Hearing TV

Did you know that one in six Australians have some type of hearing loss? And that doesn’t even include those of us whose hearing is just starting to deteriorate (so that we have more trouble than usual in noisy places)

But there are other things we can do to improve our communication with others who may be hard of hearing… and will save you and your loved ones a lot of pain and frustration. The most important change you could make to help effective communication with someone who is hard of hearing, is to make sure you look straight at them and make eye contact, so that they can see your face. If you get into the habit of doing this, it will help.
Once you have made eye contact, here’s some things you can do:

First of all, speak naturally, and don’t shout. If you raise your voice, thinking it will help them hear, it will distort the sound. And your body language will change with the effort of shouting, so that you look angry. Also, don’t rush your speech, just speak naturally and clearly.

If they still have problems, and the listener asks you to repeat, don’t say the same thing twice.Try saying it a different way. For example, if you said “ Let’s go to the 6 o’clock showing of the movie”, and the listener asks you to repeat, say instead: “ The movie is on at 6 o’clock, shall we go to it?” It’s harder to do than you think, but if you practise, always repeating something in a different way, it will soon become a habit.

Another tip… be aware of background noise. If you try to have a conversation from the other end of a table in a noisy restaurant, it will be an exercise in frustration. Gauge your moment and your environment. Wait until the noise stops, or move to a quieter place, or move closer to the listener and make sure they can see your face.

The other important thing to remember is never to try and speak from another room – even someone without hearing loss will struggle to hear you in this situation, so try to restrain that impulse to yell out, and go into the room where your listener is.

If you can make these small changes a habit, people will think you’re a wonderful communicator!

Today we’re going to answer one of the most frequently asked questions about hearing aids.
The number one question is how do I know if I need one?

The first thing to do is to find out whether you have a hearing loss. If you find that you have to work hard to hear somebody, especially in background noise or perhaps your family is commenting or making jokes about you being deaf then it’s time to have your hearing tested.

If you are working hard to communicate with your usual speed and efficiency and it means you have to fill in the gaps of what people are saying which is tiring, this is a good reason to try out hearing aids to see if they can make your life easier.

Another question we get is: “will hearing aids make my hearing normal again?” The answer is no they will not repair the damage to your ears but they will go a long way towards helping you maintain good communication and social interaction, which is important to enjoying a normal lifestyle and to safeguarding against cognitive decline, which intern contributes to brain diseases such as dementia.

Hi I’m Stewart, and today I answer another common question that we get about Hearing Aids. Sometimes people ask: “will hearing aids make my hearing worse?”The answer is no, correctly-programmed hearing aids will not make your own hearing worse. But, because listening and understanding people becomes so much easier with hearing aids…then, when you’re not wearing them, the contrast makes you feel as if your hearing is worse.

Before you got the hearing aids, you were unconsciously working hard to “fill in the gaps” when people were talking. But the Hearing Aids take a lot of that effort away, so when you go without them you suddenly notice how hard it is.So hearing aids don’t make your natural hearing worse, but they do give your brain a holiday when you’re wearing them!

More questions answered next week, at Hearing TV: brought to you by Edgecliff Hearing, and Mac Hearing

Welcome to Hearing TV. I’m Stewart and today I’m answering one of the more common questions we get about hearing aids.

One often asked question is, do I need 2 hearing aids. The answer is, if you have hearing loss in both ears, then yes you do. Think of it like wearing glasses – you wouldn’t wear a monocle in one eye only. The same applies to hearing aids. If you can hear in one ear only because you only have the one hearing aid, then you lose important information needed by the brain to understand speech in noise. When it’s quiet, you might get by with one hearing aid only. But as soon as you’re in a noisy place, you will not be able to understand what someone is saying. This is because the brain uses both ears to make decisions about what is speech, and what is noise.

Another important thing we are able to do only if both ears are working, is to localise sound, or tell where sound is coming from. For example without two ears, you cant tell where someone is calling from, or which side a car is coming from, so it can be a real safety issue if you do not have both ears hearing properly.

So although it is completely up to you whether you buy one aid or two, we would always recommend two if you have hearing loss in both ears.

A question we are often asked is “how long will the hearing aid last?”
These days development of technology is very fast, so new hearing aids are being released all the time,. However, previous hearing aids won’t become obsolete just because there are new ones available. In fact, you can expect the hearing aids to last about 5 to 7 years, or even longer if they are well looked after.

