We had an email from a lady named Jennifer Scott talking about a couple of articles she had read and the information in them. She thought that they were good articles for us to cover, we thought she was right. So in the first of a couple of articles like this we decided to look at an article on Forbes in 2015. 4 Game-Changing Technologies For The Deaf And Hard Of Hearing by Robert J Szczerba talked about 4 different technologies that were designed to make life easier, we decided to take a look at what happened to them.
MotionSavvy UNI
MotionSavvy was founded by a team of students from Rochester Institute of Technology’s National Technical Institute for the Deaf. Their system UNI translates American Sign Language (ASL) into speech, and speech into text. This is a really cool concept aimed at Deaf people with little or limited speech ability. It is similar in concept and design as a tablet. It was to utilise a special camera to track the location of both hands and all ten fingers of the person using sign language. Graphic representations of their hands come up on screen to provide live feedback and to ensure gestures are being captured correctly. It still is a fantastic concept, however, they still haven’t brought it to market yet which many of their original backers have found infuriating. In their defence, they have released constant updates and explained where they are during the process so far. I truly hope they get to launch the product this year, because it looks like a fantastic piece of kit.
Solar Ear
Solar Ear have been around for a while and they are driven by the mission to deliver low cost hearing devices to low income areas of the Globe. So what exactly drives them? The current production levels of hearing aids meets less than 10% of the global need, and the cost of hearing aids and batteries has often been beyond the reach of the poor, it is a simple as that. Solar Ear is a solar-powered hearing aid battery that costs a fraction of what traditional batteries cost, and lasts for 2-3 years (rather than one week). One of the key things for people with hearing loss in the third world is access to the tech. There are many different foundations that provide free hearing aids across the Third World. However, the problem of access to hearing aid batteries remains. While affordability might be an issue, simple access to somewhere to buy them is also a major concern. Solar Ear decide the best way forward was to deliver rechargeable batteries. Rechargeable batteries that are solar powered which deals with the problem of access to electrical power. The company also offers complete hearing aids at greatly reduced prices. Solar Ear continues to go from strength to strength.
ISEEWHATYOUSAY
ISEEWHATYOUSAY (from Digital Army Devices, Inc.), again this is a great concept, it captures spoken language on a smartphone and converts it into text, and sends the text via Bluetooth to a special user device. The company originally offered a specialized receiving device about the size of a flash stick, and it then begun to offer apps to receive the text on smartphones and wearables. The apps are still around however, they never really gained traction. The last updates on them were in 2014, I am kind of sorry to see that because I think it would be a cool idea. Perhaps though it was an idea before it’s time, I mean smartwatches have only really begun to make an impact in the last year. I think this concept when paired with a set of hearing aids could make a lot of sense. It’s something that I would like to explore maybe later in another article.
Hayleigh’s Cherished Charms
At the age of ten, a girl named Hayleigh noticed that her many of her classmates at a school for the deaf and hard of hearing hid their hearing aids behind their hair. She said “I wanted to make my hearing aids shine and be fancy and proud of my hearing aids,”. So she started designing jewelery that can best be described as \”hearing aid bling\”. Hayleigh’s Cherished Charms are available in a variety of designs and colours, including some for cochlear implants. Hayleighs Cherished charms goes from strength to strength and her simple idea has at least helped to change the ideas that kids have about their hearing aids.
So, two out of four of the technologies covered have really moved forward. Unfortunately one has more or less fell by the wayside and the other hasn’t delivered yet. That is often the case though in tech, great ideas are sometimes hard to deliver. I am hoping that the MotionSavvy UNI is released to market soon, I think it really is a fantastic device, I hope even more that it is used across all public buildings and eventually every business. If it worked, it would finally give the signing Deaf unfettered access to the services they need. How cool would that be?
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My recent conversation with Dave Fabry got me thinking, we don’t really cover solutions for severe to profound hearing losses on the pages of Know. I plan to fix that, over the next while we will put together central cornerstone pages with the pertinent information. Having said that I wanted to cover a concept that we talked about, the ecosystem concept specifically for people with those severe hearing losses.
What’s an ecosystem approach?
In essence when we talk about an ecosystem approach what we mean is a hearing aid with connected accessories. Those accessories would probably include a phone solution, a tv solution and a remote microphone solution. Each of these different devices will offer a person with very little residual hearing the best possible hearing in different situations. Things like the Phonak Roger Pen below.
