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Assistive Technology : Assistive Hearing Devices
By Disabled World - Jan 17, 2009 3:45:17 PM
Buying a hearing aid can be costly and confusing, here are some tips you might want to consider before buying one. How does a hearing aid work? A hearing aid is an electronic device with a small microphone that makes sounds louder. In order for the hearing aid to work, you must still have some hearing left. You are unique and so is your hearing, this is why there are many styles of hearing aids and brands. One hearing aid might not work as well for one person as it did for someone else. Why do people lose their hearing? There are basically two types of hearing loss: Conductive and Sensorineural. Conductive hearing loss involves the outer and middle ear and usually is due to earway, a punctured eardrum, birth defects, ear infections, or it may be genetic. Conductive hearing losses can generally be corrected with surgery. Sensorineural or "nerve" hearing loss involves damage to the inner ear. It can be caused by aging, prenatal and birth-related problems, viral and bacterial infections, genetics, trauma (such as a severe blow to the head), exposure to loud noises, the use of certain drugs, or fluid buildup or a benign tumor in the inner ear. Sensorineural hearing loss usually can't be repaired surgically and is usually corrected with a hearing aid. Before you buy a hearing aid: Get a check up. First have your hearing tested by an audiologist or hearing specialist, then based upon their recommendation, see your doctor to rule out correctable causes of hearing loss such as earwax, a middle ear infection, or a tumor. Ask about a Trial Period. A hearing aid should come with a trial period of at least 30 days. It may take a while to get used to them and to decide if they are useful to you. Have the seller put in writing the cost of the trial and whether this amount is credited towards the final cost of the hearing aid. Check for a warranty. Most hearing aids include a warranty that includes both the parts and labor for a specific amount of time. Beware of misleading sales tactics. Hearing Aids cannot restore normal hearing or eliminate all background noise. Beware of advertisements and salespeople that say otherwise. Also beware of sales that sound too good to be true. If they are offer you a huge discount only if you buy today, then they are just trying to sell you. What To Consider: Many people with hearing loss aren't interested in hearing aids, because they think a hearing aid will make them look older or change how strangers interact with them. Some people might think they can get by just fine using visual cues to make up for their loss of hearing. Be honest with yourself. Wearing a hearing aid is much less noticeable than constantly asking people to repeat themselves or responding to a question with an unrelated answer. The truth is that a well-fitted hearing aid can greatly enhance your ability to interact with others. Hearing aids can minimize many problems that go along with hearing loss, such as difficulty understanding conversations or hearing timers and beepers. And they can help fight feelings of social isolation. If your hearing loss affects your ability to communicate with others or makes you feel self-conscious, it may be time to consider a hearing aid. Though it may be awkward at first, over time you'll adjust to the device and enjoy your enhanced ability to hear and communicate in a variety of situations. By wearing your hearing aid regularly and taking good care of it, you'll begin to notice significant improvements in your quality of life.
Tips on buying a hearing aid. Hearing Test The first step is to get tested by a hearing professional or audiologist. The type of hearing aid that is best suited for you will be determined in part by the type and level of hearing loss you have. The professional will be able to assess your hearing needs so you can choose the correct hearing aid. Analog vs. Digital Hearing Aids Years ago hearing aids were all analog. Today, most hearing aids are digital. Digital hearing aids provide high quality sound amplification, advanced features and fine-tuning that was not possible with analog aids. Some companies still make analog hearing aids, however, be sure to compare these with the digital ones before making your final decision. Styles Of Hearing Aids - There are 4 main styles of hearing aids available. The style you are best suited for depends on the type of hearing loss you have as well as your comfort.
In The Ear (ITE): The most common type, this sits in the ear In The Ear Canal (ITC): This type fits slightly lower into the ear and is not very noticeable. Completely In The Ear Canal (CIC): Fits down into the ear canal. This style requires the most fitting and is the least visible to others.
