Hearing Aid Blog

Troubleshooting Your Hearing Aids

December 28, 2009

If you are having problems with your hearing aid, there are a few things you can do yourself to try to fix it.


Problem: The volume drops

  • Low battery – replace it.
  • The sound outlet is blocked with earwax – clean with a small brush.
  • Change the cerumen filter.
  • Blocked microphone inlet – consult your hearing care professional.

Problem: The instrument “whistles” in the ear

  • The instrument is not correctly inserted in your ear. Try again.
  • The instrument is in the wrong ear – swap it over.
  • The fit of the instrument is too loose – consult your hearing care professional.

Problem: The instrument does not work

  • There is no battery in it – insert one.
  • The battery compartment is not closed – shut it.
  • The battery is dirty – clean the battery surface.
  • The battery is dead – replace it.

Problem: The instrument slops out of your ear

  • The ear canal is wet or dirty – wipe the hearing instrument and your ear with a soft, dry cloth.

Problem: The instrument hurts your ear

  • The instrument is not correctly positioned – remove and re-insert it. If the problem persists, consult your hearing care professional.

Problem: The instruments is difficult to insert

  • Place a small drop of non-irritating lubricant on your finger and smear onto the ear canal entrance before inserting your instrument. Ensure that no lubricant enters the sound outlet or microphone apertures.

Important:
If the suggestions above do not solve the problem, contact your hearing care professional.

Lyric Hearing

December 12, 2009

LYRIC® HEARING
Invisible. Effortless. 24/7.


We are proud to be one of the select offices in the United States to offer Lyric Hearing to its patients. Lyric was featured on Good Morning America as a new hearing technology that is not only tiny and invisible, but also delivers exceptional sound quality without daily hassles.



Watch A Video on How Lyric Works >>

Lyric is the first extended wear hearing device that is 100% invisible. It is comfortably placed in the ear canal by a Lyric trained hearing professional and can be worn 24 hours a day, seven days a week, for up to 4 months at a time.1 No surgery or anesthesia is required.

Unlike many other hearing aids, Lyric is positioned completely inside the ear canal, so it uses your ear’s natural anatomy to funnel sound to your eardrum. This unique design and placement helps reduce background noise and feedback and provides exceptionally natural sound quality. Because it remains in the ear canal 24/7 for months at a time, you don’t need to worry about daily hassles like putting the device on or taking it off, or changing batteries, so you can forget about your hearing loss and spend time connecting with friends and loved ones.

Lyric Benefits

  • 100% Invisible
    • Once placed, Lyric is 100% invisible
  • Effortless Hearing, 24/7
    • Lyric can be used during your daily activities, such as exercising, showering, talking on the phone, and sleeping.
    • There are no batteries to change, no maintenance is needed, and no daily insertion or removal is required.
  • Natural Sound Quality
    • Lyric’s placement deep in the ear canal allows the outer ear (the pinna) to direct sound into the ear canal naturally, resulting in reduced background noise and feedback, and exceptional sound quality

A recent study shows that of the patients surveyed, 99% preferred Lyric over their previous hearing aids,2 95% preferred Lyric sound quality over their previous hearing aids,3 and 96% would recommend Lyric to a friend or loved one4.

Please call us today to make an appointment to see if Lyric is right for you. Receive a Free Lyric Screening and Risk-Free 30-day Trial.

For more information about Lyric, please visit www.lyrichearing.com.

1 Individual replacement needs may vary.
2 Based on a telephone survey of 67 patients who have worn Lyric for at least 30 days.
3 Based on a combination of results from three surveys totaling 86 patients who had worn Lyric for at least 30 days
4 Based on a telephone survey of 90 patients who have worn Lyric for at least 30 days.

Lyric is not appropriate for all patients. See a trained Lyric professional to determine if Lyric is right for you.

Hearing Aid Maintenance

Hearing aids, like cars, need regular maintenance to keep them operating at their best. Hearing aids are fragile, little machines and conditions of the ear can damage the hearing aid over time.  Ears contain wax, moisture, skin and oil that are enemies of hearing aids.   There are few things you do every day to keep your hearing aid “healthy”.  Everyday maintenance should include wiping off your hearing aid with a dry cloth and brushing off any wax or debris that is on the hearing aid using a hearing aid brush or a dry toothbrush.  Never use a wet cloth or alcohol on a hearing aid.  After use every night , you should open the battery door to allow air circulation that helps keep the hearing aid dry inside.  Storing the hearing aids in a dehumidifying container is strongly recommended and will help keep your hearing aid dry.  Never dry the hearing aids by microwave, stove or oven.  Another enemy of the hearing aid are pets.  Cats and dogs are attracted to the smell of hearing aids and many hearing aids have been eaten or destroyed by Fluffy or Fido.  Avoid using hairspray while wearing your hearing aid.  Never shower, bath or swim with hearing aids.

