Author Archives: rhotenblog

Get in the Loop

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by Ann L. Rhoten, Au.D., CCC/A

hearingloop-noticeAlthough hearing aid technology has significantly improved since digitalization in the 1990s, there continue to be situations which challenge and frustrate hearing impaired listeners. Places of worship, airports, theaters, ticket booths and movie theaters tend to be extremely difficult listening environments. Often times creating such an unsatisfying experience that the hearing impaired person avoids the situation entirely. If hearing aids are so advanced, why do they continue to have problems with reproducing a clear sound in these situations? The answer is the microphone. In large reverberant rooms, the sound is degraded before it reaches the hearing aid microphone. The hearing aid can only reproduce the input provided. If the microphone detects a degraded signal, it will amplify a degraded signal sometimes making speech totally unintelligible.

With the passage of the Americans with Disability Act many churches, theaters and other large locations have installed wireless transmitters which use infrared and FM technology to send the signal to the hearing impaired patrons. Both are effective means of transmitting speech clearly but in order for the hearing impaired person to access the technology special headsets/receivers must be checked out and worn. Experience has shown people are reluctant to use this technology, typically due to the stigma and hassle of checking out headsets which are conspicuous, unable to be used with existing amplification and incapable of being used in other settings.

Fortunately there has been a resurgence of a seasoned but effective technology called hearing loops. Hearing loops are like Wi-Fi for your hearing aid. They turn the hearing instruments into wireless speakers for a PA system or television set. A hearing loop works through wirelessly transmitting the signal from a PA system or television through a magnetic field to a small copper coil, called a telecoil, in a hearing aid. The telecoil picks up the signal from the magnetic field and converts it back into an acoustic signal in the hearing aid. Because the signal is never airborne, it provides a clear, intelligible sound with no interference from background noise and no degradation of the signal due to reverberation.

Estimates suggest sixty to seventy percent of hearing aids come standard with a telecoil. The telecoil need only be activated and programmed by an audiologist. Anytime the hearing aid user is in a facility which is looped, the telecoil can be accessed by pushing a button at the back of the hearing aid.

There are many advantages of a hearing loop over infrared and FM systems. First, most hearing aids are equipped with a microphone plus telecoil setting enabling one to hear the people nearby while simultaneously receiving direct input from the PA system. With infrared and FM headsets, only the input from the PA system is received sometimes making it difficult to communicate with those around you. Additional benefits of hearing loops include no need for extra equipment to be checked out, the telecoil can be utilized in any looped venue, simple to access, hygienic and provides clear, intelligible sound. In the event there is no telecoil in your hearing aid or one does not wear a hearing aid, just like FM and infrared, listening devices are available for check out.

In 2010, the Hearing Loss Association of America and the American Academy of Audiology announced a joint collaborative public education campaign “Get in the Hearing Loop”. The campaign aims to enlighten and excite hearing aids users, as well as audiologist and other professionals who dispense hearing aids regarding telecoils, hearing loops and their unique benefits. As a result of the campaign, Michigan, Wisconsin, New York, California and North Carolina have installed a significant number of loops. The list of places that are looped is long and varied but include small, portable loops for example check-out counters, drive-thru windows, taxi-cabs, tour buses and large permanent loops in theaters and churches. Lexington is lucky to have the Kentucky Theater and Northeast Christian Church looped. In addition, a TV in a room in my office has been looped for demonstration purposes. For more information go to www.loopamerica.com or to www.hearingloop.org or contact the author at arhoten@kytinnitustreatment.com.

Hearing Aids: Which One to Choose? Consider FLEX TRIAL

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Have hearing aids been recommended for your hearing loss? Have you finally made a decision to pursue improved communication? There are so many choices from which to choose, it can be quite overwhelming.

Most hearing aid manufacturers make demo hearing aids available to audiologists to allow the patient to experience the benefits of amplification prior to a purchase. Unfortunately, most hearing aid manufacturers will only provide demo hearing aids in the premium products. While this is very helpful to most people pursuing amplification, the patient is unable to try the low or mid-level technology without proceeding with the purchase of hearing aids.

There is a 30-day trial period on all hearing aids no matter the make, model or where you purchase them. So should you proceed with low or mid-level technology and are dissatisfied for any reason, they can be exchanged or returned.

There are many tools to help guide audiologists in determining the most appropriate hearing aid for people with hearing loss and communication difficulties. The most convincing and powerful tool is to experience amplification in your own environment and experience the benefits first hand.

Unitron, a small Canadian-based, hearing aid manufacturer, has developed a program to address this issue called Flex-Trial. The Flex-Trial program allows the audiologist to program the demonstration hearing aids to any level of technology from the economy to premium. This allows the patient to make a more informed decision about the value they are receiving from the hearing aids.

There are 5 technology levels from which to select. Most people try 2 technology levels to determine which best suits their personal sound environment. Once the most appropriate level of technology is chosen, the patient can proceed with a purchase of hearing aids with confidence in the ability of the hearing aid to significantly improve their lives.

For more information, please contact the office for your Flex-Trial.

Is There a Cure for Tinnitus?

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The short answer is no. At the current time, there are many studies investigating substances that look promising to eliminate tinnitus for certain groups of people. I will keep you posted as new information becomes available. However, there is a long answer to the question of whether there is a current cure for tinnitus that I argue says yes there is.

There are two very distinct groups of people who have tinnitus. There are those who experience tinnitus but are not bothered by it and there are those that suffer from tinnitus. The people who experience tinnitus have tinnitus 24 hours a day 7 days a week. However, if you ask those people how much they are aware of their tinnitus, they may say 5-10% of the time or even less.

This group of people with tinnitus only notices the tinnitus when something draws attention to it. For instance, they may notice it when it is very quiet in the environment or when someone asks about it. The people who experience tinnitus do not have any problems usually associated with significant tinnitus like concentration or sleep issues.

On the other hand, someone who suffers from tinnitus, although it is present 24/7 like those who experience it, will be aware of tinnitus a significant percentage of the time. They may report being aware of their tinnitus 60, 70, 80, 90, 100% of the time. They are typically very annoyed by it and have concentration and sleep issues. Sometimes they report depression and anxiety as a result of the tinnitus. A significant portion of people who have bothersome tinnitus also develop sound sensitivities as well.

In the late 1980’s and early 1990’s, Dr. Pawel Jastreboff developed Tinnitus Retraining Therapy (TRT) to help those people who suffer with tinnitus. TRT uses a combination of counseling/education and sound therapy to facilitate the habituation of reaction and perception of tinnitus. Using TRT, we help the person who suffers from tinnitus to become someone who just experiences tinnitus.

So I believe that is akin to a cure. People who suffer from tinnitus often times limit their environment in many ways to due to the tinnitus such as avoiding noisy places, restricting activities they enjoy like reading and quiet hobbies, and controlling their diet to avoid certain foods. At the completion of TRT, the former tinnitus sufferer can now resume activities that were previously avoided and have reduced their awareness to less than 10%.

In other words, tinnitus is no longer a problem in their life. Tinnitus has about as much importance as thinking about the clothes on their back or the sound of the hum of a refrigerator. To me, when a person no longer alters their lifestyle due to tinnitus, it represents a “cure”.