to remove some of the frustrations and barriers that have become prevalent with the masks,” Marilyn Kingdon, the president and chair of CHHA national board of directors, added.

Gordon said hearing loss is the number one disability in Canada and about 100,000 people just in Edmonton experience it.

“This is critical in places where we have to go all the time.”