Archive for October, 2009

Hearing aid batteries

Saturday, October 31st, 2009

There is so much to write and discuss about hearing aid batteries, it is difficult to know where to start. Here is a link to our websites page on hearing aid batteries: http://www.hearingaids1000.com/resources/Hearing-aid-batteries.shtml

In this post I will try to cover two new topics regarding hearing aid batteries. One of the most talked about topics are hearing aid batteries that are better for the environment. Rayovac seems to be a leader in this space. They have been very vocal about their release of a mercury free battery. This has been a big development of late. The next major step beyond mercury free batteries wwould simply be one that lasts longer. The primary challenge of hearing aid batteries is that they wear out so fast they are filling land fills. Certainly hearing aid batteries are small but millions of them are used and disposed of every year. The industry simply needs a way to extend their life or to make them rechargeable.

Let’s take a quick look at that concept of rechargeable batteries. Duracell offers a recahrgeable hearing aid and promises over 500 charges and approximately 1.5 years of life. This is great news. The era of rechargeable hearing aid batteries is upon us!

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Hearing aids in 2010

Thursday, October 29th, 2009

Let’s talk a bit about what hearing aid developments may come in the new year. Let’s also talk about a wish list of things we wish that hearing aids would add in 2010 but most likely will not.

What may happen in 2010. It is certain that one of the major players, maybe siemens or oticon will again push the envelope for the size of hearing aids. The battle for smallest hearing aid may never be won and we consider that a good thing. There is no doubt the new year will bring a smaller model.

What we can not guarantee is that 2010 will bring us a hearing aid that deals better with ambient noise. The reality is that there still is no hearing aid from Siemens, Oticon or any other provider that can perfectly block out the loud background noise of a crowded restaurant. This is a shame and this goes on top of our wish list for 2010, a hearing aid that can deal perfectly with background noise.

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Hearing aids and infants

Sunday, October 25th, 2009

While on first glance and thought, it does not seem to make much sense to fit an infant with a hearing aid but I figured it was worth a post. If anyone has any interatction or ideas around the use of hearing aids with infants please add a post.

After a bit of research online and talking with people it seems that audiologists are indeed comfrotable fitting babies with hearing aids. The consensus seems that not only can hearing aids help infants hear the world around them, it can also help improve their hearing in hope of not needing aid in the future.

There is not a ton information to be read about hearing aids and infants, so again I ask for anyone with knowledge in this area to please add to this post.

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Hearing aids on the weekend

Saturday, October 24th, 2009

Let’s talk about people who are professionals and hard workers who wear hearing aids at work. What is the percentage of people who keep the hearing aids in while they are at home relaxing? Do people like to and choose to wear hearing aids on the weekend?

A reminder, I do not wear a hearing aid. I know many people who do but I do not spend too much time with them out of the work environment.

I am wondering if people who use hearing aids, given the chance, do they remove them once they are in a situation that they feel allows them that liberty. Any insight will be very helpful.

The question boils down to, if you are not in a social environment do you wear your hearing aid or remove it. My personal experience is that people are not very fond of wearing the hearing aids and remove them when possible. Is this an accurate observation? If this is, ideally this is changing as hearing aid technology improves and hearing aids become lighter and more attractive.

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Hearing aids and television

Tuesday, October 20th, 2009

Let’s talk a bit about the best hearing aid experience that can be found with hearing aids. Theoratically, any top of the line hearing aid should deal very well with television but we know that this is not always true.

If you have a hearing aid and television story that you can share with us please do.

The challenge is that there are many products on the market that are not actually hearing aids but are actually more like microphone systems. These are often called TV ears or something similar. I have never tried these but my fear is that they are simply a mask for someone who truly needs a real hearing aid experience. If you have tried any similar product please let us know.

From reading on the Internet, I can see that television hearing aids are a very popular topic and that many companies are investing in this technology. I simply can not tell yet if television hearing aids are a great idea and tool or if they are simply a gadget that is not a replacement for an actual hearing aid. The fact that they are now predominantly wireless is certainly a plus.

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Hearing aid sales rise by average of 3%

Sunday, October 18th, 2009

From the year 2005 to 2006 hearing aids sales in the US jumped 7.6% and sold just over 2.4 million units. From 2006 to 2007 the number of hearing aids sold was much flatter growth and increased only 2.8 percent.

Rough math tells us that this is an average of 3% annual sales growth from year to year if we assume this patter continued over the last two years.

There is not very fast growth in hearing aid sales. This is a big problem because there remains millions of people in the US that need hearing aids but are not using them. There is one primary culprit in this entire scenario - health insurance. Health insurance is too expensive for many and even if people do have health insurance, it does a very poor job of helping to pay for hearing aids.

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Hearing aids in schools

Friday, October 16th, 2009

Summer is coming to an end and children are prepping to go back to school. This is a time full of anxiety for many children. How does wearing a hearing aid factor into returning to school and what are the latest developments in schools and hearing aids? These are the questions I would like to dive into here. Please comment on this thread if you have any recent experience around hearing aids in schools.

The IDEA plays a major role in this discussion. It is the Individuals With Disabilities Act and it insures that children of school age  (3-21) are given the hearing aid help they require while attending school.

IDEA provides coverage for certain costs around hearing aids for children. The public schools are the way to connect with idea and get the help needed for any children who are hearing impaired.

The other large topic around hearing aids and schools is acceptance. I don’t know the best way to judge this. Are kids becoming more accepting of others who wear heairng aids. Are the aids becoming smaller and sleaker making it less of an issue. It hurts me just to think of children being made fun of due to wearing a hearing aid. I hope this is decreasing in schools but I have no proof or evidence. Please add here if you have recent experience with children and hearing aids in school.

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Hearing aids for teenagers

Sunday, October 11th, 2009

Certainly there are slight medical and physical differences that need to be considered when discussing hearing aids for teenagers. The ears of teens are different from those of kids or adults. But beyond the sizing and the maturation of the ears, hearing aids for teenagers require their own conversation because of the vanity of teens and what a tough time it can be in a young persons life. Everyone feels a bit akward in their teen years, how does the need to wear a hearing aid fit into this complicated age?

Ideally, if a teen is embarassed by wearing a hearing aid they will be able to afford a small and very powerful aid that will feel less visible to them. This is ideal, but even better would be for everyone, including teens to accept hearing aids. The need to wear hearing aid means absolutly nothing negative about the person yet they are often the subject of ridicule.

Teenagers who have experience with wearing hearing aids and thoughts they can share are encouraged to add to this blog. Please tell us how others can act better to make a tough situation easier. We preach respect and inclusion at hearing aids 1000, certainly the teens of the world should get this message. Growing up is tough enough, the world needs to be more caring and nurturing towards those who wear hearing aids, glasses, braces and more.

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Hearing Aids in Texas

Tuesday, October 6th, 2009

I just spent the weekend in Austin, Texas at a very big music concert called Austin City limits. The music was loud and I can’t say it helped my hearing. It made me think about how dangerous loud music is. I hate to say it but I acted like a parent when I worried about all the teenagers in front of the loud speakers. There is no doubt it hurt their hearing and it may cause them to need a hearing aid in the future.

Rock and roll is fun but injuring your hearing is not. Remember to wear ear plugs when you go to big rock shows in Texas or anywhere or you will increase the odds that you need to use a hearing aid in the future.

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