The next question is “how long will it take to get used to hearing aids?”
A modern hearing aid should sound quite natural, so you can start wearing them all day every day if you want to. But because you will hear sounds that you haven’t heard for a long time, especially the high frequency sounds, the hearing aides may seem to sound sharp or hissy. But don’t worry! – the manufacturers recognised that the brain needs time to adjust to the new sounds, so hearing aids have a built-in automated interpretation system which means they adjust themselves slowly to optimal levels without you even noticing.

Everyone’s experience is different so don’t be influenced by what someone else says …just go and try it out for yourself. And remember the most important thing, is to tell your audiologist everything that’s happening with your hearing aid, so that they can be informed enough to make the adjustments that you need for your particular listening environment.

EPISODE 10 FOR HEARING TV

What is a COCHLEAR implant?

Hello and welcome to Hearing TV.  My name is Merren Davies.

In the last episode we discussed Middle Ear hearing implants.

Today we are going to INTRODUCE the COCHLEAR IMPLANT.

The cochlear implant could be described as the ULTIMATE SOLUTION for people who cannot benefit from a conventional hearing aid.

To understand how the COCHLEAR IMPLANT works we need to remind ourselves of how normal hearing works:

Sounds around us reaches our ears by a relay of air molecule vibrations. These vibrations reach our eardrum, which transmit the VIBRATION of sound through to the INNER EAR via the interconnection of the 3 smallest bones in the body, which CONNECT the EARDRUM to the INNER EAR –  the COCHLEA.

The COCHLEA changes the mechanical Vibration into an Electrical signal, which is picked up by our Hearing Nerve and transmitted up to the BRAIN – where the true ‘HEARING” happens.

Most permanent hearing losses are due to a malfunction of the INNER EAR.  The COCHLEAR IMPLANT is designed to replace the function of the INNER EAR.

There are two parts to the COCHLEAR IMPLANT : an EXTERNAL and an INTERNAL part, which is why we often call it a “COCHLEAR IMPLANT SYSTEM” – as each part is needed for the system to work.

The EXTERNALLY worn part of the SYSTEM is called a SPEECH PROCESSOR.  It is the BRAINS of the cochlear implant.  It picks up the sounds of the world and determines what the INTERNAL PART should do.  It sends INSTRUCTIONS AND POWER to the INTERNAL part via
RADIO TRANSMISSION.  The INTERNAL part of the COCHLEAR IMPLANT is fully surgically implanted in the area behind the person’s external ear. And there is an electronic lead which runs from this space to inside the INNER EAR.

This ELECTRONIC LEAD then communicates to the person’s HEARING NERVE ….which transmits the signal up to the BRAIN – where ‘HEARING” happens.

We will discuss the COCHLEAR IMPLANT in more detail in the next episodes of HEARING TV.

So, STAY TUNED to Hearing TV to hear about more about implantable hearing devices.

EPISODE 9 FOR HEARING TV

What is a Middle Ear hearing implant?

Hello and welcome to Hearing TV.  My name is Merren Davies.

In the last episode we discussed bone conduction hearing implants.

Today we are going to look at Middle Ear hearing implants which are another option for people who cannot benefit from a conventional hearing aid.

Like the Bone Conduction Implant, the MIDDLE EAR implant has an internal part that is surgically implanted behind the ear,  and an external part.  The external part powers up and controls the internal implant.  The external device looks like a disk which is worn under the hair.

A Middle Ear implant is a device that is usually considered as the person’s inner ear needs help but something is not allowing them to use a conventional hearing aid.  Unlike the Bone conduction implant, the Middle Ear implant can provide amplification even when the inner ear has a MODERATE hearing loss.  And if there is a blockage in the Middle Ear as well the MIDDLE EAR implant can even help with a combined severe-profound hearing loss.

The MIDDLE EAR implant is designed to make the most of residual hearing and do the work of a conventional hearing aid – but without the need to wear anything in the ear canal or over the ear.

It is important that anyone considering a MIDDLE EAR implant that their rate at which their hearing loss is progressing is well understood as this will help predict the suitability of the device.  If someone has a moderate to profound hearing loss that is steadily getting worse year on year, then it may be better to consider a COCHLEAR IMPLANT.

We will discuss the COCHLEAR IMPLANT in the next episode of HEARING TV.

So, STAY TUNED to Hearing TV to hear about more about implantable hearing devices.

EPISODE 8 FOR HEARING TV

What is a Bone Conduction hearing implant?

Hello and welcome to Hearing TV.  My name is Merren Davies.

In the last episode we discussed how the human ear works.  Today we are going to look at Bone Conduction hearing implants which are an option for people who cannot benefit from a conventional hearing aid.

