Hearing Aid Blog

A Good Hearing aid fit is Vital

December 28, 2009

There are two reasons to make sure a hearing instrument fits well – one acoustic, the other anatomical.

The acoustic reason – A loosely fitting hearing instrument can cause feedback (whistling). This happens when the instrument does not fit snugly and the amplified signal finds its way back to the microphone. For comfortable, interference-free hearing, a snug fit in the ear canal is essential.

The anatomical reason – A hearing instrument that does not fit snugly can work its way out of the correct position when its wearer is chewing, yawning or simply talking. This is because the shape of the ear canal is influenced by movements of the jaw. You can feel this by putting the tip of your finger into the ear, then slowly opening and closing your mouth.

Useful Tips for Caring for Your Hearing Aids

Modern hearing aids are durable, easy-to-use and reliable.  Nevertheless, a few simple precautions will ensure that your instruments continue to give you many years of trouble free service.

  • Avoid getting your hearing instruments dirty. Always make sure your fingers are dry and clean before handling your hearing instruments. The microphone inlet is only a few tenths of a millimeter wide and can become blocked easily.
  • Avoid sharp knocks and impact. Insert and remove your hearing instruments over a soft surface (a bed or sofa). Protect your hearing instruments from heat. Never leave your hearing instruments where they may be affected by extreme heat. Protect them from direct sunlight (at home and in a parked car) and do not leave them near radiators. Protect your instruments from dampness. Remove instruments from your ears before showering, bathing, or swimming. Do not leave them in the bathroom where they could suffer water damage. Dry any perspiration inside and around the ears regularly. Dampness and condensation can damage the circuitry in your hearing instruments. We recommend that you leave the battery compartments open overnight and use the special drying kit available from your hearing care professional.
  • Keep your hearing instruments out of the reach of children and pets. Dogs are irritated by the feedback (whistling) sound and attracted by the owner’s scent. Often the result is a chewed up hearing instrument. The hearing instrument battery can be dangerous if swallowed. Consult a medical professional immediately if the battery is accidentally ingested.
  • Avoid contact with make-up or hair spray. The fine particles produced by make-up or hair spray can easily block a microphone inlet. Always remove hearing instruments before using such products.

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.

Getting Used to Your Hearing Aids

December 9, 2009

  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.

Medicare to help with Hearing Aids? Doubt it.

November 17, 2009

Last week, Senator Sherrod Brown (OH) introduced a bill to require Medicare to cover hearing aids. Highlights from the article:
Brown will try to get this included in the health care legislation
Other countries already provide hearing aids to people in similar government plans
AARP Director of Federal Relations says many senior citizens already have Medicare Advantage plans to that cover hearing aids
A cosponsor of the House version does not think Brown will succeed in having the provision included in the health care bill because of the possibility of Medicare cuts.
The Senate version of the bill is S 1837 (introduced in October 2009), and it has no cosponsors. The House version of the bill is HR 504 (introduced in January 2009), and it has only five cosponsors. Unless there is a big push by people who would benefit from these bills, they don’t stand much chance of passage due to lack of cosponsor

Late October, Senator Sherrod Brown (OH) introduced a bill to require Medicare to cover hearing aids. Highlights from the article:

Brown will try to get this included in the health care legislation

* Other countries already provide hearing aids to people in similar government plans

* AARP Director of Federal Relations says many senior citizens already have Medicare Advantage plans that cover hearing aids, which is not entirely true, because it only covers a portion of the cost)

* A cosponsor of the House version does not think Brown will succeed in having the provision included in the health care bill because of the possibility of Medicare cuts.

The Senate version of the bill is S 1837 (introduced in October 2009), and it has no cosponsors. The House version of the bill is HR 504 (introduced in January 2009), and it has only five cosponsors. Unless there is a big push by people who would benefit from these bills, they don’t stand much chance of passage due to lack of co-sponsorship.

Hearing Aids and Cell Phones

November 6, 2009

Provided by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration

What is that buzzing noise in my cell phone?

People who wear hearing aids or have implanted hearing devices may experience some difficulties when trying to use cell phones. That buzzing noise you hear is interference due to radiofrequency (RF) emissions from your phone. RF interference does not occur for all combinations of digital wireless telephones and hearing aids. However, when interference does occur, the buzzing sound can make understanding speech difficult, communication over cell phones annoying, and, in the worst case, render the cell phone unusable for the hearing aid user.

Fortunately, the compatibility of cell phones and hearing aids is improving. Some cell phones have lower radiofrequency emissions or use different technologies that can reduce the unwanted effects on hearing aids.

What should I look for in a cell phone?

Rules set by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) make it easier for you to choose a cell phone right for you. The FCC requires cell phone manufacturers to test and rate their wireless handsets’ hearing aid compatibility using the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) C63.19 standard. These ratings give an indication of the likelihood that a cell phone may interfere with hearing aids; the higher the rating, the less likely the cell phone-hearing aid combination will experience undesired interference.

