MINNEAPOLIS, MN—ReSound reports that it is responding to an industry need for a hearing aid that adapts with the patient, with the introduction of the Configurable BTE 77/87, a unique combination of both Standard and Power models.
According to ReSound, the Alera® Configurable BTE 77/87 is the only Standard BTE that can be easily converted to a very small high-power instrument, with one housing for both. The BTE provides patients with an adaptable hearing instrument solution should their hearing change over time.
“One concern expressed by patients when investing in an expensive hearing aid is ‘What if my hearing changes?’" says ReSound Chief Audiology Officer Laurel Christensen, PhD. “Patients are looking for a hearing aid that will meet their amplification needs for the considerable future.”
In addition to this clinical benefit, the Configurable BTE is also designed to provide a greater directional response for better hearing in background noise. When the microphones are accurately aligned in the horizontal plane when worn on the ear, the optimal directional response can be attained.
In terms of the directivity index, the hearing instruments should “look forward” for the best response. Low frequencies are processed with an omnidirectional response, and high frequencies are processed with a directional response. This specific processing mimics the natural directional response of the unaided ear, and yields a high directivity index, or measure of how directional the instruments are.
“The configurable BTE has the highest possible directivity available in a BTE hearing aid,” says Christensen. “Optimal directional processing has been shown as the single most important way to provide better hearing ability in background noise.”
For more information, visit http://www.gnresound.com/alera
Source: ReSound
