Hearing Aids: Essential Tips

Posted by admin on July 29th, 2010
1. Seek the help of a professional- more and more people are getting hooked up to buying listening devices online even without undergoing an extensive hearing aid evaluation. Patients should have completed a comprehensive hearing test before taking advantage of the benefits provided by the hearing aid.
2. Convenience- the gadget’s profound benefit provided to patients doesn’t count if it’s a burden to carry. It will definitely defeat the very purpose of the treatment program. Many hearing aid styles offer a wide array of hearing aid modes that suits a range of clients taste and personal preferences sharing similar functionality.
3. Consider Opinions- listening to the advice of others who have used some of the products in the market will furnish you a considerable amount of details about which product, however, be emphasized that this is not a substitute to the professional help of a doctor who is qualified to verify devices that are most appropriate for you.
4. Budget Concerns- the maintenance of a hearing aid manufacturing facility has a lot to do with why the cost of the product of this technology continues to rise. While the best devices are typically the most expensive, there are products in the market which offer similar functionalities without stripping off those hard-earned dollars in your pocket.
5. Stick with the Evaluation- people tend to underestimate the findings provided in the hearing evaluation, they turn into manufacturers that, more than ever, sell cheap and poor quality hearing aid devices. Remember to consult an audiologist before making a purchase.

1. Seek the help of a professional- more and more people are getting hooked up to buying listening devices online even without undergoing an extensive hearing aid evaluation. Patients should have completed a comprehensive hearing test before taking advantage of the benefits provided by the hearing aid.

2. Convenience- the gadget’s profound benefit provided to patients doesn’t count if it’s a burden to carry. It will definitely defeat the very purpose of the treatment program. Many hearing aid styles offer a wide array of hearing aid modes that suits a range of clients taste and personal preferences sharing similar functionality.

3. Consider Opinions- listening to the advice of others who have used some of the products in the market will furnish you a considerable amount of details about which product, however, be emphasized that this is not a substitute to the professional help of a doctor who is qualified to verify devices that are most appropriate for you.

4. Budget Concerns- the maintenance of a hearing aid manufacturing facility has a lot to do with why the cost of the product of this technology continues to rise. While the best devices are typically the most expensive, there are products in the market which offer similar functionalities without stripping off those hard-earned dollars in your pocket.

5. Stick with the Evaluation- people tend to underestimate the findings provided in the hearing evaluation, they turn into manufacturers that, more than ever, sell cheap and poor quality hearing aid devices. Remember to consult an audiologist before making a purchase.

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Hearing Loss 101

Posted by admin on July 28th, 2010
1. There are two primary types of hearing loss- first is commonly called conductive hearing loss, involving the outer or middle ear. Sounds may seem dull and the loudness of certain sounds may be affected. This form affects a person’s ability to hear lower frequencies. The possible causes of conductive hearing loss include wax obstructing the ear canal, infection in the middle ear, or a puncture of the eardrum.
Second and most common type of hearing loss is referred to as “nerve deafness” or sensorineural hearing loss, generally is damage to the hair cells or nerve fibers in the inner ear which will distort and reduce the perceived loudness of sound. Usually accompanied with a difficulty in understanding speech, especially in noisy situations, a person with this type of hearing loss may also have trouble telling the difference between consonant sounds.
2. The fist step in getting a hearing device- have a hearing evaluation and a medical exam. After conducting a hearing evaluation, an qualified hearing specialist will be able to decide whether a hearing aid will help. This is important because aids can be very expensive and are often not covered by health insurance.
There are no “one size fits all” type of hearing aids, every hearing loss is individual and different. The type and style of hearing aid that will be best for you depends on the nature and level of your hearing loss, your audiologist or hearing aid dispenser will help you decide on the best hearing aid for you.

1. There are two primary types of hearing loss – first is commonly called conductive hearing loss, involving the outer or middle ear. Sounds may seem dull and the loudness of certain sounds may be affected. This form affects a person’s ability to hear lower frequencies. The possible causes of conductive hearing loss include wax obstructing the ear canal, infection in the middle ear, or a puncture of the eardrum.

Second and most common type of hearing loss is referred to as “nerve deafness” or sensorineural hearing loss, generally is damage to the hair cells or nerve fibers in the inner ear which will distort and reduce the perceived loudness of sound. Usually accompanied with a difficulty in understanding speech, especially in noisy situations, a person with this type of hearing loss may also have trouble telling the difference between consonant sounds.