Because often the hearing aid isn’t the answer
Simply put, in cases where there is very little residual hearing, the hearing aid is not going to be the full answer. No matter how good it is, or how technologically advanced it is, it has very little to play with. Don’t get me wrong, the latest Super Power hearing aids from sonme of the big hearing aid brands are exceptional. Again though, this is a tough hearing loss to help and delivering all of the nuances of sound can be difficult. That’s why the people who specialise in these losses also specialise in a host of accessories to deliver the best results. Below you can see some of the devices offered by Resound.
These devices offer a comprehensive solution for people with profound hearing loss, they all offer slightly different help for different situations. They aren’t just an answer for people with severe to profound hearing loss though. If your budget only stretches to a set of low end hearing aids, invest in a wireless accessory to ensure you get better hearing in the situation you most want it. As I said, we will put some cornerstone content together on both the hearing aids and the accessories that will help.
If anyone out there would like to pipe in with suggestions, experiences, technical knowledge, tips or tricks, or just to tell me I am great (the wife is giggling for some reason now), info@hearingaidknow.com is where you send it. The new page is now beginning to take shape, you can see it at Hearing Aids & Solutions for severe to profound hearing loss.
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So first off this post is dual authored, because you deserve the point of view of a Dispenser of hearing aids and a user of hearing aids. First it is me Geoff up, when Steve pipes in we will make it clear. In case you don’t know I have over ten years of experience in the hearing aid profession as a provider and then as an employee of a major hearing aid brand. In the recent past we have written two articles about buying hearing aids online. While one was about hearing aids being sold on e-bay and the second about a new website called Wholesale Hearing in the UK. They were in fact both about the same organisation. Apparently they used e-bay as a test bed for their market research. The launch of the new site has caused a bit of furore in the hearing aid profession. However, this article is not about that furore, we want to talk about buying hearing aids online.
Wholesale Hearing
Good Independent Hearing Aid Advice
We pride ourselves on giving good, honest Independent and non biased hearing aid advice on Hearing Aid Know. We re-positioned the site last year to do just that because we felt that there was a need for good non technical explanations of hearing aids and their technologies. That’s why I wrote the hearing aid buying guide. Not just that, we also felt that people needed to be able to understand the difference between Providers of hearing healthcare so they could make educated decisions about their care.
We support Independent Hearing Healthcare Providers here and you will never see one mentioned on the pages of this website that we are not happy to send our Mammies to. That doesn’t mean that we don’t trust or recommend National Providers or Manufacturer owned Providers. We just figure they are big enough to look after themselves. Funnily enough, we also support your right to buying online if you want to.
We don’t think online sales of hearing aids are a bad thing when there is an infrastructure set up to cater for it. By that we mean that the online sales are supported by a testing and fitting infrastructure either online or offline. For instance, Blamey and Saunders in Australia deliver a system we would support as does iHear and Eargo in the US. These companies have purposely set themselves up and designed their technology to be delivered online. The support is clearly there.
Buying A Hearing Aid Online
The sales of hearing devices online is not new, as we said there are businesses around the world that sell hearing aids online direct to consumers. In fact, some of those businesses do an excellent job of it, in the main because they have that infrastructure in place to ensure the buyer’s success. That infrastructure involves remote testing of the buyer’s hearing and remote fitting and fine tuning of the devices.
However, what is happening right now is the sale of hearing aids from the big brands that are not really designed to be sold in that manner. The underlying technology to do this well with the main hearing aid manufacturers just really isn’t there right this minute. That doesn’t mean it won’t be in the future but right now to look after someone remotely is difficult at best. You need to be aware of that when you are making a decision. I am not saying it is impossible, however, it is difficult.
Tempting Prices
The thing that drives most consumers is tempting prices and we understand that. Who doesn’t like to save a few quid? I know we do. But there are things you need to consider when you are making a purchase decision. Because knowing all the information, allows you to make an educated decision. Before I tell you what I think you need to consider when buying hearing aids online, I want to give you some background. I still practice once a week selling hearing aids in Stillorgan, Dublin as a Locum for Connect Hearing. So I still get to see Patients. I would like to explain to you how both I and the people at Connect do things and more importantly why.
Selling A Hearing Aid
So what is the usual process of selling a hearing aid for me, of course the initial step is the hearing test. After I ascertain all that I need to ascertain, I make a recommendation. Generally for me, people go away, have a think and then come back and order (it has kind of always worked like that for me). The process from there is to get the order in to the manufacturer and normally within two weeks I will fit the hearing aids.
The Hearing Aid Fit
Fitting a hearing aid is not just about banging them in and turning them on. Initially, you probably would not like if I gave you the amplification you actually need. Because it would be too much for you. So I go through a fitting procedure, verifying your thresholds with in-situ audiometry (beeps and tones through the hearing aids) then setting the hearing aids to a low acclimatisation setting.