Features - Hearing aids today come with a myriad of features. These range from the necessary, such as noise canceling, to the more luxurious, such as remote control. Digital hearing aids offer state-of-the-art technology that helps to reduce feedback and allows for clearer hearing even in situations where there is background noise. Digital hearing aids offer more options for adjustments than analog hearing aids, making it easier to adapt to a new hearing aid. Budget Once you know the style of hearing aid that suits you best, compare prices across various brands as they vary greatly. The prices are most expensive for hearing aids with latest technology and advanced features. Even if you don't have a lot to spend you will still be able to find a quality hearing aid with enough features to fulfill your needs. Warranties When choosing a hearing aid it is important to ask about the warranty. Find out the warranty period and what is covered. Ask if any fitting problems are covered because this could get expensive if multiple trips are needed. Choose One Or Two Hearing Aids If you have hearing loss in only one ear, you will do well with only one hearing aid. However, as both ears tend to be affected by age and noise related hearing loss, wearing two hearing aids will actually help you to differentiate and determine where sounds are coming from. Most digital hearing aids require two to be worn to achieve maximum benefits. Digital Hearing Aid Comparison Hearing aids have changed a lot since they were invented, now they're so small most people don't even notice when you're wearing one! These modern day hearing aids have a lot of advanced features. There is a hearing aid suitable for everyone, regardless of your budget and hearing requirement. Digital hearing aids offer more advantages over the older, analog version. Many hearing aid manufacturers no longer produce analog models and focus all of their attention on producing newer digital models. Prices of digital hearing aids have fallen, which is another reason why analog hearing aids are dying out. Siemens Digital Hearing Aids Siemens is a huge company which makes everything from trains to calculators! It has been in business for around 125 years and so is defiantly a company that you can trust. Siemens hearing aids are very popular, in fact 1 in 5 American hearing aids is made by Siemens. Siemens manufacturing plant utilizes state of the art technology to produce very high quality reliable products which are suitable for many different people. Siemens hearing aids are available in basic, value and ultimate ranges. All of Siemens digital hearing aids come with a two year guarantee as standard. The more expensive hearing aids have advanced features. If you have a small budget, then consider Siemens Phoenix and Cielo models. The Artis e2e, which features wireless ear to ear technology, is the top of the range model for those with a larger budget. Digital Hearing Aids from Starkey Starkey Laboratories is the world's largest manufacturer of hearing instruments. Starkey was the first major hearing aid provider to give product warranty and free trial period. Starkey produces a number of digital hearing aid models, including Cierra, Aspect and Mesa. Starkey is an innovative company and is the first to use nanoscience technology in its Destiny range. The top of the range offering from Starkey is Eli which can be used with Bluetooth phones. Digital Hearing Aids from Beltone There are in excess of 1300 different locations of Beltone, and they have a very good reputation. So you can be sure that these hearing aids will function for a very long time to come, they offer an aftercare program to all Beltone customers. They will also help you to choose the right hearing aid for your needs by conducting an assessment of your lifestyle. The four main ranges of Beltone digital hearing aids are basic, quality, advantage and premier. Each of these ranges offers different models which are suitable for different people. A basic digital hearing aid from Beltone is the Edge which only offers three channels. Mira is the mid range digital hearing aid with 6 channels. The top of the range is the Oria and has 12 channels. Digital Hearing Aids from Rexton There are three main categories of Rexton digital hearing aids: entry-level, mid-level and high-level. The Arena is a classic digital hearing instrument in the basic range. The Targa model is a mid-level hearing aid that provides programmable memories and adaptive noise reduction (ANR) as well as microphone noise reduction (MNR). The Calibra model offers up to four programmable memories, which are programmed by the hearing health professional to respond to different listening environments according to user preferences. The Revera is a digital wireless solution for binaural users and includes state-of-the-art features as well as a wireless remote.
