The Hearing Loss Association of America (HLAA)—an organization dedicated to educating, advocating, and supporting individuals with hearing loss—is thrilled to announce its 20 Walk4Hearing events across the nation this year, including two new locations in Buffalo, NY and Louisville, KY.
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In Part 2 of this 2-part article, Tammara Stender, Jennifer Groth, and David Fabry address how teleaudiology can provide better fit-to-preference and efficiency in hearing healthcare. Today’s wireless and hearing instrument technology affords HCPs even more opportunities to quickly meet hearing needs. The obvious solution to the “user fit-to-preference versus time constraints for both users and professionals” dilemma is a hearing fitting protocol that marries the personal and professional interactions so important for user satisfaction with the convenience of user-driven services, such as apps or secure cloud connections.
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Larry Humes, PhD, and colleagues present a summary of findings from their recent study published in the March 2017 edition of the American Journal of Audiology that compares a professionally driven best-practice hearing aid service delivery model to a version of an over-the-counter (OTC) model. One important message that should not be lost in the extremely relevant findings of this RCT study is that hearing aids are, in fact, efficacious and provide considerable benefit to older adults with mild-to-moderate hearing loss.
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Net hearing aid unit sales in the United States increased by 3.4% in the first quarter of 2017—with a gain of 3.9% for the private/commercial sector and 1.3% for the VA—compared to the same period last year, according to statistics generated by the Hearing Industries Association (HIA).
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ASHA representatives recommended changes to the Over-the-Counter Hearing Aid Act at a House of Representatives Subcommittee on Health hearing.
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Based in Houston, drummer Danny Patterson plays a lot of gigs. Whether he’s playing in a local bar, out on tour, or in church, he depends on his Sensaphonics 3D AARO in-ears with Active Ambient technology, Sensaphonics announced.
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This year’s Summit theme was “Elevate Your Independence,” focusing on how independent hearing care professionals can succeed in an era of disruptive technology, distribution, and what may ultimately be a new regulatory environment. Included in the Summit’s General Session was a historical perspective on the current over-the-counter device proposals, as well as a review of a recent pilot study that supports professionally dispensed hearing aids over OTC.
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Signia announced the release of the new Pure 13 BT primax, reportedly the world’s first hearing aid with both HD binaural and direct streaming.
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The Hearing Industries Association (HIA) held its 2017 Annual Meeting focused on issues spanning from over-the-counter (OTC) legislation to prospects for better integrating hearing health into the US healthcare system.
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The Consumer Technology Association (CTA)— the trade association representing the $292 billion U.S. consumer technology industry—announced that they fully stand behind the Over-the-Counter Hearing Aid Act.
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IntriCon Corporation announced its support of legislation to make hearing aids available for those with mild-to-moderate hearing loss available over the counter.
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The Over-the-Counter Hearing Aid Act of 2017 was introduced Monday, March 20. The reintroduced legislation is designed to make hearing aids for those with mild-to-moderate hearing loss available over the counter (OTC), and require the FDA to write regulations ensuring the new OTC category meets the same high standards for safety, consumer labeling, and manufacturing protections as all medical devices, providing consumers the option of an FDA-regulated device at lower cost.
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A new approach, published in “Cell Reports,” to regenerate inner ear sensory hair cells is said to lay the groundwork for treating chronic noise-induced hearing loss by the company, Frequency Therapeutics, and its co-founders who are drawing on research from Brigham and Women’s Hospital (BWH), Harvard Medical School, Mass Eye and Ear Infirmary, and MIT. The program is expected to progress to into human clinical trials within the next 18 months.
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According to the new study, about 40 million US adults aged 20-69 have hearing damage in one or both ears that may be due to noise exposure. CDC found that more half (53%) of those report no exposure to loud noise at work. Based on the information they provided, researchers believe their exposure to loud sounds comes from everyday activities in their homes and communities.
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Hearing loss prevention helps maintain lifelong musical enjoyment. According to authors John Hutchings, MD, and Bethany Ewald Bultman, when performing or listening to music, one should always employ high-quality earplugs, avoid undue direct exposure to the sound, and limit alcohol intake which can lessen awareness of the pain of louder sounds.
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