Importance Of Keeping Your Hearing Aids Dry.

The most destructive element to your hearing aids is moisture. Unfortunately, moisture is unavoidable in our world. We accumulate moisture everywhere from the air in the form of humidity to our bodies in the form of sweat. Although, we cannot avoid moisture we can every effort to remove moisture from our hearing aids. The effects of moisture is highly destructive to your hearing aids. As a hearing aid owner, you may know you shouldn't take a shower with your hearing aids otherwise you will risk permanent damage to your hearing aids. The effects of moisture in other forms such as humidity can be just as damaging to your hearing aids. If you neglect to dry your hearing aids daily, the cummulative moisture buildup will shorten the lifespan of your hearing aids, reduce your hearing aid battery life and/or cause your hearing aid circuitry to malfunction. The simplest preventive method to remove moisture from your hearing aids is to use a hearing aid dehumidifier every night. Every night you should remove the battery from your hearing aids and with the battery door open place the hearing aids along with the batteries in a dehumidifiers. This simple task will prolong your hearing aids and battery life. 

What type of dehumidifier should I get?

There are different types of dehumidifiers out on the market within all price ranges and budgets. You should ask your Hearing Aid professional for recommendations. 

The most common type of dehumidifier involves the usage of desiccant. Desiccant is a drying agent that removes moisture from the air and displaces it into another place. A common desiccant agent used is silica gel. Silica gel is a granular hard crystal like substance that absorbs moisture. The desiccant is usually blue in color as an indicator but turns pink when it's ready to be "recharged". You simply heat the desiccant to return the color back to blue. There are various products out on the market, Super Dri Aid Humidifier to name one. 

Another type of dehumidifier uses heat source and a desiccant. These types of dehumidifiers usually are plugged into an electrical source. The basic premises is the dehumidifier uses warm air and desiccant to remove moisture from your hearing aids. Some models has UV light source to sanitize your hearing aids. There various models out there, an example would be the Zephyr. It really doesn't matter what type of dehumidifier you chose to use. The important thing to remember to use the dehumidifier to protect your  investment. 

So, what type of dehumidifier do you use? 

Field of Dreams

Spring is in the air! With the arrival of spring comes our American past time known as baseball. With Major League Baseball just beginning their season earlier this month, I thought it's a great time to talk about baseball players who were hearing impaired. There were only a handful of player who were hearing impaired that ever made it to the pinnacle of baseball which is the Major League. According to Wikipedia, the last known player to play in the majors was Curtis Pride who played from 1993 to 2006. 

Did you know that the first known hearing impaired baseball player who played in the major league was over a hundred years ago? 

Edward "Dummy" Dundon

Edward "Dummy" Dundon was credited as the first professional baseball player who was deaf. He was a pitcher who played for the Columbus Colts from 1883 to 1884. At the time, the Columbus Colts were known as a major league level team. Ed Dundon was reported by the Sporting News in a 1996 article to have used hand signals to call balls and strikes. Even though, Ed Dundon was credited for being the first hearing impaired player, he is largely forgotten and overshadowed by the next player who played in the major leagues.

William "Dummy" Hoy

William "Dummy" Hoy is arguably the most famous and the most accomplished major league player who was  hearing impaired.  According to Wikipedia, William "Dummy" Hoy was born in Houcktown, Ohio, He became deaf at the age of three after suffering from meningitis. He went on to graduate from the Ohio State School for the Deaf in Columbus, Ohio as class valedictorian. In 1888, with the Washington Nationals of the American Association, Hoy became only the third deaf player in the major leagues, after pitcher Ed Dundon and pitcher Tom Lynch who was a pitcher for the Chicago White Stockings in 1884. Hoy went on to play for several teams before ending his major league career with the Cincinnati Reds in 1902. Hoy retired with a .287 batting average, 2044 hits, 1426 runs, 726 runs batted in, 248 doubles, 121 triples and 40 home runs. He had 487 stolen bases from 1888 through 1897 according to Wikipedia. In 1951 he was the first deaf athlete to be elected for membership in the American Athletic Association of the Deaf Hall of Fame. William "Dummy" Hoy lived to he was 99 years old and was regarded as role model and hero in the American deaf community in the early 20th century.

