In a wonderful blog post I just read, an author points out that 75% of people between ages 65 and 75 have some form of hearing loss and would be helped with a hearing aid. Less than 20% of these people are diagnosed properly and choose to use hearing aids.

The problem with so few people using hearing aids is the actual risk that they will lose the ability to process sounds into words. This is the primary point illustrated by the blog at hearingaidblog.com. I am not sure the danger is as extreme as they make it out to be but the point is a good one. Thousands and thousands of senior citizens who’s life would be much more full with a hearing aid are not using them for one reason or the other.

The other point they make, which  is equally important, is that people who wait too long to employ a hearing ad will not reap all the benefits that they could if they used them right when they needed them. The brain loses the ability to process sound on a gradual pace. It does not happen one day out of the blue. The brain needs to hear. People should use hearing aids as soon as they are needed. Most blame the medical community for the lack of urgency. Let us hope people get the message that hearing aids are important once you begin to lose hearing.

One of the largest and most trusted names in the hearing aid world is Oticon. I was spending a bit of time on their website and was drawn to their discussion on ther corporate approach. Oticon employs a flat organizational structure. This is very unique and I believe their idea that this structure pushes creativity and productivity and ultimately creates better hearing aids.

There is no doubt that flat structures have their challenges, primarily who makes the big decisions. But they can also lead to much better cooperation. No one is backstabbing the other person to climb the ladder at Oticon becuse there is no ladder to climb.

Oticon hearing aids are products of a project-based approach and this seems to be working very well for them.

Oticon has a very intense and intriguing approach to making the world’s best hearing aids. I would love to work for them but that would mean leaving sunny Seattle and moving to Denmark. Actually, I may book the flight now !!

In a bit of a deviation for us, I thought it may be interesting to look at hearing aids for animals and the progress that has been made. Long story short, the animal hearing aids are simply sound amplifiers. They have had no advances similar to cochlear implants to date.

In a nutshell, hearing aids for animals at this point are useful in circumstances where residual hearing remains. The simple reason for the lack of advancement for animal hearing aids is money. Cochlear implants and similar technologies cost on the arena of $23,000 prior to the implant surgery. So long as the pricing remains here animal hearing aids will likely not progress beyond where they are.

This is a bit of a deviation for our site and clearly not our strength so please add any information that you have or correct us if needs be.

Researchers studying comprehension levels of subtitled television shows by students who have a hearing impairment have found some troubling results.

The results show that deaf hearing impaired kids have difficulties following subtitles and images together due to the speed at which the images flash by.

Researchers from the UAB Research Centre on Hearing Impairment and Language Acquisition (GISTAL), studied the problem extensivley.  However, perhaps this is just a replection of the evolution of television programs. It’s not secret that most shows have to have lightning quick cuts these days to please our shorter and shorter attention spans.