News and Information about hearing and hearing loss.
Currently there are 4 related articles.
- Upwards of 50 percent of hearing aid users are
not satisfied
Proving that hearing impairment is no barrier to success, hearing
impaired student Jenny Pevreal has been awarded a prestigious Freemasons of New
Zealand Postgraduate Scholarship for Doctoral study – one of only eight
in the country, and a University of Waikato Doctoral Scholarship.
This award follows Jenny’s award last year of the $15,000 "Quest for
Excellence" Scholarship, awarded by the National
Foundation for the Deaf to reward and inspire people whose disability has meant they have had to overcome great obsticles.
Jenny, who has mid-range hearing loss and is unable to hear certain
speech sounds, she is currently studying Clinical Psychology at the University of Waikato.
Jenny is delighted with the news and is thankful to all the people and organizations that have given her support.
“There is an amazing amount of support available in so many different
ways. What I have found is that you need to let people know that you
are here, put your hand up and show them what you can do, rather than
focus on what you can’t do or can’t hear.”
Jenny’s hearing loss was not detected until she was 20 years old. Through her
early school and university experiences she was not always able to hear
the teacher – especially male teachers as their voices are just below
her level of hearing.
It wasn’t until work colleagues pointed out that perhaps she needed a
hearing test, she found out she had a hearing loss. Hearing aids have opened up the world for her,
although she says it takes a lot of energy and concentration to focus
on ‘trying to hear’.
Marianne Schumacher, executive manager of the National Foundation for the Deaf (NFD) said Jenny is an exceptional role model.
“Because hearing loss is an invisible disability, it goes without
saying that all Deaf and hearing impaired people have faced inevitable
challenges over and above their hearing peers,” said Ms Schumacher.
“The fact that Jenny has excelled in her studies to the degree she has
is a magnificent achievement and a great inspiration to others.”
Jenny aims to complete her doctorate and become a registered clinical
psychologist, helping to improve the lives of
people with mental illnesses and assisting them to achieve their
potential.
Way to go Jenny!
(HealthDay News) -- Aspirin can help prevent hearing loss caused by
common antibiotics called aminoglycosides, a new report finds.
Aminoglycosides are inexpensive antibiotics that have been used for the
past 60 years to treat acute infections, cystic fibrosis, tuberculosis
and other conditions. However, their use has also been linked to
irreversible hearing loss.
As reported by a U.S.-Chinese team in the April 27, 2006, issue of the New
England Journal of Medicine, the study included 195 Chinese patients
who received 80 milligrams to 160 milligrams of gentamicin (a type of
aminoglycoside) intravenously, twice daily, for five to seven days. Of
those 195 patients, 89 received aspirin along with the antibiotic and
106 were given a placebo along with the antibiotic.
The rate of hearing loss among patients who received aspirin was 3
percent, compared with 13 percent among the patients who received the
placebo. That translates to a 75 percent lower rate of hearing loss
among patients who received aspirin.
"We would like to see the word get around to the medical community
around the world that you can take some precautions to minimize the
risk to your patients. Aspirin is available everywhere, and it's
cheap," study senior author Jochen Schacht, a professor of biological
chemistry in otolaryngology, University of Michigan (U-M) Medical
School, said in a prepared statement.
This study builds on previous U-M research in animals.
"Previously, we found that such a treatment works well in mice, but I
am very excited that this worked so well in humans. Translating animal
studies into clinical practice is not an easy thing to do. We were
fortunate that our extrapolation from mice to men and women worked in
the first trial," said Schacht, who is director of the U-M Health
System's Kresge Hearing Research Institute.
Today, I-Pods have replaced the CD player, cassette player, radio, or record player as
the choice of Americans to listen to their
favorite music. People in our society have become accustomed to wearing
receivers in their ears to listen to music. Many people listen to music in
the car as they travel to and from work, and while they exercise. The
world is filled with a multitude of sounds.