Even though the number of  hearing impaired players who ever made it to the major leagues were only a handful but they all overcame great odds to achieve their lifelong dreams of playing professional baseball. Some of the men were given the moniker "Dummy" but these men were never dumb at all.  So, being hearing impaired should not stop you from achieving your field of dreams. 

What are your field of dreams?

Different Types of Hearing Loss

The Free Dictionary defines hearing loss as any degree of impairment of the ability to apprehend sound. According to American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) when describing hearing loss, there are three categories in determine hearing loss: Type of Hearing Loss, Degree of Hearing Loss and Configuration of Hearing Loss. Hearing loss can have a devastating effect on the quality of life in both adults and children. Hearing loss in children can interfere with learning and development. Untreated hearing loss can have a lasting impact on employment, education and overall well-being.  Today, I want to touch on the different types of hearing loss. I want to give you a brief overall view. If you want more in depth explanations, I am providing some links at the end of the post for reference.

When determining hearing loss we should understand the different types of hearing loss.  According to ASHA, there are generally three types of hearing loss: conductive, sensorineural and mixed hearing loss.

Conductive Hearing Loss occurs when sound is not conducted effectively through the outer ear to the eardrum and the ossicles (tiny bones) of the middle ear. The effect of conductive hearing loss is the reduction of sound level or the absence of hearing faint sounds. This type of loss can be treated medically or surgically.  Some of the causes of Conductive Hearing Loss include perforated ear drums, ear infections, impacted earwax, and fluid buildup in the ears due to illness.

Sensorineural Hearing Loss occurs when there is damage to the inner ear or the nerve pathways leading from the inner ear to the brain.  Unfortunately, the damage cannot be medically or surgically repaired in most cases. The damage is permanent. The effect of this loss reduces one’s ability to hear faint sounds and if the speech is loud enough to hear, the speech or sound may be muffed or unclear. Some of causes of sensorineural hear loss include illness, damage from loud noise, head trauma and malformation of the inner ear.

Mixed Hearing Loss occurs when there is a combination of both conductive and sensorinerual hearing loss. There would be damage both to the outer or middle and the inner ear. The effect of this loss includes reduction of sound level and/or absence of hearing faint sounds.

Hopefully, I was able to provide you with a high level overview of the different types of hearing loss. So what type of hearing loss do you have? I would love your feedback on this post or any other posts. For more information you can link to the following:

American Speech-Language-Hearing Association

Hearing Loss Association of America

Hearing Health Foundation

WebMD

Common Terminology Associated with Hearing Loss

Whether you are new to hearing loss or have been living with hearing loss for years, there is so much jargon out on the internet that sometimes we lose track of what they mean.  Although, the list is not all-inclusive it should give a you a good base to understanding terminology that you may come across while researching information, reading my blog or talking to your professional hearing specialist.

American Speech Language Hearing Association (ASHA) - ASHA is the national professional, scientific, and credentialing association for more than 166,000 members and affiliates who are audiologists, speech-language pathologists, speech, language, and hearing scientists, audiology and speech-language pathology support personnel, and students

Amplifier - an electronic component or device that increases the loudness of sound.

Analog Hearing Aid - a basic hearing aid that amplifies sound based on your audiogram.

Articulation Index (AI) - a tool used in audiology to predict the amount of speech that is audible to a patient with a specific hearing loss

Asymmetrical Hearing Loss – Asymmetrical means degree the Articulation Index (AI) is a tool used to predict the amount of speech that is audible to a patient with a specific hearing loss and configuration of hearing loss are different in each ear.

Audiology - the branch of science that studies hearing, balance, and related disorders.

Audiologist – a health-care professional specializing in identifying, diagnosing, treating and monitoring disorders of the auditory and ]] portions of the ear. Audiologists are trained to diagnose, manage and/or treat hearing or balance problems.

