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#1
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WAY OT - Hearing aids??
Okay, I know there is a lot of experience on this group. This is
dog-related only because it involves humans being able to hear at agility trials. DH has a severe hearing loss. It is in one specific level - the jet engine level. (Thank you to the US Army and Mohawk Airlines.) He can hear low noises better than most. His hearing is fine right up to the damaged level and then is almost completely gone and returns once above that. Fortunately for our marriage, although many women's voices are in the Lost Zone, mine is not. Or maybe I'm just loud enough. He needs to hear in a couple of very different situations. He needs to be able to hear conversation in places with background noise. Restaurants, agility trials, living rooms with the TV on in the next room. This involves amplifying voice levels without amplifying background noise. And he needs to be able to hear while outside in hunting situations - quiet but with wind, listening for distant sounds. Several years ago, he did get some in-the-ear hearing aids. They worked okay for some situations but not great. However, he has a constant ear wax problem so that was a constant battle. No vanity - he is fine with a visible hearing aid IF it works. Does anyone know of a type of hearing aid that would address both of the needs - indoors with background noise and outdoors with wind - with a narrow range of hearing loss? Is it possible? What about getting two different types of hearing aids - sort of like having different pairs of glasses? I know there are a lot of advances being made in hearing aids (all those baby boomers going deaf) but is there technology that really can address these very different needs? Thanks, Judy |
#2
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WAY OT - Hearing aids??
Judy wrote:
Does anyone know of a type of hearing aid that would address both of the needs - indoors with background noise and outdoors with wind - with a narrow range of hearing loss? Is it possible? What about getting two different types of hearing aids - sort of like having different pairs of glasses? I know there are a lot of advances being made in hearing aids (all those baby boomers going deaf) but is there technology that really can address these very different needs? Dredging up some 8-year old information (from when my Dad wore hearing aids) 1. Ear wax is a problem with external hearing aids as well as internal ones, because it distorts the shape of the ear canaland doesn't reflect sound waves the same way skin does. Your DH will just have to keep his ears cleaned out, I think - my dad had a similar problem. There are OTC solutions that one can use; I don't remember the brands. 2. Recent technologies in digital hearing aids have made inroads against the background noise problem, although I don't think it's completely solved (it's not completely solved for normal hearing, either - background noise impedes the understanding of speech). Some digital aids have different settings for different situations, which you activate by pressing a tiny button on the hearing aid. These hearing aids are more expensive than analog hearing aids. (I'm not up on the latest; he should talk to one or more audiologists to get information about what they can do, brands, costs, etc.) 3. I don't know that there is any 'law' that says you can't have different types of hearing aids. Learning how to use one and getting used to it are more difficult than getting used to glasses, but I wouldn't think it would be impossible, if one type of hearing aid doesn't work for him. I suspect the main barrier for most people is cost. Glasses cost a few hundred dollars a pair; hi-tech hearing aids cost a few thousand. Here's a link with some discussion about digital vs analog hearing aids. http://deafness.about.com/od/hearing...italanalog.htm FurPaw -- "Every gun that is made, every warship launched, every rocket fired, signifies in the final sense a theft from those who hunger and are not fed, those who are cold and are not clothed." - Dwight D. Eisenhower To reply, unleash the dogs. |
#3
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WAY OT - Hearing aids??
"FurPaw" wrote in message
. .. 1. Ear wax is a problem with external hearing aids as well as internal ones, because it distorts the shape of the ear canaland doesn't reflect sound waves the same way skin does. Your DH will just have to keep his ears cleaned out, I think - my dad had a similar problem. There are OTC solutions that one can use; I don't remember the brands. The internal ones he had would block within minutes - even when he had his ears pretty well cleaned out. The problem was that it took such a small amount of wax to block it - and then it involved tiny little wires to clean it back out again. He gave up. Some digital aids have different settings for different situations, which you activate by pressing a tiny button on the hearing aid. These hearing aids are more expensive than analog hearing aids. (I'm not up on the latest; he should talk to one or more audiologists to get information about what they can do, brands, costs, etc.) I have heard of friends who have tried those. They start out very impressed but end up not so much. But that was a couple of years ago so it could be better. Glasses cost a few hundred dollars a pair; hi-tech hearing aids cost a few thousand. Divorce costs way more than that. Seriously, he's starting to feel isolated so it's a problem that we'll throw money at if it will help. Here's a link with some discussion about digital vs analog hearing aids. http://deafness.about.com/od/hearing...italanalog.htm Thanks. I will check that out. Judy |
#4
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WAY OT - Hearing aids??