June 23, 2009 - 10:39
Subject: Widex Hearing aid
I have used Widex hearing aid brand for 8 years now. One finally quit working, was told the microphone dosen't work. 8 years ago the two aids cost $6000. I had to send one of the aids in for a repair after one year, was covered by warranty, and was returned within 10 days. Batteries were free for the life of the aids. Filters were also free up until two years ago when they started to charge for them, the cost is ridiculous $10 for a plastic part so small you can hardly see it. Now I'm shopping for a new set of hearing aids. I liked this new feather that allows the hearing aids to work with a "loop" in public buildings for in your home if you have a loop system for your TV. After reading the above comments, I'm tempted to stay with the Widex brand, but will continue to do shopping. June 18, 2009 - 19:15
Subject: Siemens Hearing Aids
I bought a pair of Siemens BTE hearing airds in 2003 and after a few years, the cases began to crack. Finally, this year I took them to Hearx, where I had bought them, and had the cases replaced at a cost of about $!95 each. The replacement cases began to crack sometimes within days and I'm now on my third pair, although so far I have been charged for only one set, the warranty runs out in three months. Hearx doesn't seem to be particularly alarmed by the obviously inferior plastic in these cases and tells me that no one else has had this problem. I have had enough grief with Siemens and have no intention of buying any more of their products. June 15, 2009 - 17:36
Subject: Invisible Hearing Aid
I keep hearing about an invisible alternative to hearing aids that is inside the ear canal completely. Can you tell me anything about it? Is it safe? How does it work? I am only 40 years old, and would love something that doesn't show at all.....I think it's called Lyric. June 12, 2009 - 11:10
Subject: siemens hearing aids
I am on my third set of Siemens hearing aids and wouldn't consider any other brand. My father had MiracleEar and they were a piece of crap. My first set was bought in 1990, the second in 1999 and I have just purchased another set. I have changed them out not because of equipment failure but because the range of my hearing loss has decreased with time. The only repair I ever had to make with my first set was when I dropped one on a tile floor and it shattered. I gave that set to my sister (whose ear shape is nearly identical to mine) when I got my second set. I will admit the second set did have a problem with the doors periodically falling off. My new set is the Pure 500. They take some getting used to because they operate differently than the old analog aids. They are so sensitive that at church I could hear individual conversations across the room. April 15, 2009 - 21:28
Subject: sampling rate helps you hear better
Saw a MacDonalds rep yesterday. Hubby's sound test indicated comprehension of consonants are 80% for his better ear and 60% for his bad ear. He has significant decibel loss in both ears. He has had a hearing loss for 35 years. It's gotten so bad I know he is making bad decisions because he isnt understanding what he hears. We established that my husband knows he is not hearing conversation well enough to enter the conversation. On occasion he repeats a word that he thought he heard. I tell him he misheard. I have to repeat what I said to correct his misperception. Sometimes he says something in response to what I say that has no relationship to what I am talking about. I know he misheard me and he doesn't know he misheard.. According to the McD rep the basic hearing aid will allow him to hear better. The mid priced aid will help him to relearn how to hear others. The high end aid, $8,000 for two ears will rehabilitate his lost hearing ability. It took a lot of questioning to find out how rehab is done. As I understand it (based on something a professor mentioned about understanding the differenc between some consonants, the higher end aid samples speech more frequently. I assume that consonants like p, t, and b are discriminated on the basis of the length of silibent burst (whatever that is called). The aids with a less sampling frequency sound muffled. You are quite sure if you heard a b, p or t. Any verification on this or is it BS. April 07, 2009 - 20:11
Subject: Beltone and Miracle ear
I have nerve deafness and have normal hearing for the low tones and it decreases as the tones go higher. I had Miracle ear aids and they worked well and for years. Thinking I was stepping up I bought a Beltone. The salesman convinced me to buy two, one for each ear. This was the worst hearing aid in terms of consistent use and longevity. it kept malfunctioning and they repaired it and it would break again. Also my ear doctor told me I only needed one aid - two would not help me hear better. I would get another Miracle Ear! April 04, 2009 - 20:13
Subject: Tuning hearing adis