Unfortunately, almost 20% of all “baby-boomers”, ages 45-64 have
some hearing loss. Hearing loss can be mild, just enough that it begins to affect the clarity
or discrimination of speech.
Many “baby boomers” are noticing that it is more difficult to
understand speech in a noisy environment. Many notice difficulty hearing or understanding their spouse, especially if the
television is on.
It is not necessarily a matter of hearing, but the understanding of what is
being said. Medical Doctors, Hearing Instrument Specialists and Audiologists recommend a complete hearing evaluation starting at around
the age of 50. This evaluation will provide a baseline hearing result for the
individual. If a problem is noted, steps can be taken to either assist the client, refer to a physician or monitor
the loss.
Hearing loss can affect children as well. If a child has an ear
infection, their hearing is most likely affected. Usually, with an ear
infection the hearing loss is temporary and is treated medically. The
hearing loss that accompanies an ear infection also affects the childs ability to hear conversational speech, but they can still hear the higher
frequencies, so they can hear a whisper.
Many parents think that their child is “just not listening”, or not
paying attention. The child should be seen by their physician to check
for ear infections or fluid. A hearing test is a good idea as well.
Study Finds Hearing Aids are Underused by Senior
Citizens that Need Them Most
4 - Upwards of 50 percent of hearing aid users are
not satisfied
 Hearing loss increases with age and affects approximately 31.4
percent of senior citizens over age 65 and 40 to 50 percent of people
75 and older. In nursing homes, this number is believed to be 70 to 90
percent. Yet, only one in five Americans who could benefit from a
hearing aid has one – and just one-third of those use them.
Hearing loss can contribute to strained
relationships with family and friends, depression and even a
deterioration of basic well-being, according to a new literature review
conducted by the Medical Technology Assessment Working Group at Duke
University.
| |
Related Stories |
|
| |
Hearing Ability as We Age is Determined by Hormone
Gene therapy may be way to correct the problem
of potassium imbalance
Feb. 10, 2006 – Why do senior citizens lose their
hearing? It is their hormones, well, actually one hormone – aldosterone
– says a new study. Researchers have linked this hormone, known to
adjust levels of key brain chemicals, to the quality of our hearing as
we age. The more of the hormone that older people have in their
bloodstream, the better is their hearing. And, the less of the hormone
they have, the worse is their hearing.
Seniors Try So Hard to Hear They Forget What They
Heard
Aug. 13, 2005 – Senior citizens with hearing
problems may try so hard to hear they can’t remember what they heard.
That is what a new study by Brandeis University researchers concluded.
FDA Magazine Offers Sound Advice on Age-Related
Hearing Loss
May 23, 2005 – One-third of those between the ages
of 65 and 75 has hearing loss and after age 75 it is about half. Most
age-related hearing loss is irreversible but there are ways to
compensate. The cover story in the Food and
Drug
Administration's flagship publication, FDA Consumer
magazine, which was just named the Best National Magazine in the 2004
National Association of Government Communicators Blue Pencil
Competition, explores the causes and options for those with
presbycusis.
Hearing Loss in Aging May Not Be Ear Problem; Just
an Old Brain
Feb.
22, 2005 – Losing your hearing as you grow older may not be a problem
with your ears. Older people whose ears are in fine shape may have
trouble hearing because their brain is aging, conclude researchers who
are finding problems in the way our brain processes information as we
age.
|
|
Researchers found consistent evidence that hearing
loss contributes to a decline in quality of life, particularly among the
elderly.
However, they also found no research in existence
documenting how hearing devices can enhance everyday experiences.
Approximately six million people in the United
States use a hearing aid, most for treating moderate hearing loss, but
35 to 50 percent of hearing aid users are not satisfied, the study
found.
(See
brief history of the hearing aid below news report.)
Hearing loss is one of the most prevalent chronic
health disorders in the United States. According to the National
Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD),
approximately 28 million Americans have some degree of hearing
impairment.