This ensures that you can cope with the sound of the aids. The rest of the session is about showing you the hearing aids, the functions, how to change batteries and how to put them in. That’s it for me at this time, I will tell you to read the manual but not to get freaked out. I won’t talk about clean and care or show you what the tools are, why would I? You have enough to be getting on with just wearing them everyday at this stage.
The Initial Follow Up
After two weeks, I will get you in for a follow up appointment, I will re-assess how you are doing at that stage and if everything is good, I will move your amplification up a notch in the acclimatisation. Again, I will not usually speak about clean and care at this stage, this follow up is really about starting to understand how you are getting on and your experiences.
Second Follow Up
This normally happens two weeks later, again I will want to understand how you are getting on and how you are rehabilitating to amplification. At this visit, I will move you up to full amplification and I will verify the hearing aids output to ensure it is delivering what it should. We will talk about cleaning and care of the hearing aid and I will ask the Patient to begin to take detailed notes about how they are getting on.
At the end of this appointment I will either make another appointment for three weeks away or if I am happy I will make an appointment for three months with the instruction to call us any time. The divergence here is usually down to how happy I am with the progress of the Patient.
Three Month Appointment
This is where we actually start to get real work done on really helping you to hear better. You have a lot of experience at this stage of all of the different sound environments that make up your life. You will also have pretty good notes about wht happened and where. I will take all of that information and make changes to the fine tuning of your hearing aids to ensure that they reflect your own personal preference and sense of sound.
Six Monthlies
After that appointment I will call you back every six months to ensure you are doing okay, service your hearing aids and make any changes that are needed. At least once a year I will scan test your hearing to ascertain any changes. If there is a major change I will schedule a full test to ascertain the changes and re-fit your hearing aid. This goes on and on until your hearing aid can no longer be repaired. Basically for years. All of this service is included in the price that you pay for the hearing aids and we factor it into our prices.
Why Do I Do It?
Simply because I feel this is the best way for my customers to get on well with their hearing aids for years. I believe that this is the level of aftercare and service that is needed. Not every hearing healthcare professional may agree with me and their way may well be as valid and successful as the way I do things. But there it is, I get high success rates with this approach and that is why I do what I do. Now, if you bear with us for a few minutes more, I would like to turn you over to Steve so he can explain his experiences.
I’ve been wearing hearing aids for about 30 years now and I’ve gone through about 8 or 9 pairs in that time. I’ve been to quite a few different practices for fittings and help and have had mostly positive experiences. I started wearing hearing aids way before online sales were a thing (well, actually, I was wearing them before the Web was really a thing!) – my hearing loss has steadily got worse over the years and is now so bad that I’m out of the fitting range for most devices that are sold online. I’ve worn quite a few different brands too: Starkey, Siemens, Oticon and Phonak.
So I’ve always had the pretty standard normal experience: go and see a hearing aid provider, have a hearing test, choose a set of aids and get them programmed to my hearing loss. Every time I have been fitted with a new pair of hearing aids I have always gone back to the practice multiple times for re-programming – in other words, I’ve not been happy with how my hearing aids sounded when they’d been programmed to the results of the hearing test. That’s not a negative comment about the person fitting them, but rather the hearing test results were always a good starting point for me, which we then used to fine-tune the hearing aids so I could get the best possible hearing experience.
We all have a a personal idea of how things sound, or how they should sound – I often wonder just how different what I hear today is from what someone with normal hearing hears. To me, what I am hearing when someone speaks is normal, it is how the world sounds but I am sure it is quite different to how others hear the same voice. But this is how I wanted to have my hearing aids programmed and it tooks me several visits to the audiologist to get them like this – it took changes to the hearing aid settings to get the world to sound like it should to me. There’s been times where I’ve been in a practice having my aids re-configured and whilst trying out different settings and testing them there is a really noticeable difference in how people sound – someone’s voice can go from quite high-pitched and tinny to a low growl at a flick of a switch.
It has always been important to me to find the right person to fit my aids. I’ve changed practice once or twice because I wasn’t happy with the service. I’d go in to see them as I wasn’t hearing very well and I’d leave still not hearing that great – it was easy to think that the hearing aids weren’t doing their job properly but once I’d gone to a different audiologist and had them adjust the aids settings in a different way I could hear really well again. I strongly believe find the right person to fit your aids is more important than buying the right hearing aid – there is a lot of great hearing aid technology out there, which work wonders but if you have them fitted by someone who doesn’t take the time to set them up just right for you then you aren’t getting the full value from them.