2. The fist step in getting a hearing device- have a hearing evaluation and a medical exam. After conducting a hearing evaluation, an qualified hearing specialist will be able to decide whether a hearing aid will help. This is important because aids can be very expensive and are often not covered by health insurance.

There are no “one size fits all” type of hearing aids, every hearing loss is individual and different. The type and style of hearing aid that will be best for you depends on the nature and level of your hearing loss, your audiologist or hearing aid dispenser will help you decide on the best hearing aid for you.

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5 Tips on Choosing Digital Hearing Aids

Posted by admin on July 28th, 2010
1. Style- they come in various styles, the type and degree of hearing loss determine the style that works best for you. Consult with an audiologist who can advise on a suitable style for your hearing loss.
5 main styles of hearing aid:
CIC  Completely in the ear canal hearing aid.
ITC  In the canal hearing aid.
ITE  In the ear hearing aid.
BTE  Behind the ear hearing aid.
Open fit hearing aid is similar to BTE hearing aid but smaller using a small tube.
2. Basic features- hearing aids have the same basic features, a microphone used to pick up the sounds for amplification. The amplifier increases the volume of the sounds, and a speaker is used to provide sounds into the ear canal to be heard.
3. Digital or analog- analog are standard hearing aid and the first type that was available. Technology advanced digital hearing aids were born, these started out being quite expensive, the prices have become quite affordable making the analog styles all but obsolete.
4. Accessories- remote control is handy to easily control volume and make other adjustments. Directional microphones help to pick up sounds that come from various directions, while adapters enable your hearing aid to be used with your telephone and cell phone.
5. Hearing aid brands- consider how long the hearing aid manufacturer has been in business as well as their guarantee and warranties. Siemens, Phonak, Starkey, Widex and Rexton offer some of the highest quality hearing aids in the market.

1. Style- they come in various styles, the type and degree of hearing loss determine the style that works best for you. Consult with an audiologist who can advise on a suitable style for your hearing loss.

5 main styles of hearing aid:

CIC  Completely in the ear canal hearing aid.

ITC  In the canal hearing aid.

ITE  In the ear hearing aid.

BTE  Behind the ear hearing aid.

Open fit hearing aid is similar to BTE hearing aid but smaller using a small tube.

2. Basic features- hearing aids have the same basic features, a microphone used to pick up the sounds for amplification. The amplifier increases the volume of the sounds, and a speaker is used to provide sounds into the ear canal to be heard.

3. Digital or analog- analog are standard hearing aid and the first type that was available. Technology advanced digital hearing aids were born, these started out being quite expensive, the prices have become quite affordable making the analog styles all but obsolete.

4. Accessories- remote control is handy to easily control volume and make other adjustments. Directional microphones help to pick up sounds that come from various directions, while adapters enable your hearing aid to be used with your telephone and cell phone.

5. Hearing aid brands- consider how long the hearing aid manufacturer has been in business as well as their guarantee and warranties. Siemens, Phonak, Starkey, Widex and Rexton offer some of the highest quality hearing aids in the market.

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How Hearing Aids Work

Posted by admin on July 26th, 2010
Technology can be difficult for some mature adults to grasp. Wwhen it comes to hearing aids, even the most savvy person sometimes does’t understand the mechanics behind the device. All hearing aids have the same basic mechanics, parts, and functions, styles, colors, sizes and features vary, but the general concept is the same.
Hearing devices in the form of a hearing aid have a microphone receiving the sound in the room and passes it through to the amplifier. You can also opt to get a hearing aid with a directional microphone helping to pick up sound only from right in front of you reducing background noise & let you focus on a person speaking directly to you.
The amplifier increases the volume of the sound, the process of amplifying sound is accompanied by features that reduce background noise and purify the sound so you can hear voices more clearly. After the sound is received by the microphone and amplified, it is passed through the speaker so that you can hear it delivering sound from the amplifier into your ear.
And the last piece that ever hearing aid has is a battery that  provides power to the hearing aid’s electronic parts. Most batteries last 5-7 days, but of course the exact life of the battery depends on the type of hearing aid you get. Some hearing aids require more battery power than other hearing aids to deliver better sound to your ear, but require more battery power, meaning you have to change the batteries out more often.

Technology can be difficult for some mature adults to grasp. Wwhen it comes to hearing aids, even the most savvy person sometimes does’t understand the mechanics behind the device. All hearing aids have the same basic mechanics, parts, and functions, styles, colors, sizes and features vary, but the general concept is the same.