I have a hearing aid, Oticon, which I wear once a month or so. Not that beneficial -- It does help a little with speach recognition and if I can remember, I wear if there is an important large group meeting. It schreeches at any noise of over 5k hertz (like listening to trumpets al la the Cannadian Brass) Apparently the DSP cancelation algorithm doesn't work very well. I wanted a longer mike cord to reduce the feedback but it wasn't available. My only option was to have the aduiologist reduce the volume. Or, pay about $2.5K for a hearing aid with a volume control. Hearing aids are essentialy built with the "off the shelf" technology--stuff originally designed for cell phones. You can go to some Web sites, e.g., IEEE/ Texas instruments offering "low power versions" of their chips sets for use by the cell phone manufacurers. SO why are they so expensive? What I really find rediculous is that I cannot program my own hearing aid. For about $50, you can get a digital mixer for your PC, run your entire sound system TV etc through it, digitally mix the sounds (i.e., change the decible level for each frequency) so that you can hear different effects when you are listening to Jazz, verses clasical, verses standard speech, etc. But to reproram my hearing aid I have to go back to the audiologist. I know this is a real surprise but just compensating for a "ski slope DB loss" May not be the best setting. So why I can't get a USB connector and a program to run my PC is a good example of "aduiologist union control." April 01, 2009 - 15:44
Subject: all hearing aids
i tried hearing aids about 10 years ago in both ears. I was unhappy with the results. Iwas out $3,000.00 .Now a pair of hearing aids cost as much as a small car. Are hearing aids such an advanced science for this price to be fair. You can not put $5000.00 worth of science into an in your ear hearing aid.These are products for daily living not fancy cars. These products can help a lot of people and the market will soon see a large increase with aging baby boomers. Is there no shame with these producers of hearing aids. March 30, 2009 - 15:55
Subject: Advice on buying good hearing aids
I just read "avoid Siemens" and was about to order this brand. I want Bluetooth capability, good quality sound, a remote control, and DURABILITY. Cost doesn't much matter. A special situation is that my ears differ quite a bit in their loss. Are the more expensive Siemens aids more durable? Any suggestions for other brands that come with Bluetooth in them and are durable (I don't want a separate device for Bluetooth). Are Phonaks more durable? March 18, 2009 - 13:06
Subject: Hearing Aids
A lot of useful information. NJ Hearing Aid Center February 26, 2009 - 14:40
Subject: hearing aid
The site indicates it has reviews/comparisons of different hearing aids. February 26, 2009 - 08:48
Subject: Oticon
I have had an Oticon for 4 years. early on my left aid cracked. The agent repaired it with glue/filler. That aid has been very fragile its whole time, as compared to the right that has been fine. The agent would not send it back to be replaced after it was apparent that it was faulty. It is more fragile than egg shell. My last break came as I was removing it from my ear and split in half. I put it together with crazy glue. Prior to that I had had hearing aides that where not very effective. This whole experience has been unsatisfactory. I know that I need to replace the ones I have but to go through that decision process when I suspect the aid being recommended nets the audiologist the most profit, leaves me feeling trapped. January 30, 2009 - 19:41
Subject: Avoid Siemens
I've bought 3 Siemens hearing aids over the years and every one had quality problems. They are expensive to fix, expensive to buy and made of flimsy parts that fall apart. Getting warranty work is difficult as they don't want to do this and when they agree to do it you will be without your hearing aid for at least a month. My latest one ($2,400) is out of warranty and sits in a drawer because every moving part has broken and fallen off. I would do without a hearing aid before I'd wear another siemens, even if it were free. Leave a Comment
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I purchased 2 "top-of-the-line" Siemens hearing aids in 2005. The list of product enhancements was nearly endless. However, in 2007 the right hearing aid functioned only intermitently and cost $275 to repair. In 2007 the left did the same thing and cost $250. Now, in 2009, the left one is once again in need of repair undoubtly for another $250 - $275.
Siemens' Customer Service Manager told me this is an appropriate repair cycle. I explained that I'm nearing 50% of the purchase price of one hearing aid in just repair costs in only 4 years! She said that was acceptable and not out of the ordinary! She also said the average life of a hearing aid is 5 - 7 years! ARE YOU KIDDING ME?! NEARLY $4,000 FOR JUST 5 YEARS OF PRODUCT LIFE?!
OF COURSE, AT THE TIME OF PURCHASE, NO ONE EVER INFORMED ME THAT IN 4 YEARS I WOULD HAVE TO SPEND APPROXIMATELY $750 TO HAVE THEM REPAIRED!
Siemens, please recognize this hopefully isolated incident of less than stellar quality and service as a 'lemon' and repair or replace it free of charge.
I'll post Siemens' response and additional info as I receive it. If you have experienced similar problems, please post your details of price and cost so we can all compare notes.