Supporting The Buyer
Steve’s views and mine coincide, in order that you get the best of your hearing aids, you need the care and attention of someone who is committed to helping you hear better. While I could fit and fine tune your hearing aids remotely with a bit of hassle, I could not verify the fitting or output. The tech to do so just isn’t available right now. Verification of fit is really important in the process. so, let’s finish this and give you our official line.
What You Need To Know When Buying Online
So here it is, this is what you need to consider when buying online, the first and most important thing is that hearing aids are not like glasses. You don’t just put them on and everything is wonderful. It simply doesn’t work like that unfortunately. You will need care and attention to get the very best out of your hearing aids for as long as you have them. That may well be up to eight to ten years. If you feel confident that the online retailer can give you that care and service and is committed to doing so, then you are onto a winner.
It is both my experience and the experience of Steve that to get on well with hearing aids people generally need the involvement of a good hearing healthcare professional. We have said it here before, our worry about buying hearing aids online was that people may buy the hearing devices and then find it difficult to get a professional to help them. This is a worry in particular from any site selling hearing devices from the major hearing aid brands. Because again, they are not really set up for remote care. So there are several things you really need to consider so you can make an educated choice before buying.
What You Need To Think About When Buying A Hearing Aid Online
Hearing aids aren’t glasses, they don’t just work
You will need ongoing care
Will someone give you a professional and in-depth hearing test?
How will you understand what are the best hearing aids for you?
Will someone make a recommendation on the best hearing aids for you?
Will someone fit them for you?
How much will the hearing test and fitting cost?
How much will it cost for aftercare visits? (you are going to need them)
How much will it cost for repairs to be handled?
Finally and the big one, will the extra costs of getting someone local to help you mean a net saving or loss for you?
Simply Independent Hearing Aid Advice
Listen, we aren’t telling you that buying hearing aids online isn’t a good deal and we most definitely aren’t telling you not to do it. What we are telling you is that you need to carefully consider everything we have discussed here before you make a choice. Once you have done that, our job is done. I really would urge you to discuss it with a hearing health professional before you do it. Discuss it with them and if they are willing to help you, get their agreement to help you, outlining what that help will be. You need to know that someone will actually take care of you. Because you will need it.
Just a last minute addition here, it struck me that the question I should answer is “Would I be happy to sell you hearing aids online?” That is the real test isn’t it? So I should answer it, I would be happy to sell you a hearing aid online if, and it’s a big if, the hearing aid manufacturers made the technology available that allowed me to do an in-depth hearing test. Allowed me to do a full fitting and verification of the hearing aids and finally and probably most importantly. That I was confident that you were able and tech savvy. Right now, those conditions don’t exist, so No, I wouldn’t sell you a hearing aid from one of the big manufacturers online right now.
Super Power Hearing Aids, Accessories and The Possibilities Inherent in Sensors
I undertook an interview of Dave Fabry recently, he is Vice President, Global Medical Affairs for GN Hearing and ReSound. We had a chat about the new Enzo 3D, the needs of people with severe to profound hearing loss, the use of accessories for hearing aids, the advancement of technology and the customisation of Patient experience and finally the future of hearing aids. Audio isn’t bad, but is a bit rough because it was recorded on a transatlantic mobile phone call.
Dave has been in the profession for many years and he has a deep understanding of Patient needs, the changing face of the business and indeed the technology that is involved. So it was pretty fascinating to shoot the breeze with him.
Focus on Severe To Profound Hearing Loss
In the initial part of the interview we discussed the new Enzo 3D and the commiment of Resound to what is a niche market, people with severe to profound hearing loss. I said that I was consistently impressed with the focus of both Resound and Phonak on this cohort of people. Too often people with severe to profound hearing loss are the very last people to get technology years after it is introduced.
An Ecosystem Approach To Better Hearing
Dave spoke about an ecosystem approach for people with severe to profound hearing loss, meaning not just a hearing aid but easy to use accessories. It is with this ecosystem approach that people with very little residual hearing can excel in their daily life. This is something I want to cover later, because I realised that we have never really done a definitive article focusing on the technology available for people with profound hearing loss.
Changing Technology & Serving The Customer
We also discussed the introduction of Resound Assist and how both I and he felt it helped us better serve the customer (that’s you). Technology like this allows the customer to get ongoing hearing care on their terms and I believe it can only be a good thing for both my customers and I.
Navel Gazing, Sensor Sets, Hearing Aids So Smart They Take Your Temperature
Unfortunately, nerd that I am, couldn’t prevent myself from talking about the future of hearing aids, you can catch that about twenty minutes in. My own pet idea or concept is that hearing aids and sensor sets will evolve in order that we as hearing care professionals will actually help you to monitor your general health.