Like taking your car into the mechanic for an oil change, hearing aids need to be regularly brought in to the “hearing aid mechanic”.  Even if your hearing aids sound fine, hearing aids need to be professionally cleaned to prevent any problems.  All hearing aids need to be listened to, looked out and cleaned by a professional every four to six months.  Hearing aids that go behind the ear also need to have their tubing changed every four to six months.  Over time, tubing will turn yellow, harden and eventually crack causing problems with sound.

These tips will help to prolong the life of your hearing aid and help to keep you hearing well.

Degree of Hearing Loss Varies from Person to Person

December 9, 2009

Between the two extremes of hearing well and hearing nothing, there are many degrees of impairment. The terms used to describe the degree of hearing loss are mild, moderate, severe, and profound. Most hearing losses are mild to moderate.

Mild hearing loss:  Unable to hear soft sounds, difficulty perceiving speech in noisy environments.

Moderate hearing loss:  Unable to hear soft and moderately loud sounds, considerable difficulty in perceiving speech, particularly with background noise.

Severe hearing loss:  Speakers must raise their voice. Group conversation is possible only with considerable effort.

Profound hearing loss:  Some very loud sounds are audible but hearing conversation without a hearing instrument is impossible.

The Impact of Hearing Loss on Speech Perception

Hearing loss in the inner ear (sensorineural hearing loss) mainly affects high frequency sounds. These high-pitched sounds such as “s,” “f,” “sh,” “t” play a key role in our ability to understand speech clearly. This is why a person with this type of hearing loss will often say, “I can hear but I don’t understand what’s being said.” Hearing loss drastically reduces the ability to understand speech.

The Hearing Test

The performance of the ear is tested with a special measuring instrument, the audiometer. The object of the test is to precisely register the extent of the hearing loss. This can only be done when there is no background noise to distort the result. Since the extent of the damage may be different in each ear, they need to be tested separately. In order to do this the sound signals are transmitted via headphones. Both the perception of the sound and the understanding of speech are tested. The key observations are “when do I begin to hear the sound” and “when does the sound become unpleasantly loud.” This test is usually carried out for several frequencies (or pitches), at a range of different loudness levels. The result is presented in the form of a sound-audiogram. The audiogram is a special graphic representation of the evaluation of a person’s hearing ability. The audiogram enables us to establish the degree, type, and progression of a loss of hear. Regular checks give a clear picture of any changes in the hearing system.

What do the horizontal numbers in the audiogram mean?

The frequencies (pitches), measured in Hertz (Hz) are marked on the horizontal axis. The pitch of the sound increases from left to right. Lower numbers mean lower-pitched sounds (e.g. bass voices, drums) and high numbers correspond to higher-pitched sounds (e.g. birdsong, soprano voices).

What do the digits on the left-hand side of the audiogram mean?

The hearing loss for each frequency measured can be seen on the vertical axis. The higher the number, the louder the sounds. The level is measured in decibels (dB).  0dB indicates the softest sound normally heard by the healthy ear.  120 dB is the loudest sound usually considered tolerable by human beings.

Analog, Digitally Programmable, Digital?

Every hearing instrument has at least one microphone which picks up sound from the environment, an amplifier which transforms the signal to compensate for hearing loss and a receiver that directs the signal, which is adapted for the hearing loss, into the auditory canal. This is similar to a hi-fi system although these hearing systems are much smaller and adapted specifically to the needs of the hearing-impaired individual.  Thanks to increasingly small micro-processors, digital technology has been introduced in to the most modern hearing systems. Digital hearing instruments are programmed by a hearingcare professional via computer. Acoustic signals are transformed into a binary code at high speed and with great precision. Complex calculations provide the ultimate flexibility in providing individualized solutions to hearing loss. Additional hearing system features can be offered: e.g. various hearing programs, automatic program selection, noise cancellers, and adaptive directionality. Remote control operation is also possible.

