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Technology can fix everything, right? We’re constantly bombarded with technology, even in our own homes with computers, cell phone, smart tvs, and even smart homes. Today’s hearing aids are amazing little computers that can improve your lives in so many ways. But what happens when hearing aids alone are not enough?
The other day I had a conversation with a person that has been experiencing a progressive hearing loss over many years and is now at the very end of most hearing aids’ fitting abilities. If this person were born with the hearing loss, s/he would have either been fitted with a cochlear implant or grown up using American Sign Language to communicate; so a very challenging hearing loss to work with.
This person has been having more difficulty communicating due to age and other health issues and is understandably very frustrated.
It is my job to try to lessen that frustration. The bottom line is that hearing aids help, but they can’t cure the hearing loss and so sometimes you need more than hearing aids.
There is a great selection of accessories available to maximize your success with your hearing aids. We have a new display table in the office (pictured below), so please come check it out!
Beyond Hearing Aids: Hearing Aid Accessories
Television: television is the source of much of the frustration with hearing aids. We have addressed the issues with TV in previous newsletters but today I am going to talk about TV transmitters. All of the hearing aid manufacturers acknowledge and understand that understanding TV is crucial not only so that we can keep up with current events but that it is the source of most of the entertainment in our homes. A TV transmitter connects into the audio out of your TV and then the sound is transmitted into your hearing aids as if you were wearing headphones but because you are also wearing your aids, you are getting the benefit of the programming in the hearing aids. The cost of most TV transmitters is about $400.00 and makes a great Christmas/Chanukah/Kwaanza gift as we head into the holidays. It is truly something that will be used and appreciated every day.
Remote Microphones: Sometimes your hearing loss is also a hearing loss for speech and so while hearing aids help in most situations, when you get into the more complex environments, those people with reduced word understanding will struggle more than their counterparts. The best way to understand speech as well as possible is to use either a personal microphone or a remote microphone. A personal microphone is designed for a conversation with one person either in a quiet or noisy environment. It essentially takes the speaker’s voice and puts it directly into the hearing aids which increases understanding dramatically. Personal microphones cost about $450.00 and are specific to each manufacturer.
Phonak has gone further and they have a remote microphone that is designed to help one-on-one conversations, group situations and lecture/class environments. This is a smart microphone that can reduce background noise while focusing on speech. Studies have shown that using this technology makes conversations exponentially better than using hearing aids alone. This technology is more expensive, $1500.00, but it is the most versatile and the most beneficial when you struggle with conversation. Phonak has also made this equipment available to people with other brands but we have to add another piece of equipment to make it work.
There are also non-hearing aid dependent devices so if you only need help with TV, call us! If you only need an occasional boost for speech, there are options – call us! 561-366-7219