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I read a good article today by Geoffrey A. Fowler on the Wall Street Journal. He was talking about modern TVs and their rubbish audio. In essence he said that if you can’t hear the TV, the fault may not be your ears, it could be a combination of bad speakers and bad sound balancing on TV shows. He also made some suggestions for making the Audio better which included some after market add ons. It got me thinking though, sometimes even if your hearing is at fault, it might not be time for hearing aids, let me explain.
I regularly meet people in my clinic that talk about the TV being a major bone of contention. Everyone complains I have it too loud! This really is a big sign of hearing loss, however, the audio on TVs seems to have got that bad that it seems you don’t need a huge amount of hearing loss to have problems.
Watching the TV really should be a pleasure, it is one of the few things that people still do as a family. So when it is difficult, it is just one more event, one more activity in the life of somebody with hearing loss that is diminished. What I have noticed though is that more and more people who come and see me have very mild hearing loss issues. This is a good thing as far as I am concerned, it means that people are aware of their hearing and at the early signs of trouble they are finding out what is going on. But, it leads me to this:
Yes, You Have Hearing Loss, Nope, You Don’t Need Hearing Aids
I often say to people yes you have a hearing loss, explain it to them and why it is causing some issues with the TV and elsewhere and then tell them no, I don’t think you need hearing aids. Why? Because their hearing loss is at the very high frequencies only or it is in the high frequencies but very mild.
Surprised? You think we rub our hands together with glee anytime we see a hearing loss don’t you? Well, we don’t, not even when it is a hearing loss that needs hearing aids! But why Geoff? I hear you asking. Well it is simple, yes you have a loss, but it is either too mild or to frequency related to aid. It is as simple as that. It doesn’t mean that the loss may well give you some problems, it might.
A hearing aid might not be for you, but there still may be some help with that TV
And, if you are someone with one of the latest ultra thin TVs, it will probably affect your TV listening. But a hearing aid is not the answer for you. That doesn’t mean there isn’t something that can help. That is where we come back to the article by Mr Fowler. He had some really excellent suggestions for after market add ons that may well help you with that irritating problem.
Mr Fowler spoke about using speakers to help, in fact he spoke about soundbars in particular. One he mentioned caught my attention, the $250 Zvox AccuVoice AV200 is a basic soundbar that incorporates sound-processing technology similar to hearing aids. He said “In my tests, the speaker made voices louder and clearer than my TV speakers alone”. He also remarked that purchasing one from Amazon comes with a 60-day return policy that should allow trialling with confidence.
I think this is something I will look into in the future in a deeper way myself. Like I said, I am seeing this regularly and I can’t really offer a solution, I usually just explain the situation and talk about getting some decent speakers. I would like to be able to offer them myself, I mean, I am the hearing guy right?
I found another interesting solution for this problem from Sennheiser, meet the RS 5000 digital wireless TV headphones on Can’t Hear The TV, When Hearing Aids Aren’t The Answer
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Unitron has just announced the release of a brand new addition to their hearing aid line up called the Moxi™ Now and we recently got to play with it. It will be introduced in the UK and Ireland from mid October and it is the world’s smallest wireless receiver-in-the-canal (RIC) hearing aid.
Moxi Now is the latest addition to Unitron’s line up of Moxi RIC hearing devices and will be launched on the North Platform. It is to be available in the Pro, 800, 700 and 600 hearing technology levels. While small, the Moxi Now will be a powerful addition to the range with a choice of two levels of receiver. The devices will be suitable for hearing losses up to severe.
As you can see from the lead picture of the article, the Moxi Now really is small. According to Unitron, Moxi Now measures just 20.2mm tall and 6.5mm wide. 39% smaller than their own next smallest RIC, and 14% smaller than the next closest competitor. While small, it delivers comfort, discretion, power and most importantly, functionality. I am not mad about these digital hearing aid types, they have their pros and their cons. However, once you take good care of them they will not let you down.
It really is a discrete device on the ear and it’s ergonomic shape ensures that it lies well on the back of the ear. After a couple of minutes it is easy to forget that it is on entirely. The shape of the receiver wire and the device itself seems to ensure that the hearing instrument stays on the ear. Although small and light, I never felt worried about losing it, it felt very secure on the ear.
The new device was designed to offer complete discretion and ease of use. It is a fully automatic wireless hearing instrument designed to appeal to people who just want to put their hearing aid on and forget it. I have to admit it was very difficult to see the hearing aid on, the receiver wire hugs the face well and is difficult to see. The aid body sits very well on the back of the ear and even with short hair you would have to be looking for it to notice.
I think this might be the aid for you if you are looking for a discreet option but need the versatility and power that a RIC hearing device can offer.
