A retired Medical Doctor, born in 1923, returned to my office today, for an adjustment of his REXTON Hearing Aids.
I enjoy the pleasure of his company and his conversation.
Today, for the first time, I learned that he has a very long family history, associated with the Mormon Religion. He told me that his Grandfather left England to immigrate specifically to Salt Lake City,Utah.
He was assigned to a small town in northern Utah to do missionary work and develop the membership.
Which he did.
My Client, the retired Physician, is no longer a practicing Mormon. I didn't ask,and he didn't tell.
He is always looking for a better performing hearing aid, as are almost all those that use them.
Manufacturers and Providers, count on that obsession of the hearing-impaired, to want to hear better.
During our conversation, and consultation, I again reminded the Doctor, that there is only so much a hearing aid, any hearing aid, can do, to improve the ability to understand speech correctly.
He told me that his Wife tells him that there are times when he doesn't seem to understand her messages and converstions.
I told him, that if there is ever a time or a situation, when he does understand her spoken word correctly, what should that tell him?
What it should tell him, is that either her diction, or articulation, at that moment was not the same as usual, perhaps she was facing away from him, or even speaking to him from another room, or that perhaps she wasn't enunciating her words, or that she was speaking at a softer level than normal.
The other influencing factor could have been the noise level of the environment.
If they were at home, perhaps the television was turned on, music was being played, or the dishwasher,clothes washer or dryer, were being used, and everything aforementioned was interfering with the speech signals from his Wife.
Whatever is the loudest is what he will be hearing.
To me its kind of simple.
If the Hearing Aid is functioning the same, and the hearing system of the User hasn't changed, and it doesn't from moment to moment, etc, then it should be very obvious to anyone that thinks about it, that it either has to be the SPEAKER, OR THE ENVIRONMENT OR SITUATION.
There are features available in Programmable Analog or Programmable Digital Hearing Aids, intended to affect loud noises and interfering signals, but their effect usually results in making the Hearing Aid MORE TOLERABLE TO USE IN NOISY ENVIRONMENTS, NOT MORE EFFECTION IN UNDERSTANDING THE SPOKEN WORD CORRECTLY.
Sometimes the PROVIDER say whatever they have to, to make the sale of NEW HEARING AIDS and usually the BUYER AND USER of the HEARING AIDS is receptive to what the SELLER SAYS.
ITS ALMOST LIKE THEY WANT TO BELIEVE THE PROVIDER AND THE MANUFACTURER OF NEW HEARING AIDS.
What everyone, or at least the USER OR PROSPECT has to remember, is thats what the SELLERS OF HEARING AIDS DO, REGARDLESS OF THEIR TITLE OR IMAGE, PERIOD.
Anyone using a Computer, with any experience at all, can make changes in the output characteristics of a PROGRAMMABLE ANALOG OR PROGRAMMABLE DIGITAL HEARING AID, that will make it sound different to the USER.
JUST BECAUSE IT SOUNDS DIFFERENT, DOESN'T MEAN IT WILL PERFORM ITS FUNCTIONS ANY MORE EFFECTIVELY.
The Medical Doctor and I discussed my observation and opinion of the function of the Tympanic Membrane,or Eardrum.
I don't think it's primary function is to transmit sound as it is though of, but rather as a shock absorber or dampner, so the Inner Ear isn't damaged.
Everyone in the Medical and Hearing Aid Industry knows and agrees, that the Ear Drum is not necessary to hearing.
It makes hearing easier, and probably more effective, but its what is inside the Inner Ear (Cochlea) the liquids, and the nerve cells (fibers) and the condition of the Auditory Nerve and the Receptors and Functions of the Brain.
Hearing Aids cannot compensate for other exisitng Medical Condtions.
Nor can they overcome poor speaking habits or a bad listening environment.
Regardless of all of the aformentioned,or above, the USERS OF HEARING AIDS are always looking for sdomething better, and you can be assured the Manufacturers and Providers will be there to take your money and try to fulfill your dreams and desires.
In an attempt to deceive the Public in thinking that a Hearing Aid is Not a Hearing Aid, the Manufacturers are making them smaller and more attractive.
They are attempting to make them look like BlueTooth Devices. Anything but a Hearing Aid.
What MOST USERS DON'T KNOW, OR WON'T BELIEVE, SINCE THEY DO, THAT NO ONE REALLY CARES WHETHER SOMEONE HAS TO USE A HEARING AID TO UNDERSTAND THE SPOKEN WORD CORRECTLY.
As long as USERS have that GUILT MENTALITY, THEY WILL BE EXPLOITED.
A Hearing Aid, any Hearing Aid, is a Device. A Commodity.
Its the PROVIDER AND THEIR POLICIES, THEIR INTEGRITY, THEIR EXPERIENCE, THEIR DEDICATION, AND THEIR SERVICES, THAT IS MOST IMPORTANT.
PLEASE DON'T HAVE FALSE EXPECTATION, UNREALISTICE EXPECTATIONS, HAVE PATIENCE, AND SEEK THE MOST QUALIFIED AND ATTENTIVE SERVICE AND CONSULING YOU CAN.
Not bad, except the eardrum is imprtant in hearing. The eardrum has approximatly 40 times the area of the footplate of the stapes and provides a mechanicnal advantage of something like 4X. It may not be imerative to hearing but if you like a minimum 20 dB loss in the mids and a 50 dB loss in the lows you can get by without it.
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