Audiogram – the result of a hearing test and it shows you the extent of any hearing loss in either ear.

Audiometer – a machine used for evaluating hearing loss which is standard equipment at audiology centers. They usually consist of an embedded hardware unit connected to a pair of headphones and a test subject feedback button, sometimes controlled by a standard PC.

Behind the Ear Hearing Aid (BTE) – hearing aid in which the components are placed behind the ear and the sound is delivered to the ear through a tube connect to an ear mold.

Bilateral Hearing Loss – hearing loss is presented in both ears

Cerumen – medical terminology for ear wax.

Completely In Canal Hearing Aid (CIC) – hearing aid in which all or nearly all of the aid is placed inside the ear canal.

Cochlea – spiral-shaped cavity of the inner ear that resembles a snail shell and contains nerve endings essential for hearing.

Cochlear Implant – surgically implanted electronic hearing device that provides a sense of sound to a person who is profoundly deaf or severely hard of hearing.

Conductive Hearing Loss – hearing loss due to damage to the conductive portion of the auditory system such as the eardrum or the bones in the middle ear

Decibel (dB) – measurement of the loudness of a sound

Digital Hearing Aid – hearing aid with a digital processor that converts analog sound to digital, and then back to analog.

Ear Canal – channel on the side of the head that the pinna directs sound down to the eardrum.

Ear Drum – the thin membrane that separates the outer ear from the middle ear; sound vibrates the membrane which transfers the energy to the bones of the middle ear.

Feedback – the whistling sound that occurs when sound from a speaker loops back to the microphone.

Frequency Band – in hearing aids refers to the divisions of frequencies that can be adjusted for volume independently from other frequency bands.

Hertz (Hz) – measurement of the speed of a sound wave, one cycle per second = 1Hz

Impression – silicon cast of the shape of the ear and canal used to make custom hearing aids and ear molds.

In The Canal Hearing Aid (ITC) – hearing aid that resides primarily in the ear canal, but also extends into the bowl of the ear

In The Ear Hearing Aid (ITE) - hearing aid that fills the bowl area of the ear

Sensorineural Hearing Loss – type of hearing loss in which the root cause lies in the inner ear, or central processing centers of the brain

Speech Discrimination - refers to the ability to understand speech when amplified to a comfortable level

Symmetrical Hearing Loss – refers to the same or similar degree and configuration of hearing loss in each ear

Telecoil – device in a hearing aid that can connect with the magnetic coils of a telephone and transfer the sound through the hearing aid without feedback

Unilateral Hearing Loss – hearing loss is presented in one ear while the normal hearing is presented in the other ear

Tips To Keep Your Hearing Aids Working For You

Whether you are a lifelong wearer of hearing aids like me or a newbie trying to cope with wearing hearing aids daily, it’s important to remember that proper care of your hearing aids will ensure that your hearing aids will take care of you.  Most of these tips can be found in various forums and websites throughout the internet. Some of them are from my personal experiences that I come to acquire as a lifetime wearer of hearing aids.

The picture above is actually one of my new hearing aids that I acquired almost 8 months ago. It's a Phonak Naida S BTE model. It’s one of the best hearing aids I have ever owned. Click the link If you would like to learn more about Phonak Hearing Aids

TIPS TO ENSURE THAT YOUR HEARING AIDS WORK PROPERLY

Invest in a hearing aid dehumidifier

Moisture is the number one enemy of hearing aids. From the weather to your daily perspiration, you cannot avoid getting moisture in your hearing aids therefore you should invest in a dehumidifier. Obtaining a dehumidifier is relatively inexpensive. There are commercial grade dehumidifiers out there but you really don’t need one. I currently use Acu-Life Dri-Eze Hearing Aid Dehumidifier. The product is available at Walgreens for $4.99. You would need to replace it about every 6-8 months. If you use your dehumidifier each night you’re going to add life to your hearing aids.