Hearing aids are being underused, in part the Duke
team reasoned, because of social attitudes that reflect
misunderstandings about hearing loss (e.g., beliefs that hearing loss is
inevitable later in life) and because of the cost and possible
inconvenience of hearing aids.
"One area of critical need is understanding the
barriers to hearing aid use that contribute to irregular use of hearing
devices by those who have them," said Linda K. George, Ph.D., professor
and project director of the study. "Until these areas are better
understood, continued innovations in hearing aid devices will be
hampered."
The report noted that it would not be surprising to
find that the use of devices for hearing loss is associated with
substantial increases in productivity and other social contributions,
but as yet, the issue has not been validated by research.
Investigators also found that research to date
devotes little attention on matching consumers to specific types of
hearing devices (e.g., cochlear implants, hearing aids) and the extent
to which consumers can choose among devices. The Duke team urged more
research be undertaken to understand the impact of hearing devices on
social, emotional and physical disabilities, as well as the consumer
effects of patient education on the use of these devices.
As found in other disease fields examined by the
Duke team (including sensory, musculoskeletal, renal, cardiovascular,
and cancer), available information on device evaluation lags
substantially behind advances in technologies. For example, most of the
evidence available to the researchers was based on hearing devices that
have been superceded by newer versions.
The study examined the impact of medical
technologies on treatment of hearing loss, with emphasis on the elderly
population, and is part of larger study funded by a grant from InHealth:
The Institute for Health Technology Studies, to examine the effects of
medical technology on patients, particularly those who have completed
treatment or received care. InHealth is a nonprofit research and
education organization that studies the role, impact and value of
medical technology through non-restricted grants to independent,
academic investigators.
"Hearing aids are a great example of how medical
technology can have a profound effect on quality of life for millions of
people," said Executive Director, Martyn Howgill. "We need a better
understanding of why people are not using hearing devices in order to
improve hearing aid technology in ways that would surely aid untold
millions of potential recipients."
About the Duke University Medical Technology
Assessment Working Group: Researchers at Duke University are assessing
the impact of medical technology on patient populations in five major
disease categories: cardiovascular disease and stroke, sensory
impairments (hearing and vision loss), musculosketal diseases,
neoplastic diseases (cancer), and diabetes. To estimate medical
technology effects, the team reviews statistics from the Medicare
Current Beneficiary Survey and the National Long Term Survey, and review
literature from scholarly publications. The project is under the
direction of Linda K. George, Ph.D.
About InHealth: Founded in 2003, InHealth: The
Institute for Health Technology Studies (formerly known as The Institute
for Medical Technology Innovation) is a 501(c) 3 nonprofit organization
that supports independent, peer-reviewed insights and research into the
value and impact of medical technology in quality health care. InHealth
is funded by unrestricted philanthropic gifts.
|
A Brief History of Hearing
Aids |
|
Hearing aids have been used
to compensate for hearing loss for a long time.
Electronic hearing aids were
developed after the invention of the telephone by Alexander
Graham Bell in 1876. However, until the 1950s their use was
limited due to their large size, heavy weight, and limited
efficiency. After transistor hearing aids were introduced in
the early 1950s, the use of hearing aids increased rapidly
because smaller transistor 13 size and lower battery voltage
requirements permitted dramatic miniaturization compared
with earlier devices. According to American Hearing Aid
Association data, in 1953 there were an estimated 225,000
hearing aids sold in the U.S. Of these, 100,000 were
alltransistor, 75,000 were hybrid, and 50,000 were
vacuum-tube models. One year later, in 1954, an additional
335,000 hearing aids were sold, 325,000 of them
all-transistor models (Bernard Becker Medical Library,
2005).
