While telecoils are certainly useful in telephone applications, limiting their utility to phones is perhaps ignoring these devices’ greatest strengths. According to Ross, the hearing care field is long overdue in rethinking old ideas about recommending telecoils for clients.
Read MoreHearing care professionals should have at least a basic understanding of migraine and its audiovestibular symptoms: vertigo, tinnitus, phonophobia, and even hearing loss present as symptoms in at least 30% of migraine patients. This article, the first of a three-part series, provides an overview
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A “sneak-preview” of the exhibit floor and the new products and services being offered at the upcoming 51st Annual International Hearing Society (IHS) Convention in Reno, Nev.
Read MoreA Tech Topic article that discusses some of the problems associated with the measurement and reporting of directional hearing-aid benefit under simulated real-world noise conditions, and a description of the development of a laboratory sound system (R-Space) that is designed to solve many of these problems.
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The term “ampclusion” denotes the occlusion effect experienced during hearing aid use and that during audiometric testing when the physical occlusion of the ear canal and the hearing aid amplifier gain are included in the wearer’s perception. Complaints about ampclusion may originate from shell blockage of the ear canal, to sub-optimal amplification settings for amplifying the wearer’s voice, to an over-expectation for hearing aid performance. This article provides a summary of the factors that can contribute to the wearer’s complaint of the ampclusion problem, and a follow-up article details remedies for the various causes of ampclusion.
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It is well accepted that the hearing aid prescription procedure for infants and young children should be based on real-ear aided gain (REAG) rather than insertion gain (REIG). A procedure based on REAG prescribes the same gain from the free field to the eardrum for the same degree of hearing loss, irrespective of the gain provided by the unaided ear canal. This paper focuses on the implementation of NAL-NL1 in fitting hearing instruments to children using a REAG approach that incorporates the measurement of individual real-ear-to-coupler difference (RECD).
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AHAA Convention Presents Marketing Ideas Miami — Hearing health professionals from across the US, along with the industry’s top manufacturers, attended American Hearing Aid Associates’ (AHAA) annual convention
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The latest technology and chemistry in impression materials.
Read MoreChildren with hearing impairments have greater difficulty understanding speech in background noise than do adults and children with normal hearing. Additionally, it is generally recognized that the use of a well-established prescriptive fitting procedure—such as DSP[i/o] or NAL-NL1—is an essential step in fitting children. This article examines children’s performance with analog hearing aids compared to digital, dual-microphone aids that are set to a prescriptive target.
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Much has been written about the benefits of directional microphone hearing instruments and how to fit these devices. However, directional instruments are still underutilized. This article details some of the reasons for this, and describes a new type of directional device: an array microphone that uses a spatial distribution of three microphones to achieve its directivity. Candidacy and operational issues are addressed, and two field studies are used.
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The Hearing Review’s annual report on trends at the hearing instrument practice/business level, including statistics and analysis on pricing, number of instruments sold, client demographics and motivating behaviors, selection and fitting practices, trends in the use of hearing instrument technology, office management strategies, compensation, test equipment use, and what is projected for the remainder of 2002 and beyond. One of the most popular features of the year, the HR Dispenser Survey is used as a barometer and yardstick by hearing care professionals throughout the year.
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A new breed of hearing-impaired patients are demanding communication solutions that provide the same wireless communication benefits offered by cellular phones. This article provides a look at mobile text display devices and features a Mobile Communication Profile Test that can be used to assess the wireless needs of on-the-go clients.
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The latest in assistive listening devices, alerting devices, and other amplification options for hard-of-hearing consumers.
Read MoreA product review of Phonic Ear’s Toteable personal FM system, designed for classroom use by hearing-impaired children.
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Previous studies have shown that FM systems have the potential to improve signal-to-noise ratios by as much as 15-18 dB, compared to 2-8 dB improvement for directional hearing instruments. This field study analyzes data from 28 subjects who were provided with an FM + hearing aid system. Substantial subjective improvement was experienced by most of the FM system users.
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