Labeling on the outside packaging of cell phones will tell you if they are hearing aid compatible (HAC). Hearing aid users should read and understand these ratings when choosing a cell phone.

What do these ratings mean?

Cell phones that are rated “good” or “excellent” for use with hearing aids set in microphone (M) mode will have a rating of M3 or M4. The higher the “M” rating, the less likely you will experience interference when the hearing aid is set in the microphone mode while using the cell phone.

Cell phones are also rated with hearing aids or cochlear implants that have a T-coil. Those rated “good” or “excellent” for use with hearing aids set in T-coil mode will have a rating of T3 or T4. The higher the “T” rating, the less likely you will experience interference when the hearing aid is set in the T-coil mode while using the cell phone.

Hearing aid manufacturers use a similar rating system. The hearing aid ratings and the cell phone ratings can be combined to help identify combinations that will provide you with a positive experience. So, a hearing aid rated M2 and a wireless device rated M3 with a combined rating of 5 and would likely provide “normal” use. A ratings combination of 6 would likely provide “excellent performance”. Every individual’s hearing aid technology and settings are unique; therefore, these ratings do not guarantee performance.

Because these HAC ratings do not guarantee performance, you should “try before you buy” any wireless device if possible. You should try different brands and models to see which phone works best for you. Also, be sure to closely examine the return policy for the device and the service provider’s policy on early termination of contracts before signing up for service.

Expectations from a hearing aid

October 10, 2009

HEARING AIDS CAN:

1.  Make soft sounds louder, thus making them easier to hear.

2.  Allow you to hear in some situations that used to give you trouble, such as conversations.

3.  Help you hear high-pitch sounds better, thus helping you to understand speech better.

4. Help you feel more at ease in social situations by making it easier to hear what is being said.

HEARING AIDS CANNOT:

1.  Allow you to hear extremely soft sounds.

2.  Cure distortion in your hearing.  Distortion is usually due to a problem in your inner ear.  A hearing aid will mechanically equalize the sounds you hear, but not correct the damaged inner ear.

3.  Allow you to hear well in ALL situations of background noise.  An advanced hearing aid noise setting will enhance speech and reduce background noise; however noise will likely continue to be the most difficult listening environment.  Lip-reading will compliment the sounds you hear in all situations.

4.  Amplify only what you want to hear.

Who do you really need two hearing aids?

With some exceptions, if you have hearing loss in both ears, you should have hearing aids in both ears.  There are three primary reasons for this:
1.  The brain needs input from both sides of the head for balanced hearing.
2.  The brain needs balanced hearing to be able to localize sounds.
3.  The brain needs balanced hearing to hear voices in noise.*
* Difficulty hearing in noise is one of the most common complaints we hear.  A single hearing aid will be of benefit in a quiet listening situation.  However, in a noisy situation such as a restaurant, dining room, work environment, or car, the brain needs input from both ears to pull out a specific speech signal from the background noise.  Hearing aids cannot do this alone! Advanced technology hearing aids often employ a circuit to help reduce noise; however, your brain will not perceive this benefit from only one ear.
Expectations from a hearing aid
A hearing aid CAN:
1.  Make soft sounds louder, thus making them easier to hear.
2.  Allow you to hear in some situations that used to give you trouble, such as conversations.
3.  Help you hear high-pitch sounds better, thus helping you to understand speech better.
4. Help you feel more at ease in social situations by making it easier to hear what is being said.
A hearing aid CANNOT:
1.  Allow you to hear extremely soft sounds.
2.  Cure distortion in your hearing.  Distortion is usually due to a problem in your inner ear.  A hearing aid will mechanically equalize the sounds you hear, but not correct the damaged inner ear.
3.  Allow you to hear well in ALL situations of background noise.  An advanced hearing aid noise setting will enhance speech and reduce background noise; however noise will likely continue to be the most difficult listening environment.  Lip-reading will compliment the sounds you hear in all situations.
4.  Amplify only what you want to hear.

With some exceptions, if you have hearing loss in both ears, you should have hearing aids in both ears.  There are three primary reasons for this:

1.  The brain needs input from both sides of the head for balanced hearing.

2.  The brain needs balanced hearing to be able to localize sounds.

3.  The brain needs balanced hearing to hear voices in noise.*

* Difficulty hearing in noise is one of the most common complaints we hear.  A single hearing aid will be of benefit in a quiet listening situation.  However, in a noisy situation such as a restaurant, dining room, work environment, or car, the brain needs input from both ears to pull out a specific speech signal from the background noise.  Hearing aids cannot do this alone! Advanced technology hearing aids often employ a circuit to help reduce noise; however, your brain will not perceive this benefit from only one ear.