Before the mid-1980s,
hearings aids did little more than amplify sound. These
analogue systems used a microphone to turn incoming sound
waves into an electrical current to be amplified. A speaker
then transformed the electrical current into sound waves in
the ear canal. In 1996, the first digital hearing aid
emerged. Instead of turning sound waves into electrical
currents, they are converted into binary signals, processed
by a speaker, and transformed into sound waves. The quality
of sound is better in digital systems. In 1999, GN Danavox,
Inc. of Minnetonka, Minnesota launched the first hearing aid
consisting of a miniature computer with both hardware and
software (Bernard Becker Medical Library, 2005).
Types of Modern Hearing Aids
There are four basic styles of hearing aids (NIDCD, 2005): •
In-the-Ear (ITE) hearing aids fit in the outer ear and are
used for mild to severe hearing loss. The case that holds
the components is made of hard plastic. These are suitable
for adults; for children, the casing would need to be
replaced as the ear grew.
• Canal Aids fit into the
ear canal and are available in two sizes. The In-the- Canal
(ITC) hearing aid is customized to fit the size and shape of
the ear canal 14 and is used for mild or moderately severe
hearing loss. A Completely-in- Canal (CIC) hearing aid is
largely concealed in the ear canal and is used for mild to
moderately severe hearing loss. They are also recommended
for adults, but not children.
• Behind-the-Ear (BTE)
hearing aids are worn behind the ear and are connected to a
plastic ear mold that fits inside the outer ear. BTE aids
are used by people of all ages for mild to profound hearing
loss. Poorly-fitting BTE ear molds may cause “feedback;”
i.e., a whistle sound caused by the misfit of the hearing
aid or by buildup of earwax or fluid.
• Body Aids are used by
people with profound hearing loss. The aid is attached to a
belt or a pocket and connected to the ear by a wire. Because
of their large size, they are able to incorporate many
signal processing options but are used primarily when other
types of aids are not effective.
Two of the above models –
the ITC and CIC – represent 80% of the hearing aid market in
North America, with BTE making up most of the other 20%.
More recently, implantable hearing devices have been
developed to overcome the inconvenience associated with use
of external aids. These target people with sensorineural
hearing loss who cannot be considered for cochlear
implantation and otherwise would be assigned a traditional
hearing aid.
Three types of sound
processing are currently used (NIDCD, 2005):
Analogue/Adjustable: The audiologist determines the volume
and other specifications needed in an individual’s hearing
aid, and a laboratory builds the aid to 15 meet those
specifications. The audiologist retains some flexibility to
make adjustments.
This type of circuitry is
generally the least expensive (below $1,000).
Analogue/Programmable: The
audiologist uses a computer to program the hearing aid. The
circuitry of analogue/programmable hearing aids will
accommodate more than one program or setting. If the aid is
equipped with a remote control device, the wearer can change
the program to accommodate a given listening environment.
Analogue/ programmable
circuitry can be used in all types of hearing aids.
Digital/Programmable:
Instead of converting sound waves into an electric current
to be amplified, digital aids transform them into binary
numbers that enable dramatically heightened auditory quality
and allow people to hear better in noisy environments (by
use of binary filters). The audiologist programs the hearing
aid with a computer and can adjust the sound quality and
response time for an individual. Digital hearing aids use a
microphone, receiver, battery, and computer chip. Digital
circuitry provides the most flexibility for the audiologist
to make adjustments in the hearing aid. Digital circuitry
can be used in all types of hearing aids and is typically
the most expensive (approximately $2,000-3,000).
There are three commonly
used hearing aid circuits:
• the Linear Peak Clipper
(PC),
• the Compression Limiter (CL), and
• the Wide Dynamic Range Compressor (WDRC).
A linear circuit is simply
an amplifier; i.e., it makes everything louder. This circuit
is the least sophisticated and can’t filter background
noise. A compression circuit also amplifies everything, but
with less distortion because of the way it processes sound.
This circuit is also better
able to accommodate a patient's range of hearing. Basically,
the circuit makes the sound loud enough for the patient to
hear, but never gets louder than a patient’s comfort level. |
|