Judy wrote:
The internal ones he had would block within minutes - even when he had his ears pretty well cleaned out. The problem was that it took such a small amount of wax to block it - and then it involved tiny little wires to clean it back out again. He gave up. Dad had the same problem with internal hearing aids. That coupled with large fingers and loss of motor control due to Parkinson's made them pretty much a no-op for him, and he switched to the external type. Some digital aids have different settings for different situations, which you activate by pressing a tiny button on the hearing aid. These hearing aids are more expensive than analog hearing aids. (I'm not up on the latest; he should talk to one or more audiologists to get information about what they can do, brands, costs, etc.) I have heard of friends who have tried those. They start out very impressed but end up not so much. But that was a couple of years ago so it could be better. You might question your friends about why they were disappointed. If they started out believing (or were led to believe) that the expensive hearing aid would fully restore their normal hearing function, they were bound to be disappointed. At best, hearing aids do a lot more than they could 20 years ago, but they're still an imperfect solution. Dad accepted that he could hear much better when the background was quiet (which might at least help with your husband's feeling of isolation; it did for Dad), but even the digital ones didn't help much in places like noisy restaurants. FurPaw -- "Every gun that is made, every warship launched, every rocket fired, signifies in the final sense a theft from those who hunger and are not fed, those who are cold and are not clothed." - Dwight D. Eisenhower To reply, unleash the dogs. |
#5
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WAY OT - Hearing aids??
"Judy" wrote in message ... Okay, I know there is a lot of experience on this group. This is dog-related only because it involves humans being able to hear at agility trials. DH has a severe hearing loss. It is in one specific level - the jet engine level. (Thank you to the US Army and Mohawk Airlines.) He can hear low noises better than most. His hearing is fine right up to the damaged level and then is almost completely gone and returns once above that. Fortunately for our marriage, although many women's voices are in the Lost Zone, mine is not. Or maybe I'm just loud enough. He needs to hear in a couple of very different situations. He needs to be able to hear conversation in places with background noise. Restaurants, agility trials, living rooms with the TV on in the next room. This involves amplifying voice levels without amplifying background noise. And he needs to be able to hear while outside in hunting situations - quiet but with wind, listening for distant sounds. Several years ago, he did get some in-the-ear hearing aids. They worked okay for some situations but not great. However, he has a constant ear wax problem so that was a constant battle. No vanity - he is fine with a visible hearing aid IF it works. Does anyone know of a type of hearing aid that would address both of the needs - indoors with background noise and outdoors with wind - with a narrow range of hearing loss? Is it possible? What about getting two different types of hearing aids - sort of like having different pairs of glasses? I know there are a lot of advances being made in hearing aids (all those baby boomers going deaf) but is there technology that really can address these very different needs? My first thought was Directional Hearing Aid, and I got a dogpile hit for that which referenced the Wiki: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hearing_aid. I have significant hearing loss in the left ear and I will eventually need to get some sort of hearing augmentation accessory. As an electronics design engineer I am interested in the technology, and I know there are noise cancellation techniques as well as various forms of analog and digital signal processing that could be used to clarify sounds. There are apparently some hearing aids that incorporate a directional microphone element which would probably be helpful if it could be positioned toward the source of the sounds desired. Hear are other links: http://www.hearingresearch.org/multichannel.htm http://www.hearing-aid.com/ http://www.asha.org/public/hearing/t...igital_aid.htm http://www.asha.org/public/hearing/t...aring_aids.htm Hear is a non-medical sound amplifier device for only about $80 that might help: http://www.sonictechnology.com/superear.htm For extreme cases, this $200 device has a parabolic microphone that acts like an audio telescope: http://www.spyville.com/bionic-ear.html I hope this helps. I know how frustrating it can be to have hearing loss, and it can sneak up on you. I find myself sometimes just nodding in agreement rather than ask people to repeat things I can't fully hear, especially when they don't enunciate any better or speak any louder when asked to repeat. My problem is in my left ear, which I usually use for the telephone so I can write or do other things with my right hand. I have found that it is especially hard to understand foreign speaking telephone solicitors or help personnel, but I don't mind so much just telling them I can't understand them and just hanging up when they can't improve their quality of speech. Paul and Muttley (who hears much better than he listens) |
#6
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WAY OT - Hearing aids??
Paul E. Schoen wrote:
snip I hope this helps. I know how frustrating it can be to have hearing loss, and it can sneak up on you. I find myself sometimes just nodding in agreement rather than ask people to repeat things I can't fully hear, especially when they don't enunciate any better or speak any louder when asked to repeat. Argh! Yep. I have a 20% hearing loss in my right ear, and it's within normal speech range. Apparently I've developed the habit of turning my left ear towards speakers in noisy situations, something I hadn't noticed until my husband pointed it out. I also do a certain amount of lipreading. But sometimes I still miss what's said to me, and it makes me nuts to say "What?", or "Excuse me, I didn't catch that", only to have the person repeat him/herself in the same mumble. This is an ongoing issue with certain members of DH's family who are chronic "low talkers" (thank you Jerry Seinfeld). I've given up on being polite about it and I refuse to agree to statements I haven't heard so now I just say, "Speak up, will you, and look at me when you talk. It's noisy here and I can't hear you." My problem is in my left ear, which I usually use for the telephone so I can write or do other things with my right hand. Get a headset. |
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