Hearing devices in the form of a hearing aid have a microphone receiving the sound in the room and passes it through to the amplifier. You can also opt to get a hearing aid with a directional microphone helping to pick up sound only from right in front of you reducing background noise & let you focus on a person speaking directly to you.

The amplifier increases the volume of the sound, the process of amplifying sound is accompanied by features that reduce background noise and purify the sound so you can hear voices more clearly. After the sound is received by the microphone and amplified, it is passed through the speaker so that you can hear it delivering sound from the amplifier into your ear.

And the last piece that ever hearing aid has is a battery that  provides power to the hearing aid’s electronic parts. Most batteries last 5-7 days, but of course the exact life of the battery depends on the type of hearing aid you get. Some hearing aids require more battery power than other hearing aids to deliver better sound to your ear, but require more battery power, meaning you have to change the batteries out more often.

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YouTube – Hearing Test 2

Posted by admin on July 26th, 2010

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A Look at Phonak Hearing Aids

Posted by admin on July 25th, 2010
Digital Phonak hearing aids really shines with  good digital technology backing it up. The best suited for your personal preferences beginning with fitting, but does not end right there. Using the Phonak earing aids, you will naturally be able to set the volume according to the way the noise around you, depending on the surrounding, like a crowded football arena, or the quiet atmosphere in a monastery. The self learning process involved will make you adapt yourself according to the given situation.
There is an option to self log in your Phonak hearing aids. This stores the information about your choice of the volume for a particular situation, that is given by the audiologist. There is a feature called the Auto Pilot automatically set its volume depending on the preset adjustments. The Surround Zoom is another feature that diminishes the noise from the surrounding.
The Phonak Hearing aids also offer one type of aid called the Micro Power, powerful enough to help people with acute hearing losses. It is a BTE hearing aid, it’s speaker rests on the back of the ear. It is tiny, the tubing that is given for this hearing aid is very small. All the Micro Style hearing aids are small in size, they are feather light.
These hearing aids come in usual styles. These are ITE hearing aids or In-the-Ear Hearing aids. They are fine if the hearing defect is not all that bad, or Behind-the-Ear hearing aids are accurate for the user with any level of hearing defect.

Digital Phonak hearing aids really shines with  good digital technology backing it up. The best suited for your personal preferences beginning with fitting, but does not end right there. Using the Phonak earing aids, you will naturally be able to set the volume according to the way the noise around you, depending on the surrounding, like a crowded football arena, or the quiet atmosphere in a monastery. The self learning process involved will make you adapt yourself according to the given situation.

There is an option to self log in your Phonak hearing aids. This stores the information about your choice of the volume for a particular situation, that is given by the audiologist. There is a feature called the Auto Pilot automatically set its volume depending on the preset adjustments. The Surround Zoom is another feature that diminishes the noise from the surrounding.

The Phonak Hearing aids also offer one type of aid called the Micro Power, powerful enough to help people with acute hearing losses. It is a BTE hearing aid, it’s speaker rests on the back of the ear. It is tiny, the tubing that is given for this hearing aid is very small. All the Micro Style hearing aids are small in size, they are feather light.

These hearing aids come in usual styles. These are ITE hearing aids or In-the-Ear Hearing aids. They are fine if the hearing defect is not all that bad, or Behind-the-Ear hearing aids are accurate for the user with any level of hearing defect.

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Latest hearing aid batteries news – AAA Members See Better, Hear Better and Feel Better with Health Care Discounts

Posted by admin on July 24th, 2010

Ok so you might find the next few links interesting. These are from around the web, just random snippets that I’ve picked up in my reading, but I found some very cool information in them. You might too. Here goes…

AAA Members See Better, Hear Better and Feel Better with Health Care Discounts

AAA members receive a 40 percent discount on hearing aids, complimentary hearing exam, two-year supply of hearing Read the rest of this entry »

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YouTube – Hearing Loss: Testing and Hearing Aids : Hearing Test …