Getting Used to Your Hearing Aids

  1. Gain experience. Begin your training program in familiar surroundings in your own home. Step-by-step you can then add to the complexity of your surroundings, although very noisy environments are to be avoided initially.
  2. Continually increase your wearing time. On the first day you should not wear your hearing instruments for more than 2-3 hours. Increase this time gradually until after a few weeks you are at the stage when you can wear your hearing instruments all day without noticing them. Remember to wear your hearing instruments at home too, so you will be able to hear the telephone ringing, the doorbell, etc.
  3. Adapt the volume to the situation. Modern hearing systems automatically select a pre-programmed, acceptable volume level when they are switched on. Many modern instruments do not need any further adjustment which is why they do not have a volume control function. If you have a volume control, don’t set the volume too high. This can result in distortion rather than improved understanding. Don’t try to understand soft voices over a great distance. Remember that people who hear well cannot do that either. As you get used to your hearing instruments you can adjust the volume controls when you need increased loudness.
  4. The hearing instrument – an extension of your body. Ideally your hearing instruments should become a natural extension of your body, similar to glasses or contact lenses. This should happen naturally as you get used to your new hearing system. Should you continue to experience discomfort, consult your audiologist.
  5. Adjust to your own voice. At first you may not recognize the sound of your own voice. It is, however, very important to hear your own voice so that you can control and correct the diction and volume of your voice properly.
  6. Living with noise. The world is a noisy place. Often people with perfect hearing are able to suppress interfering noises by concentrating on the sounds they wish to hear. If, however, you have had a hearing impairment for some time you may have lost this ability. Furthermore your hearing instruments will reintroduce you to many sounds you may have forgotten, e.g. the ticking of the clock, paper being crumpled, the clicking of heels on the floor, birdsong, children laughing, etc. Not all sounds are pleasant of course. You can also learn how to ignore unwanted sounds again. Practice concentrating on what you want to hear. If you have multi-program instruments, practice choosing the best program for the situation.
  7. Taking part in discussions. Even people with good hearing have problems understanding speech if several people speak at once. It will help if you move closer to the person you want to hear and concentrate on him/her. With practice you will achieve excellent results in this type of situation.
  8. Visiting public places. Theatres, places of worship, conferences rooms and other public places present a challenge for the hearing instrument user. It is helpful to sit where the acoustic conditions are best. Normally this is not too close to the speaker but so that you can see his/her face. Many public buildings have technical installations to make it easier to hear. A telephone call prior to the visit will clarify what is available.
  9. Listening to radio and television. Concentrate on trying to follow the overall meaning rather than each individual word.
  10. Two ears are better than one. The use of two hearing instruments for people with a hearing loss in both ears has many advantages. It offers a new dimension in hearing – after all, it is not by chance that nature gave us two ears. The benefits of hearing with both ears: More natural hearing because our auditory system is designed to receive sound input from two ears. Improved ability to determine the direction from which sound is coming – e.g. knowing which way to look when you hear a truck approaching. Greater ability to hear and understand in noisy environments. Richer, smoother sound quality. Easier, more relaxed listening. Less volume required for each ear.

Practical Advice for Communicating with Hearing Instrument Users

  1. Speak clearly and naturally. It is not necessary to shout. Loud speech may overload the hearing instrument causing voice distortion and even discomfort to the wearer. Maintain a normal tone of voice, speak clearly and slowly.
  2. Move closer. Reducing the distance between the speaker and listener is helpful and encourages improved speech understanding. This is particularly important if there is background noise.
  3. Face the listener. Position yourself so that the listener can see your face and lips. Lip reading is instinctive to all of us, but it is particularly important for those with impaired hearing to supplement the sound of the speech.
  4. Attract the listener’s attention. This can be done by either using the person’s name, entering their field of vision or tapping them lightly on the shoulder.
  5. Take the surroundings into account. Avoid trying to have conversations from one room to another or in rooms with distracting noise, e.g. washing machine, vacuum cleaner, loud music, etc.
  6. Be aware of performance constraints. Never put the hearing impaired listener and their instruments under too much pressure. They both have their limits.
  7. Understand that using hearing instruments can be tiring. When conversing with a novice hearing instrument user be sensitive to signs of fatigue. Don’t force or prolong conversations if the listener is tired.
  8. Be patient. Respect the speed of progress and encourage the person with impaired hearing when obvious progress is made. Be a good listener and help the person to achieve the goal of participating in life again.