Clean your hearing aids

Ear wax buildup can cause your hearing aids to malfunction or even worse stop working. Ear wax occurs naturally and it's beneficial to your ear health. You cannot stop creating earwax but you can prevent ear wax from harming your hearing aids. You should develop a daily routine to clean your hearing aids especially if you have the custom ITE hearing aids. I remember a time when I use to own the ITE hearing aids. It stopped working one day, so when I went to get the hearing aid repaired thinking the worse. Luckily, my audiologist stated that I had an excessive of earwax build up which plugged up the canal of my ITE hearing aids. Whether you have the ITE or BTE hearing aids, you should clean your hearing aids as often as possible. Ask your hearing aid specialist on the best ways to remove wax build up in your hearing aids since there are different care instructions for the various different hearing aids out there. You should routinely clean wipe off the outer case of your hearing aids. You should clear out excessive earwax that builds up in the opening of your receiver and tubing if you have BTE ear molds. You should clean off dirt and wax away from your microphone screens. Also, you should take your hearing aids into your audiologist’s office at least every 6 to 8 months for a professional cleaning. Like Ben Franklin said “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.”

Replace BTE custom ear molds and tubing

If you have BTE hearing aids like me. You should be replacing your ear molds and tubing. The tubing will eventually harden over time. Once your tubing becomes inflexible and brittle it can lead to cracking or tearing of the tube which will prevent any sounds from traveling from the hearing aid to your ear. It is recommended that the tubing should be replaced every 6 to 8 months. Ear molds should be replaced every 12-18 months or recommended by your hearing aid specialist. Like tubing, ear molds will become hard and inflexible. Plus they will discolor over time too.

Secure your hearing aids

You should secure your hearing aids away from potential hazards that may cause reparable harm to your hearing aids. If you own pets, you should make sure that you secure your hearing aids away from the reach of pets. I have lost two sets of hearing aids in my life because of pets. Apparently, hearing aids attract pets. I think it’s because of the ear wax scent. Anyways, both times my pets decided that my hearing aids were a tasty treat. As you can imagine the horror on my face after finding pieces of my hearing aids scatter throughout room after my beloved dog got curious and hungry. Luckily, Fido didn't eat my hearing aid battery since that can be fatal. You should use common sense and think about the potential hazards before you just lay your hearing aids out on the counter or nightstand.

Although, there are many other tips out there that I haven’t mentioned. In my opinion, these tips are the most important to ensure that your hearing aids are there for you. If you have tips or want to share an experience with your hearing aid, I would love to hear from you.

Lack of Health Insurance Coverage for Hearing Aids

After recognizing that you have a hearing loss. You make an appointment with a certified Audiologist.
You were diagnosis with a hearing loss. Your Audiologist recommends that you get fitted with hearing aids as part of your treatment. After your Audiologist provides with the price of your hearing aids, you are in shock that you can't afford the hearing aids. What are you suppose to do? Unfortunately, you are in a predicament like millions of Americans who are diagnosis with a hearing loss. You do not have means to afford hearing aids.

Based on a US department Health and Human Services and NIH (National Institute of Health) fact sheet:

• An estimated 17 million Americans have some form of hearing loss. Nearly half of all Americans over the age of 75 have a hearing loss.
• The average cost of digital hearing aids is $1500 per hearing aid. With high end models ranging in cost from $3000 to $5000 per hearing aid.

Click here for more facts: NIOD

With the rising prices of obtaining hearing aids, you may wonder if your health plan would cover the costs. Unfortunately, you may be in for a surprise. Your private insurance may have limited or no coverage for hearing aids. Some private insurance companies may cover the cost of your audiologist and partial coverage of hearing aids. Others set a limit on the dollar amount of coverage and frequency that you can get hearing aids.

You may ask what about Medicaid and Medicare. Unfortunately, you are may not have much success here either. Medicare does not cover hearing aids. Ironically, Medicare is government funded health care for individuals who are 65 or older. Recent government studies stated that nearly half of all individuals over the age of 75 has a hearing loss and a majority of them rely on Medicare for health insurance. Medicaid often does cover hearing aids for children and some of qualified adults but each state differs in coverage. Medicaid is a government funded health care for individuals and families with low income typically at the poverty level.

