[Ohio-talk] Fw: How to buy a hearing aid

[Dr. Smith]

Here is what Hermine would have said if she had been with us.

jw

Dr. J. Webster Smith
President National Federation of the Blind of Ohio
P.O.BOX 458 Athens, Ohio, 45701-0458
Phone Number - 740-592-6326 
"Changing What it Means to be Blind"
----- Original Message ----- 
From: COHEAR at aol.com 
To: jwsmithnfb at verizon.net 
Cc: pmd at pobox.com 
Sent: Saturday, October 31, 2009 6:26 AM
Subject: How to buy a hearing aid


I just called Dr. Smith while the water is filling up the buckets in my back bedroom I am so sorry I had to cancel today but here is my presentation. Please let people know they call or e-mail me with any questions.



Hermine Willey

cohear at aol.com

614-861-7956



National Federation of the Blind of Ohio Presentation. 



Hearing loss can be caused by many factors such as age, noise exposure (occupational or recreational), infectious disease, physical trauma, ototoxic drugs and chemicals. All of these may also be influenced by genetics. At least one-third of the cases of hearing loss are estimated to stem from overexposure to noise. Noise exposure in the United States varies from 5 to 30 million people in the workplace and 16 to 66 million people in recreational activities. Effective prevention programs could make a large impact in reducing the prevalence of hearing loss.

 

Hearing loss is a severe disability in terms of the effects on an individuals social and personal relationships. Most people do not realize they have a hearing loss until about 30% of their hearing is lost. One of most common red flags is an the inability to hear soft consonant sounds such as “th”, “f” or “s” and this causes people to miss parts of conversations especially if the speaker is soft-spoken and/or talks while facing away. About one-third of all people over the age of 65 have significant hearing loss, but only 20% of them wear hearing aids. As of today there are over 30 million people in the USA with hearing loss. The organization that provided me with education, information, advocacy and support about issues with hearing loss is the Hearing Loss Association of America (HLAA).

 

How to Choose a Hearing Aid. 

First you need a full hearing exam not a hearing screening. It should be provided by a university trained licensed Audiologist.  You should be given a full explanation of your audiogram. Usually free test are hearing screenings and that is not always the most accurate to diagnose your hearing loss. It is also recommended that you have an audiogram included with your physical examination. You should be told the type of hearing loss you have, what your audiogram means and why you sometimes can “hear”, but not understand words. You should also be told what hearing aids can do for you and what it cannot do. No hearing aid can give you perfect hearing like the hearing you previously had.  Many times you are told this is the best hearing aid made but it may not be the best one for your hearing loss. The word digital is used frequently but today most hearing aids are digital. You should be asked how your hearing loss effects your daily life at home, at work, in school and while using the phone. Your significant other should also have an opportunity to express the effect of your hearing loss. You are entitled to ask for a copy of your audiogram. 

 

You should also be told why a particular type of hearing was recommended. There are behind-the-ear, in- the- ear, in-the-canal, completely-in-the-canal, and open fitting hearing aids. (these have no ear mold but a special apparatus attached to the tubing.). The smaller the hearing aid the more expensive it is and the batteries are tiny. I prefer a behind-the-ear because if your hearing aid needs to be repaired you are able to use a loaner  with your ear mold.  

 

Hearing Aid features should be explained to you. These include directional microphones. Directional microphones are used in a noisy restaurant and it lowers the background noise so the person you are talking to voice is louder than the background noise. Omnimicrophones  allow you to hear everything and are best in a quiet room.  A manual volume control is needed and every hearing aid should have a volume control even if they are digital. All hearing aids should have telecoils . Telecoils react to electromagnetic waves produced by an amplified sound source like a telephone, or microphone, by creating an electric current in its wires. It can used with assistive listening device, telephone, and cell phone including  an induction loop. An induction loop is installed around a specific area in a room. The electrical signal is then amplified by the hearing aid and converted to sound. This sound is transmitted directly into your ear through your hearing aid.  Other room noises are eliminated when the telecoil is turned on. I have information on induction loops and will be glad to forward it. 

 

Your hearing aids should fit comfortably and you should be able to insert the hearing aids into your ears by yourself. Batteries used should be explained on how to place the batteries in the hearing aid and that is why I prefer the larger batteries used by the behind-the-ear hearing aid. You need to know where they can be purchased , how much they cost and keeping spare batteries with you at all times. All controls should be explained to you. 

 

The following should be covered at  the time of your first visit to your audiologist after purchasing the hearing aid. 

Tell your audiologist your listening experience with hearing aids in noise, feelings of loudness, discomfort. Are the ear molds are comfortable and there are no whistling noises. You should also have a “real ear” to troubleshoot problems. Real-ear use a probe-tube system that reveals the actual output of the hearing aid while the person is wearing the hearing aid. 

 

Your audiologist should give you information about using telephones and assistive listening devices with your hearing aids and that is why all hearing aids should have telecoils. Devices that alert for fire, and safety, phones and door bells should be mentioned also.

 

You should also receive a written contract detailing the services provided including cost of hearing aid, cost of dispenser’s services, and number of follow-up visits included in the cost and date and place of sale. Have your dispenser check your insurance. It should be in writing concerning information about the  trial period, return time limits by state law. It should include fees charged if hearing aid is returned within trial period.  If during the trial period the hearing aid is sent in for repairs this time should not be included as the trial period. Always bring a hearing person with you when buying a hearing aid. 

 

In conclusion everyone needs to remember to turn down the volume and protect your remain hearing. If your ears ring after listening to your iPod or MP3 player  the volume is too loud. The normal range of a MP3  player is  60-120 decibels. Persistent exposure to noise above 85 decibels can cause hearing loss. If your friend can hear your music standing next to you, it is too loud.  If you cannot  hear a person talking to you who is 3’ away because of the background noise, you are in an environment that is too loud.  You can protect your ears from hearing loss with your MP3 player by listening at 10-50 percent of the full volume. Some MP 3 players let you lock in a range or switch to sound isolating earphones, that drown out background noise so you do not have to turn up the volume.