Category — Hearing Aids

The newest digital chips have made adjusting hearing performance, especially in noise, a very seamless process for most. I have been told by so many of my patients that within a day or two they have forgotten they are hearing with a hearing aid. The reason is, of course, the control of sound for each patient’s hearing loss and the proper adaption of compression which most manufactures have gotten very good at. Most manufacturers are so good now that the loud growth tests we used to run on each patient very seldom needs to be done anymore.

Anyone can be assured that they will be very surprised by the sound quality and clarity provided by today’s technology.  Read more... (227 words, estimated 54 secs reading time)

Today’s digital hearing aids have changed all of that.  We now can actually create a very normal dynamic range of hearing for most patients.  We can measure where the patient hears soft sounds at the different frequency of speech.  Then we can measure where sounds get too loud in each frequency and plug that into a digital chip and we have provided our patient a very normal dynamic range of hearing.  If properly fit and by the hands of someone skilled, most will find it is a very small adjustment for them because what is being provided is natural and clear.  Most will begin at a lower level than needed and over a period of time they will be brought up to normal targets.  Read more... (343 words, estimated 1:22 mins reading time)

It used to take many weeks, even months, for patients to adjust and get accustomed to hearing with analog hearing aids.  The reasons are many.

Analog hearing aids provided amplification for all frequencies unless the proper slope was ordered for the patient.  The fitter had to understand acoustic performance of sound inside the ear.  If they did not know how to modify every mold or ear piece for specific hearing losses, the patient had to adjust on their own to sounds being over exaggerated or unnatural. The lack of control of the loud sounds in specific areas of the hearing range also made it difficult for patients with recruitment to even get adapted to amplification.  Also the use of compression could not be utilized to provide a normal dynamic range of hearing like with today’s digital hearing aids.  Read more... (231 words, estimated 55 secs reading time)

The Speech Mapping showed this.  Speech Mapping gives us a readout of the frequency correction within + or – 3db of the hearing aids correction in the speech range.  This is measured by inserting a probe microphone into the ear canal alongside the hearing aid.  So what is measured is what the correction is for the patient while they are wearing the hearing aid.

The second measurement we started performing was the HINT or Hearing in Noise Test, which was developed to measure the patient’s improved ability to understand words in noise.  When I started this testing 10 years ago I found out that most instruments performed miserably.  There were some, fortunately, who performed at the level they were advertised.  The sad part is that if you bought a hearing aid and were told it would help in these situations, unless you were lucky enough to choose the very few who could perform what they advertised, you were very disappointed.  Read more... (274 words, estimated 1:06 mins reading time)

Everyone today wants to get their money’s worth regardless of what they are purchasing.  I think we have all purchased something high priced and later found it just wasn’t what it was advertised.

I can tell you for sure that there is a huge difference between hearing aid manufactures, especially in the results and benefit provided for patients. I have learned my lesson the hard way.  I made the mistake of believing what manufactures told me about their hearing aids’ performance levels.  I believed them when they told me their hearing aid would accurately correct my patients hearing loss.  I believed them when they told me their instruments would help people hear better in noisy situations.  I believed what I saw on their fitting screens while using their software when I fit a patient with their hearing aid.  I believed them when they said they had a new circuit or technology that would make a huge difference for my patients.  Read more... (276 words, estimated 1:06 mins reading time)

Moisture will build up on the electrical components inside your instrument usually very slowly.  Signs of moisture are crackling or distortion of sound. Your hearing aid performance may be intermittent, sometimes it sounds good and then other times it doesn’t. It may even go on/off at times. All makes and models are affected by moisture.

What can be done?  First of all if you see any moisture or water on your instrument, wipe and clean it off.  Secondly, I recommend every moment your hearing aid isn’t in your ear to put it into a Dri-Aid Kit.  A Dri-Aid Kit usually consists of an absorbent material inside a container of some sort. There are numerous kinds and designs available on the market, some very inexpensive and others quite pricey.  When placing your instrument in the container with the moisture absorbent material, the idea is to draw the moisture out of your hearing aid.  Read more... (258 words, estimated 1:02 mins reading time)

I recommend cleaning your hearing aid at least once a day.  By using the cleaning brush all hearing aids come with and physically brushing the outlet where the sound comes out, you can keep the sound passageway quite clear.  Then on a regular basis you want to have the outlet cleaned out with suction or by physically removing the wax guard.  The wax guard which comes with HearPod hearing aids is a little basket that is designed to be replaced usually at least once every two months.  The basket may have to be replaced more often if you produce a heavy amount of wax.  I am frequently asked if when people look inside the basket and it appears to be clean, should they replace it?  Even though it may appear to be clean, please replace it on a regular basis.  Let me explain why. When you put your finger into your ear when it itches, have you noticed when you remove your finger that it didn’t look like there was any ear wax on it, however when you rubbed your finger you could feel a film of waxy clear substance.  That clear wax accumulates over the grid of the wax guard and will prevent the sound coming from the receiver inside the hearing aid into your ear canal.  Read more... (411 words, estimated 1:39 mins reading time)

When considering purchasing a hearing aid, one of the most important aspects you should consider is the service provided with your purchase.  All hearing aids sound really good when they are new.  Then people are surprised that the quality of sound doesn’t last or quite often their hearing aid stops performing altogether.  So what could cause a hearing aids performance to diminish or even stop altogether?

Consider where you wear your hearing aid.  If you have a behind-the-ear model it will rest behind your ear, next to your skull and your ear flap.  From the part sitting behind your ear there is a piece of tubing or wire that comes around the top of your ear flap down into your ear canal. If you wear an in-the-ear hearing aid, then you have the complete devise fitting inside the ear canal.  Read more... (323 words, estimated 1:18 mins reading time)

A full examination and diagnosis by a licensed hearing professional is the only way to determine the best hearing aid for a particular case of hearing loss. Hearing aids are generally recommended for both ears, regardless of the extent of loss in each ear. If you have two ears with a hearing loss and a hearing aid is fit for one ear this can put unnatural strain on the patient. Two hearing aids will allow the patient to more precisely identify sound and its location, much as both ears do in a person with normal hearing.  Hence better word understanding especially in groups or noisy environments.  Read more... (265 words, estimated 1:04 mins reading time)

Not all hearing aids work the same for all patients. There are two distinctly different types of hearing aids available for hearing loss patients, analog and digital. Analog hearing aids work by converting sound waves into amplified electronic signals. These electronic signals are then transmitted to a speaker which is worn inside the ear. All analog hearing aids are programmed by the manufacturer or provider with a computer; however, sometimes they can be adjusted by the user for different types of sound environments. The analog type of hearing aids can be set by the user for locations such as crowded events, small dinner parties or open locations such as theaters.  Read more... (251 words, estimated 1:00 mins reading time)