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New Addition To The Hearing Aid Know Hearing Center Network
A Combined 50 Years Experience
Steve Romeo and Kent Davenport offer a combined fifty years of experience recommending and providing hearing solutions. They have built a reputation for providing outstanding hearing aids and dedicated and committed aftercare in Las Vegas. Their Practice, Quality Hearing Aids, is the latest addition to the Hearing Aid Know Network.
Meet The Team
Steve Romeo has been choosing, fitting and fine tuning his own hearing aids for over twelve years. So he has an intimate understanding of hearing loss and what he needs to do to help people hear better. Kent Davenport has been in the business for over 34 years and has an estimated 4,600 hearing aid fittings under his belt. So both of these guys have a good idea of how to fit hearing aids and make sure people are happy.
They are joined by Shelly Higham who brings outstanding customer service to the business. These guys are committed to delivering outstanding levels of care, because they understand that it allows their Patients to excel with their solutions. As you can see from the review below, they are pretty successful with their approach.
“Five Stars to Steve Romeo, Hearing Instrument Specialist and owner of Quality Hearing Aids. His patience and knowledge of hearing aids and hearing sciences are both amazing. Purchasing your hearing aids from Quality Hearing Aids will be a very rewarding and pleasant experience.”
T Ruppert 5
Offering Custom Hearing Aid Solutions
The business is Independent so it has access to the very best hearing aids from all of the leading hearing aid brands. They concentrate on Starkey hearing aids and Oticon hearing aids primarily because they believe that they offer nearly everything they need to keep their Patients happy. However, if someone is really interested in any other brand they are happy to provide it.
A Free Hearing Test
They also offer free hearing consultations, so if you are worried about your hearing, you can simply give them a call mentioning Hearing Aid Know and asking for a free consultation. They will happily check your hearing and explain exactly what is going on. They will also give any recommendations that are suitable for you.
Hearing loss is not about not being able to hear, it is about not being able to understand! If you can hear, but not understand, call them today on +1 702 369 1321 for your free hearing test
Hearing Aid Repairs
The business prides itself on offering all make hearing aid repairs, that means no matter what the brand of your hearing aids, they can organize a repair. They even offer a hearing aid coupon that will give you 20% off the price of your hearing aid repairs. Simply mention Hearing Aid Know when you are discussing the repair of your hearing devices and they will apply your 20% discount.
Two Hearing Aid Stores in Vegas
The team has two state of the art hearing centers in Las Vegas, one in the beautiful VeiwPointe Executive building in Henderson and the other in 10161 Building in Hughes Office Plaza at Charleston and Hualapai. Between them they serve Patients from across the greater Las Vegas area.
Their combined experience and the care and attention they offer Patients is what attracted us to them. The fact that Steve Romeo has intimate experience with hearing loss and wearing hearing aids means that he is in an outstanding position to understand the needs of others. If you are looking for hearing aids in Las Vegas, Quality Hearing Aids is a really good place to start your journey to better hearing.
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Find An Independent Hearing Aid Centre in Your Area
Arrange a consultation with a trusted Independent hearing healthcare professional in your area
I have seen a few people with dry itchy ears lately, sometimes life can be like that. It’s like buses, you don’t see one for ages and then the next thing you are falling over them. The question arises consistently, are my hearing aids making my ears itchy? The answer isn’t usually a simple yes. More often than not it is a yes, no maybe? Let me explain.
First Time Users Itch
Haha, it sounds like some sort of nasty medical complaint doesn’t it, “Mr Smith, sit down, I have something terrible to tell you, You have first time users itch!” Many hearing aid users complain of Itchy ear ear canals from time to time and it is a relatively common complaint. It often seemed to me though that if someone was going to have a problem it would be at the beginning. It makes sense, more often than not this is the first time that they will put anything into their ear canal for long periods of time. There has to be the potential for a bit of irritation. This type of itch normally settles down, if it doesn’t refer to your professional. There are creams that can solve the issue for most people.
The Seasonal Itch
Sometimes during the summer, when moisture levels can get a bit high, some hearing aid users begin to develop an itch. In this case it is usually as a result of higher moisture levels in the ear canal and the effect of the hearing aid being in contact with the ear canal. So yes, in this case, the hearing aids are a part of the problem. Again, refer to your professional and get some cream.
The Dry Skin Itch
Some people just have dry flaky skin in their ear canals, by that I mean excessively dry. Often these people don’t seem to produce much if any ear wax. In general, people with this issue always have itchy ears. Wearing hearing aids can sometimes make it a bit better, or, sometimes make it worse. The hearing aids trap moisture in the canal and that can help to relieve or exacerbate the problem somewhat. There isn’t any fast or hard rules on this one.
