Ask the Hearing Expert

May 2012 Article

Do you need a Volume Control?

This is a very legitimate question which I’m asked on occasion.  Before I give the “expert” answer, there needs to be some preamble towards clarification.

Before the coming of digital circuits, analog circuits ruled the hearing aid world.  There were adjustments on the aids, but were very limited as to how they performed.  A volume control (or VC) of some kind was mandatory in order to be able to adjust the sound.  The VC had to be adjusted when things got to loud or too soft.

Next came programmable analog hearing aids.  Finally with the assistance of a computer, you could adjust the hearing aids closer to the hearing loss.  Some of the programmable aids had an excellent adjustment for volume on their own and some did not.  Therefore, on some a VC was still a necessity.

Now we have the digital hearing systems which are like having mini-computers in your ears.  The hearing aids are doing thousands of calculations every second to identify sound around you as speech or noise and doing the filtering of those sounds depending on the situation in which you find yourself and we are able to adjust for your hearing loss closer than ever before.

So the answer to the question is NO.  You could never get your finger on the VC fast enough to do all adjustments your digital hearing device does in seconds.  There are multi-memory systems that can be added to some aids which will help with difficult listening environments.  And there are those of you out there who even though they don’t need it, want a VC because it was on their old one.

 

 

April 2012 Article

That’s Loud

For any of you who have invested in hearing aids and for any of you who are thinking of investing, there is one thing you should know right now…we live in a noisy world.   Cars and trucks on the road, exercise establishments, restaurants, kitchen appliances, toilets flushing, church meetings and children, just to name a few of the noises we subject ourselves to nearly daily.

The thing is when you put on a hearing aid for the first time, you will hear these sounds and much more.  In the beginning they will feel as if they are too loud or louder than you are used to.  That’s good.  If they sounded the same then we aren’t doing you any favours.  And you will hear your own voice louder.

When your hearing professional begins in the endeavour of aiding your hearing loss, you start to hear all those sounds you’ve been missing and they are so foreign to you, that you interpret them to be too loud. The truth is; your brain processes sounds. The ears just deliver the information to the brain.  As time passes, your ears ability to transfer the sounds to your brain gradually diminishes as you age or develop hearing loss or both. Therefore your brain hasn’t heard these sounds for so long that you have forgotten what the actual sound is.( Yes Virginia, there is a Santa Claus and the newspaper does rattle when you turn the pages). Hearing aids are designed to complete or rebuild the bridge from ear to brain, depending upon damage to the system and the severity.

When hearing aids are worn the way they are supposed to be, you, as the user, will begin to grow accustomed to the new sounds until they seem normal and comfortable. During this time period the best habit you can create is to wear your hearing aids daily as if they were your glasses, and in a short period of time, you won’t know what you ever did without them.

 

March 2012 Article

The Cost of Better Hearing

There is a question which seems to be on everyone’s mind when investigating a suspected hearing loss and reasonable solutions. “Why do hearing aids seem to cost so much?”

Custom designed  hearing devices have become the norm instead of the exception in hearing aid offices around North America. These are custom designed items which require component inventory, manufacturing of shells, testing and verification of the circuit, shipping air freight, repair warranty for usually 2 years for whatever happens (except loss) and they need to fit the person. Here are some additional thoughts.

1. Hearing aid manufacturers employ people, not robots, who literally hand make each individual hearing aid.  They cannot be mass produced like microwaves because each one is different. The aids follow an assembly line pattern, moving through 12 to 20 people until it is ready to be shipped to the hearing health professional.

2. Each manufacturer will custom make a hearing product that fits you and only you. You may try this custom product for a minimum 28 days at no risk. (There may still be some handling charges)  If you decide for some amazing reason that you do not like these aids, they can be sent back to the manufacturer. They salvage the reusable parts and discard the rest.  This service is factored into the price.

3. Research and development of new technology has given us the best hearing aids ever right now. The research continues to try and duplicate the sound reproduction of the normal ear, but that’s still in the future.  Manufacturers are spending hundreds of millions to help us hear better. A large percentage of your hearing aid cost goes back into R&D to fund the next break through in technology.

4. Finally, providing this new technology, a convenient location, quality equipment, and well trained staff contribute to the cost of hearing aids. BUT, there is value for your dollar.

If you are a current hearing aid user or know you need to be wearing something, try the new technology available today.  Don’t dwell on Uncle Frank or Aunt Bessie’s experience.   You are an individual and if you try the new technology of today, you’ll be happy you did.

 

 

January 2012 Article

Cool New Stuff

I’m not usually one to get all excited over new technology, at least not right away.  In my never ending mission to bring you news of better hearing, I search the globe for the latest advances in circuitry to give you, the hearing public, the best possible hearing with the best possible value.