Posted by admin on July 22nd, 2010

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Bone Anchored Hearing Aids

Posted by admin on July 22nd, 2010
Surgery is involved in getting this type of hearing aid. The patient risks contracting infection while the wound is still unhealed. The wound needs to be cleaned daily, a topical antibiotic should be applied in the affected area as the wound heals. Care should be taken with the titanium imbed, it should be cleaned daily with a soft brush and its surrounding areas should also be disinfected regularly.
Care should be taken in handling the hearing aids, even when these are designed to come off their posts, a slight impact may damage them. Cochlear Limited is the only manufacturer of this type of hearing aid for now, they offer warranty and repair within a period of time.
In terms of the hearing aid unit alone, cost can reach up to US$5,000, with the additional cost of hospitalization and surgery, expenses can add up to $35,000, on the average.
Hearing Aid Models:
These are limited models to choose from:
1. BAHA Classic and BAHA Compact – have been discontinued because of developments in BAHA technology, they remain in use but with limited repair options.
2. BAHA Cordelle – for those with severe hearing loss. Sound is amplified more, it is made up of a transducer and an additional attached unit that is worn around the body.
3. BAHA Divino – This model is digital BAHA model with built-in directional microphone.
4. BAHA Intenso – This model is supposedly the more powerful and clearer model. Feedback issues have also been reduced.

Surgery is involved in getting this type of hearing aid. The patient risks contracting infection while the wound is still unhealed. The wound needs to be cleaned daily, a topical antibiotic should be applied in the affected area as the wound heals. Care should be taken with the titanium imbed, it should be cleaned daily with a soft brush and its surrounding areas should also be disinfected regularly.

Care should be taken in handling the hearing aids, even when these are designed to come off their posts, a slight impact may damage them. Cochlear Limited is the only manufacturer of this type of hearing aid for now, they offer warranty and repair within a period of time.

In terms of the hearing aid unit alone, cost can reach up to US$5,000, with the additional cost of hospitalization and surgery, expenses can add up to $35,000, on the average.

Hearing Aid Models:

These are limited models to choose from:

1. BAHA Classic and BAHA Compact – have been discontinued because of developments in BAHA technology, they remain in use but with limited repair options.

2. BAHA Cordelle – for those with severe hearing loss. Sound is amplified more, it is made up of a transducer and an additional attached unit that is worn around the body.

3. BAHA Divino – This model is digital BAHA model with built-in directional microphone.

4. BAHA Intenso – This model is supposedly the more powerful and clearer model. Feedback issues have also been reduced.

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Hearing Aid: Important Features

Posted by admin on July 21st, 2010
Directional Microphones – available on most BTE, OE, ITE, Half Shell, and ITC styles of hearing aids. The best feature you can have on your hearing aid for hearing in noisy places, they reduce all the sounds that are behind you so that it doesn’t get in the way of sounds that are in front of you. They can be automatic, the hearing aid automatically decides when to turn them on once the sound level in the room gets too loud. Some are also be adaptive following moving sounds, or reduce several different sounds at the same time.
Noise Reduction – doesn’t really reduce noise, it reduces amplification in the frequencies where there is noise and no speech. If there is a fan running in the background, it will not amplify it as much as it will speech. When the hearing aid finds both speech and noise at a frequency, you get both. More advanced the hearing aids manage noise better by breaking the frequencies.
Memories – two types of memories available on a hearing aid, manual and automatic. Hearing aids have a push button allowing you to have different settings for different situations. It beeps when you push the button to let you know which memory you are using. Advanced hearing aids can have memories that are automatic, instead of pushing a button, the hearing aid does it for you.
Bands / Channels – used to adjust the volume in a hearing aid, more bands means more control when we program the hearing aid to your hearing loss.

Directional Microphones – available on most BTE, OE, ITE, Half Shell, and ITC styles of hearing aids. The best feature you can have on your hearing aid for hearing in noisy places, they reduce all the sounds that are behind you so that it doesn’t get in the way of sounds that are in front of you. They can be automatic, the hearing aid automatically decides when to turn them on once the sound level in the room gets too loud. Some are also be adaptive following moving sounds, or reduce several different sounds at the same time.

Noise Reduction – doesn’t really reduce noise, it reduces amplification in the frequencies where there is noise and no speech. If there is a fan running in the background, it will not amplify it as much as it will speech. When the hearing aid finds both speech and noise at a frequency, you get both. More advanced the hearing aids manage noise better by breaking the frequencies.

Memories – two types of memories available on a hearing aid, manual and automatic. Hearing aids have a push button allowing you to have different settings for different situations. It beeps when you push the button to let you know which memory you are using. Advanced hearing aids can have memories that are automatic, instead of pushing a button, the hearing aid does it for you.

Bands / Channels – used to adjust the volume in a hearing aid, more bands means more control when we program the hearing aid to your hearing loss.

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