There are other alternatives to pay for hearing aids such as using a Health Spending Account, VA benefits which covers hearing aids for our veterans and Non-Profit organizations such as Hear Now by Starkey Hearing Foundation.

As more and more Americans each year are diagnosis with a hearing loss and the cost of obtaining hearing aids continue to rise, we need to promote awareness and advocate for better insurance coverage for hearing aids. Please reach out your state and federal representatives and voice your concerns for changes to the current policies for medicare and medicaid. Demand that states require private insurance companies to change the way they cover cost of hearing aids.

If you want to learn more about hearing aids. Check out The National Institute on Deafness and Better Hearing Institute for financial assistance.

Are You Hiding a Hearing Loss?

Hearing loss is rarely sudden or total, in most instances the hearing loss is gradual over time. In fact, you may not notice the gradual loss but more often your family and friends will notice the hearing loss first before you may notice the loss yourself.

Here  are 10 questions from Hearing Health Foundation to help you determine if you should have a professional hearing evaluation done by a hearing healthcare professional. Keep in mind, the questions are to assist you determine if you should seek a hearing evaluation. Only your Doctor or a  Hearing Healthcare professional can clearly diagnosis your hearing loss and determine the necessary treatment.

1. Do you have trouble hearing on the telephone?
2. Do you have a problem following the conversation when two or more people are talking at the same time?
3. Do people complain that you have the TV volume too high?
4. Do you have to strain to understand a conversation?
5. Do you have trouble hearing in a noisy environment?
6. Do you find yourself asking others to repeat themselves?
7. Do many people you talk to seems not to speak clearly or mumble?
8. Do you misunderstand what people are saying and respond inappropriately?
9. Do you have trouble understanding speech of women or children?
10. Do people get annoyed because you misunderstood what they said?

If you answered "YES" to three or more questions, you should consider seeking a Hearing Healthcare professional to schedule a .professional hearing evaluation to determine if you may have a hearing loss.

Let's Hear Together

In today's society, we humans tend to be busy with our lives. We tend to take granted the wonderful gifts that have been given to us. We rely on our five senses to interact with each other and co-exist with the world. The gift of sight so we can enjoy the tranquility of a sunset on the beach. The gift of touch when we embrace each other after a long day at the office. The gift of taste to savor the flavor of that fried chicken dinner on a Sunday family gathering. The gift of smell to awake to the aroma of that cup of coffee brewing in the morning. The gift of sound to hear that robin sing a sweet melody just after sunrise after getting that early morning worm. 

What happens when we lose one of our senses? How do we cope? What do we miss? Losing one of our sensory organs has drastic effects on us humans but with technology we can cope and adapt to our world. Although sudden loss of sight can be dramatic and life altering, we have shown that we can overcome this disability with technology, perseverance and patience. However, one of the most neglected losses of our senses that we tend to hide is hearing. Unless you were born without the gift of hearing or tragically loss your ability to hear suddenly, you would not acknowledge that you may have a hearing loss. According to the Hearing Health Foundation, Hearing loss is the most common condition affecting older adults. One in three adults older than 60 and half of adults over 85 have a hearing loss. Hearing loss does not only affect older adults, one fifth all American teens have a hearing loss and 60 percent of our veterans who return from Iraqi and Afghanistan has some degree of hearing loss according the Hearing Health Foundation.

I have been affected by hearing loss since an early age in my childhood. I have struggled all my life through the trials, tribulations and embarrassment of having a hearing disability. Thanks to the technology of hearing aids, I am able to cope and adapt to my world.

I have created this blog to assist those who have experienced a hearing loss. I hope to bring insight on new technology, offer tips on coping and reviews of products that will help you cope with your hearing loss. As a disclaimer, the materials provided in this blog is for general information purposes. If you believe that you experience a hearing loss, only your doctor or healthcare professional can properly diagnosis and assist you with your treatment.

 LET'S HEAR TOGETHER.