Value is a subjective thing, since it is different for everyone.  Some people believe their hearing to be an extra sense, while others put great value on it since they love to be able to communicate.  You have to decide what its worth to you to be able to hear.  And for you men, your wife has put up with you for along time struggling to communicate with you.  Don’t you think it’s time you enhanced your relationship with your bride and got your hearing tested and did something about it?   Anyway, that’s a whole other issue.

My purpose today is talk about this amazing new technology that is virtually feedback free.  FEEDBACK FREE!!!.  For those of use unfamiliar with the term, that annoying whistle hearing aids produce at time for a variety of reasons, that’s feedback.  There have been feedback managers, feedback cancelers,  and feedback reducers, now there’s FEEDBACK FREE!!!!.  I am super excited about this new technology.  There are other things which go along with this new advancement, but this in itself is fantastic.

Of course, there are disclaimers, but they have been sporadic.   People have been very happy with the sound quality and the value they are receiving for their investment.

There have been other advances over the past few years which have been great, but in my opinion this new hearing device is the best I’ve seen so far.

 

October 2011 Article

Two Hearing Aids- Take 3 

In the last two columns I given you numerous reasons you need to use two hearing aids.  This will be the completion of that article from Sergei Kochkin PhD and Director of the Better Hearing Institute.  It’s a not for profit organization which helps make hearing loss more recognizable in the world.

Two hearing aids give you greater comfort with loud sounds.  Two hearing aids usually require a lower volume setting than just one hearing aid.  The result is better tolerance for loud sounds.

Feedback has been a real issue with those wearing one hearing aid.  I found lots of people who turn their one hearing aid up too much to compensate for only using one ear.  Wearing two hearing aids means using less volume which translates into less chance for feedback.

Tinnitus or ringing in the ears is helped by wearing two hearing aids.  If you are keeping both ears busy, it enhances your chances of controlling or lessening your tinnitus.

Research with more than 5000 consumers with hearing loss in both ears demonstrated that binaurally fit patients are more satisfied that those fit with one hearing aid.  Logically, just as you use both eyes to see clearly, you need two healthy ears to hear clearly.

Talk to your hearing health professional to get the best fit for your hearing loss.

 

September 2011 Article

Two Hearing Aids- Take 2

In my continuing efforts to keep you, the public informed, I continue my soap box rendition of the advantages of wearing two hearing aids as penned by Sergei Kochkin PhD and Director of the Better Hearing Institute.

Two hearing aids keeps both ears active resulting in potentially less hearing loss deterioration.  Reasearch has shown that when only one hearing aid is worn, the unaided ear tends to lose the ability to hear and understand.  It encompasses the old adage “ if you don’t use it, you lose it.” Using both ears keeps both ears active.

Hearing is less tiring and more pleasant.  I don’t know if you notice, but listening is hard work if you have a hearing loss.  One hearing aid makes things better and easier, but those who wear two instruments report participating in conversation is more enjoyable since they don’t have to strain, and in turn helps them to relax at social events.

Two eared hearing results in feeling balanced in your reception of sounds.  Those of you with one aid may recognize the feeling of only being able to hear in one ear.

A person can normally hear sounds from a further distance with two ears, rather than just one.  Also there is better sound identification with two ears working.  Many noises and words sound alike, but using two hearing aids help things be more distinguishable.

Next column will conclude the advantages of using both ears to hear.

 

August 2011 Article

Two Hearing Aids

In my continuing efforts to keep you, the public informed, I continue my soap box rendition of the advantages of wearing two hearing aids as penned by Sergei Kochkin PhD and Director of the Better Hearing Institute.

Two hearing aids keeps both ears active resulting in potentially less hearing loss deterioration. Reasearch has shown that when only one hearing aid is worn, the unaided ear tends to lose the ability to hear and understand. It encompasses the old adage “ if you don’t use it, you lose it.” Using both ears keeps both ears active.

Hearing is less tiring and more pleasant. I don’t know if you notice, but listening is hard work if you have a hearing loss. One hearing aid makes things better and easier, but those who wear two instruments report participating in conversation is more enjoyable since they don’t have to strain, and in turn helps them to relax at socials.

Two eared hearing results in feeling balanced in your reception of sounds. Those of you with one aid may recognize the feeling of only being able to hear in one ear.

A person can normally hear sounds from a further distance with two ears, rather than just one. Also there is better sound identification with two ears working. Many noises and words sound alike, but using two hearing aids help things be more distinguishable.

Next column will conclude the advantages of using both ears to hear.