This type of dry skin can be a real problem, it is akin to a form of eczema and depending on how severe it is, the effects can range from unpleasant to downright painful. One of our Independent hearing healthcare providers in Leicester wrote a great article a while ago about someone with a bad case of dry itchy ear. She advised the gentleman to use Almond oil every day to help condition the skin in the ear canal. The gentleman involved had this to say:
“Following only two visits to successfully clear my ears with the hoover instead of the more intrusive water procedure, there was a vast improvement. The first visit was in July 2015, second visit in September 2015. Her advice on using Almond Oil, on a daily basis, was the secret to success. What a difference! my last check up was December 7th 2015, and both ears were beautiful and clear, no red soreness, no skin peeling off, and no excessive wax.”
In this case, the simple use of Almond oil made a huge difference to his condition. So if you do suffer with this type of dry skin problem, you should definitely think about trying Almond oil. There are several reasons why your ear canals might be itchy. Cleaning your ears too much is one of them, ear wax is there for a reason, if you clean your ears too much, it can cause the skin to become dry and itchy.
Nothing is Ever Easy!
However, too much earwax in your ear can cause the same problem! Nothing is ever easy. If that’s what ails you, schedule an appointment with your professional for ear wax removal. It is important that you try to keep the moisture balance in your ear canal right. Excessive moisture can serve as a breeding ground for bacteria and fungi, which can lead to an infection in your ear canal.
A fungal infection in your ear canal can be a really difficult thing to move. It tends to be a stubborn one to get rid of. No matter what you are using to help you with itchy ears, try to only use it at night, this should help keeping the stuff away from your hearing aids. More often than not, hearing aids don’t mix well with oil or creams.
Allergic?
It doesn’t happen very often, but some people can be allergic to their ear-moulds. I have never seen this happen with acrylic moulds, but I have seen it happen with silicone ear-moulds. For some reason, some people are simply allergic to the silicone. Many Receiver in Canal devices and open fit hearing aids use an instant tip made out of soft plastic or silicone. In very rare occasions I have seen people have a reaction to them. If you are one of the people who are allergic, talk to your professional and get another ear-mould or ear-tip solution. Acrylic type moulds should solve the issue.
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In my last article I discussed the Widex Beyond and the prolems it is having with the iPhone. In this one, we will take a look at the Oticon Opn, which is having similar difficulties. In fact the online forums and in particular the Apple community forum is abuzz with the issue. As with the Widex Beyond, the problem isn’t really the hearing aids, it’s the iPhone. Which is a shame, this is another case of a fantastic set of hearing aids being let down by a separate technology, just like the Widex Beyond.
About a month ago we became aware of a lot of issues around Made For iPhone hearing aids and connectivity to the iPhone. We have been researching the issues ever since. The issues reported with the Oticon Opn are similar in nature to the issues reported with the Widex Beyond. All of the problems seem to be related to the Bluetooth pairing of the hearing aids to the iPhone. During transmission of audio from the iPhone, it appears that the audio signal is dropped constantly by one aid or, it seems that the signal may jump from one ear to the other for no apparent reason.
Where there was a consistent signal to both hearing aids, it seemed that the call audio was of really poor quality. The other complaint was described as the stuttering or fluttering of the signal, like it was dropping and connecting again very quickly. In the case of the Oticon Opn, the problem seems to be particular to the iPhone 7. Again though, it may be specific to the ios version that is being run, not just the hardware. For instance, take a look at what Erin says on the Apple Community:
Hi there! I was wondering if anyone has recently updated to a new iPhone 7 who own Oticon Opn hearing devices? I previously purchased my Opns at the same time that I owned an iPhone 6s and had no trouble with the Bluetooth connectivity and features. Now that I’ve updated to an iPhone 7, I seem to have lost the ability to connect my hearing aids to my phone. This is problematic since I mainly purchased the Opns for the Bluetooth functionality. Let me know if you’ve found a workaround, or had any similar troubles. Thanks, Erin
However, Scott said that he had found a workaround and it seemed fine for him:
I’ve found that re booting my iPhone 7plus, then opening the battery compartments on my Opn MiniRites results in a good connection. I just paired my iPad mini2 to the MiniRites last evening following the same procedure. I use the Oticon Opn app on the phone and the iPad.
But many others are having serious problems, having to re-boot their hearing aids or their iPhone several times a day.
