Heard
the Latest?
by David Constantine |
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The
Baby Boomer generation shows the largest increase in persons
needing some kind of hearing amplification, according to the
National Health Interview Survey. The reason for this, according
to audiologists, is eardrum damage caused by loud noise. "We're
seeing that more and more of the world has become noisier, that
there is more access to noise. People go to more concerts,
loud bars, loud parties. They use Walkmans, listen to loud music
at sporting events - the world is just a noisy place," says
Elizabeth Alsgaard of the Hillcrest Hearing Center.
Thirty
years ago, hearing loss may have come in handy, by allowing
you to get out of the draft, or giving you an excuse for not
listening to your parents. But now hearing loss is anything
but hip. Losing your hearing carries with it the stigma of
old age; unlike poor vision, which affects the old and young
alike, hearing loss is associated with the elderly. For many
who perceive a gradual loss of hearing, admitting their loss
is sometimes difficult. Admitting it would mean having to
wear big, ugly, uncool hearing aids like your grandmother.
This is no longer an unavoidable fact of life.
The
Digital Difference
Digital
hearing aid technology has changed the rules of aging. The
difference between the old conventional hearing aids and the
new digital hearing aids is similar to the difference between
a 1955 Buick and a 2000 Porche. 100% digital hearing aids
contain their own microchips that control and adjust sound
to respond to the sound environment. The digital processor
can sample incoming sound one million times a second. It
also can adjust over one hundred different parameters a second.
And digital aids can automatically execute complex operations
with incredible speed.
While
traditional hearing aids amplify all sounds equally, digital
hearing aids are programmable and allow different frequencies
to be amplified separately. This enables audiologists to
customize each aid to individual needs. In addition, digital
aids adjust the volume automatically when you encounter a
sudden change in the sound environment. For example, the
Widex hearing aid features a 20-bit processor that can perform
40 million calculations a second. This enables the aid to
maintain a sound quality that is unavailable in conventional
aids. "It's an easily adaptable hearing aid; I mean that
it is easy to fit on a patient. It takes fine-tuning (return
visits to the office to get the hearing aid to sound the best
possible for the patient). Once the patient reaches that
point, they are able to carry on, so it is not a hearing aid
that brings the patient back over and over and over," says
Alsgaard. She reports that most patients only require two
return trips to her office.
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Traditional hearing aids
amplify all sounds equally.
Digital hearing aids are programmable and allow
different frequencies to be amplified separately.
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He
Hears Your Pain
The
most popular style of digital hearing aid is the Completely
in the Canal (CIC) aid worn by President Clinton. A CIC is
roughly as tall as a quarter and is placed in the ear canal,
almost completely out of sight. They can only be seen from
a direct profile.
There
are still other options available for people with hearing
loss. Programmable hearing aids are composed of analog circuitry,
much like the conventional aids, but can be programmed by
a computer in a doctor's office. The aid is less expensive
than the 100% digital aids, and has many of the same capabilities.
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Type
of Hearing Aid Technology
& Circuitry
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Amplification
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Price
Range
(per ear)
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conventional
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uniform
to all frequencies
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$607
- $1295
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Programmable
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Computer
in dr's office programmed to accomidate patients sound
needs
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$995
- $2345
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100%
Digital
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Digital
contains an independent computer chip. Chip seperates
incoming frequencies. Can adjust automatically to changes
in sound environment
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$1545-$3000
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The
future of hearing amplification is promising. The very latest
innovation in hearing aids is the "Songbird" aid, which is
disposable. It lasts about 30 to 40 days and costs around
$80. Intended for those with mild to moderate hearing loss,
the Songbird offers advantages that digital aids do not.
The Songbird is cheap, comfortable, and highly adaptable.
As technology changes, the Songbird will adapt, so that any
new innovations will be built into the next one purchased.
Songbirds will soon be available to the public.
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