Some people cannot use a conventional hearing aid as their ear canal, ear drum or the space just beyond the ear drum has repeat infections, …. So much so that the mechanical VIBRATION part of the ear no longer works well.

For some people their history of ear infections is so long and difficult to cure, the use of a conventional hearing aids may PROMOTE ear infections. If this is the case, then they are advised not to use normal hearing aids for medical reasons.

Some people are born without fully formed ear canals and therefore they simply cannot use a conventional hearing aid.

These are some of the MAIN reasons why people choose to obtain a Bone Conduction hearing implant.

For all these reasons there is a problem with the delivery of sound through the mechanical part of the ear, such a s the eardrum and the tiny bones behind the eardrum.

While the electrical part of the ear, the INNER EAR,  is in good working order.

SO HOW DOES THE BONE CONDUCTION HEARING IMPLANT WORK?
It works by picking up sound by an outside sound processor, and the sound is delivered to the INNER EAR by vibration.

So rather than the eardrum and the tiny bones vibrating against the cochlea, the vibration is transmitted by bone conduction directly to the INNER EAR.

In our next episode we will look at MIDDLE EAR HEARING IMPLANTS.

So, STAY TUNED to Hearing TV to hear about implantable hearing devices.

EPISODE 7 FOR HEARING TV :

How The Ear Works

Hello and welcome to Hearing TV.  My name is Merren Davies.

In recent episodes we have been talking about Styles of Hearing Aids. But what if something has happened to your ear and hearing aids are of no help?
Before we look further into this, let’s have a look at the human ear and understand how it works.

Sounds around us reach our ears by a relay of air molecule vibrations.  These vibrations reach our eardrum, which transmit the VIBRATION of sound through to the INNER EAR via the interconnection of the 3 smallest bones in the body:​ the malleus, the incus and the stapes.

This mechanical vibration causes the fluid inside the inner ear to move, and this movement causes sensory cells inside the inner ear to TRANSDUCE the mechanical Vibration into an Electrical signal, which is picked up by our Hearing Nerve and transmitted up to the BRAIN – where the true ‘HEARING” happens.

People with a hearing loss can either have a problem with the Mechanical part of the ear – or the Electrical part of the ear – or both!

These are usually overcome by hearing aids, which can increase the volume of the sound to overcome the hearing loss.

In our next episode we will start looking at what can be done if hearing aids are no longer enough to overcome the hearing loss.

Stay tuned to Hearing TV to hear about implantable hearing devices.

Hello, and welcome to Hearing TV.  My name is Phillippa, and today we’re talking about RIC hearing
aids.

Receiver in the canal aids, otherwise known as RIC, or RIE, are an excellent option for many reasons.

The RIC Comprises a small hearing aid which sits behind the ear, to which is connected a speaker, or receiver, which goes into the ear.  On the end of the receiver you can use either a disposable silicon dome, or a custom made hard acrylic tip.  So, by separating out the various components of the hearing aid, the device becomes modular and parts are easily replaced.

Let’s start with the part behind the ear. This incorporates the microphones, which pick up the sound coming through the air and send them to the computer chip inside.  The computer chip analyses the sound using the features you have chosen – meaning that it will apply more or less sophisticated
noise management and replication of the sound you want to hear depending on what level of technology you have chosen.  Then, the signal is sent down the wire to the speaker, or receiver, which sits in your ear.

The receiver comes in different strengths, from normal to super-power, which is dictated by your degree of hearing loss.  Then, we put aa disposable dome, or a custom-made shell, over the receiver so that it sits comfortably in your ear.

The RIC aid is our favourite option for various reasons:

Firstly, because the aid is modular, the parts can be easily replaced if they break.  The receiver wire is the weakest part, most prone to blockage or breakage, so we simply take it off and replace it either under warranty or at a small cost.

Secondly, if your hearing drops, the receiver can be replaced by a stronger one, which means that you don’t have to buy a new hearing aid.

Thirdly, the apparatus is almost invisible as the receiver wire sits against your skin, and the hearing aid is hidden behind your ear – most people will not even notice you have one on!

Then because your ear is not blocked, we have much less difficulty with what we call an “occlusion effect”, where your voice echoes in your head.  The open design means that you can hear sounds naturally, combined with amplification only where you need it.  The whole sound experience is much more natural.

Then, because the receiver, or speaker, is close to your eardrum, the range of high frequency sound that can be delivered is greater, resulting in clearer speech.  And because of that distance between the speaker and the microphones, you are less likely to get the dreaded whistle, or feedback which was one of the most offputting features of older hearing aids.

Overall, the RIC is a lightweight, virtually invisible, and versatile hearing aid for most people.