I purchased the Oticon OPN Minirite’s last October and to date I have had nothing but issues with Bluetooth pairing. I purchased the Oticon’s based on my positive experience with my first Oticon hearing aids, but that was 10+ years ago and BT was not a factor then. I have had the firmware update, gone the multitude of steps I have been given and frankly to have to redo the pairing multiple times a day is unacceptable
More Great Hearing Aids That Don’t Work With The iPhone
So it seems we have another fantastic hearing aid platform that just will not work well with the iPhone. There are numerous discussions across the web all detailing similar issues and problems. The real key here is that the Oticon Opn is a really outstanding hearing aid. The feedback from users and professionals alike is that the devices are outstanding. In fact when you look at all of the negative reviews, very few talk about any problems with hearing well. All of the issues are with the connection to the iPhone and many of the issues appear to be problems with the iPhone 7.
The Problem is The iPhone
There has been a great deal of articles written about the problems that the Apple is having with Bluetooth connectivity on the iPhone 7. Not just with hearing aids but with all types of Bluetooth hardware like Car Radios, Speakers, Headphones etc. The word out there is that it is a software issue and a new update to IOS will sort out the problem. I think we will have to wait and see.
Firmware Update of the Opn
If you are having problems with the Opn, it is advised that you ensure your hearing aids have the very latest firmware update applied. At present, and unlike the Widex Beyond devices, you will have to attend your Audiologist to have that update applied. The Opn app does not support the update of the hearing aids firmware via the app. Hopefully, Apple will push out the IOS update and all will be well.
Phonak’s recent innovation may point to the future of hearing aids
Phonak’s new rechargeable hearing aid range have proven immensely popular, in fact far more popular than even they thought they would be. It has left them scrambling to keep up with demand and I would say production schedules have probably been at least doubled. To be honest, we think Phonak has a real winner here, but what does that mean for the future of hearing aids?
The hearing aids arms race
The hearing aids industry is like an arms race, when one hearing aid manufacturer delivers something unique, a new innovation, every other manufacturer responds with their own version. That is how it has always been and how it will always be. So what will the apparent success of Phonak Lithium-ion rechargeable hearing aids have on the wider market?
Rechargeable hearing aids have been around for a while but some issues stopped widespread adoption
Rechargeable isn’t new
Rechargeable hearing aids are not new, Hansaton and Siemens have both been providing them for many years. GN Resound dipped it’s toe into the water many years ago with the Pulse hearing aid. Unfortunately that was an unmitigated disaster for them which was a pity. The system was really over designed and the problem was in the charger which failed with monotonous regularity.
The problem up to now has been the capacity and life of the battery technology available. You would be lucky to get through a full day of use, in particular if you used streaming accessories. They also had to be replaced once a year because they lost their ability to hold a charge. So up to now, they have really only been a novelty that most hearing aid providers stayed away from.
Lithium-ion changes the game
The introduction of Lithium-ion changes the game, the capacity and life is increased exponentially meaning that 24 hours of use is no problem and replacement will be few and far between. I believe that this will give hearing aid providers the confidence to recommend the devices, that will have a huge impact on uptake. Not just that, consumers will be hungry for what these type of devices represent and that is freedom.
Increased battery capacity and longer life changes the game and consumers will be hungry for what these type of devices represent and that is freedom.
Experienced users hate disposable batteries
It is a simple fact, most experienced users of hearing aids hate disposable hearing aid batteries. They are fiddly things to change and a regular cost for them. Okay, the cost is negligible, but it is a cost nonetheless and one that many would be glad to be rid of. Rechargeable hearing aids will mean less cost and less worry about the battery suddenly dying while they are out and about, something that happens often enough to be an irritant.
Consumers will want the joy of rechargeable, we guarantee it
Many of the hearing aid manufacturers know this, however, battery tech was not really good enough to do anything about it. With the introduction of Lithium-ion battery tech is now good enough. With the hype around and the seeming success of the Phonak product, I think you can bet every manufacturer is figuring this into their product road maps.
Rechargeable BTEs
I believe (and this is just an educated guess) Phonak will be looking at introducing a rechargeable BTE with their next Bolero range. It makes perfect sense to do so, and if they hadn’t already thought about it, the success of the Audeo B-R will be focusing their minds.
Size does matter, at least in the hearing aid industry, rechargeable custom hearing aids will be a complex proposition
Rechargeable ITEs will be the battleground
As I said, the success of the Audeo B-R will probably be focusing many minds in the hearing aid industry and I expect to see many new rechargeable variations introduced in the future. The real battle ground will be in custom hearing aids, providing a rechargeable option in a custom hearing aid will be a complex problem. Consumers (that’s you) want them small, the smaller the better! Size does matter, at least in hearing aids. Every ear is different, so to provide a rechargeable option that is small, will fit in every ear and still be functional is a complex problem.
I think it is a problem that many R & D departments are probably working on though.
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