2020 VISION: Hearing aids features change as fast as today's technology - Enid News & Eagle
Lavay Moore, PCC, holds a set of Sonic Captivate 60 Minirite hearing aids Monday, Feb. 17, 2020.
ENID, Okla. — Hearing aid technology is going through an ever-changing process, with advances happening as often as two or three times a year, according to local specialists.
“Hearing aids are far from where they were 10 years ago,” said Greg Kuykendall of Kuykendall Hearing Aid Center & Diagnostic Audiology. “I’ve been in this business for 35 years, and some of it I have to sit down and focus. It’s not the way we were brought up. To my 30-year son (Kyle), it’s right down his alley. It’s a pretty exciting time to be in the market now.”
“Hearing aid technology is going to be continually and constantly changing,” said Jenni Grittman, hearing instrument specialist from the Hearing Group. “We’re doing a lot of fine tuning on hearing aids. If something doesn’t sound right, we can make adjustments. We’re going to see in the next couple of years that we will be able to hone in for for the patient to make it sound the best.”
Advancements
Some advancements in the industry include:
• Hearing aids that can be recharged like a cell phone, with the user not having to worry about batteries and changing them once a week. The typical charge can last up to 30 hours.
• Hearing aid can be directly connected to cell phones to allow the user to hear a caller in both ears, and sound to be streamed from TVs and other devices to a hearing aid. Bluetooth compatibility, according to HealthyHearing.com, is a wireless feature that enables hearing aids to connect to mobile phones and other devices through an intermediary device.
“I put my own grandparents in those,’’ Grittman said. “They love that when I call them they can answer their phone directly from the aid so if their phone is in their pocket or purse, they don’t have to dig for it. They just have to push the button on the hearing aid and that answers it. My grandmother loves the bluetooth feature that has improved the sound quality. She has been able to communicate better with the people she is around.’’
“People using this iPhone technology are loving it for their cell phone usage,’’ Kuykendall said. “You can put so much more on a computer chip now. Prices used to be based on the size, now it’s the technology. It’s the most fancy features which makes the product more expensive.’’
AI for the hearing industry
The industry has improved by a speedy measure with the use of wireless features.
Kuykendall said someone struggling to hear his or her Sunday School teacher can put a wireless microphone by the teacher and receive information directly through the hearing aid.
“If we can minimize the distance, or noise, the patient hears, the better it is,’’ Kuykendall said.
Users of this system can download an app that allows them to adjust the hearing aid in different circumstances. Background noise is the biggest problem for people with hearing loss, according to Andrea Barbalich of AARP.
People complaining of ringing in their ears can program the computer chip that can mask the ringing, Kuykendall said.
Hearing aids are using artificial intelligence to differnate someone talking in front of you and all the background noise, Grittman said.
Hearing aid technology is going through an ever-changing process, with advances happening as often as two or three times a year, according to local specialists.
“That makes conversation easier in the allowed environment,’’ Grittman said. “With the high end hearing aids, there should be no feedback from high range. Almost all the digital hearing aids have noise reduction. We’re getting away from the squeaking. There should be no feedback from the high range.’’
Kuykendall said a user can tweak noise level to where he wants it in a certain setting.
Own voice processing
A new technology from Signia, Own Voice Processing (OVP), is able to detect the wearer’s voice and process it separately from external sounds, which are unaffected.
“A lot of people are hearing their own voice better,’’ Grittman said. “For the first couple of weeks with these hearing aids they are getting used to hearing their own voices again.’’
Health, wellness monitors
Some new models can monitor physical activity as well as vital signs such as body temperature and blood pressure. Some can even gauge your connection to other people by detecting when you are speaking to someone else.
“That’s a biggie,’’ Kuykendall said. “We’re doing this for the health of the person. You can market this not just as a hearing aid but to help moderate body functions. It’s going to give us a sneak preview of what we will see in the next year or two. We’ll see in the next year where we can check blood pressure from a person’s hearing aid or check their temperature by probing across their head. There are a lot of body functions that you can check from a person’s ear. The new technology in the custom products allow us that technology we want to go in the direction we want to.’’
Fall detection
People with a hearing loss can have a 300% increased risk of falling, according to Tom Wiffler, CEO of UnitedHealth Care Speciality Benefits. He said a chip can be put in that can detect and chirp when a fall is about to happen. The Livio Al device, by Sharkey, can automatically notify up to three emergency contacts to alert them a fall has occurred and show them the person’s location.
“If you’re concerned about mom falling, you can sync up her hearing aids to your iPhone or computer,’’ Kuykendall said. “When she falls, a message can be sent to your phone or computer.’’
Language translation
The Livio Al offers translation in 27 languages, including French, Japanese and Arabic, according to AARP. The device translates into English in real time.
“You can look at your iPhone and read what they are saying,’’ Kuykendall said.
Natural sound
Hearing aids have been going away from the big, bulky devices. Instead of being behind the ear, it has gone down into the ear.
Grittman said that has allowed more natural sounds, which improves the quality of the hearing aid.
“You can see it’s a wire and not a tube,’’ she said. “The tip is much smaller and the inclusion allows a lot more natural sound to come in.’’
2020 Vision: All Health and Wellness Stories
With Medicaid expansion on the horizon — either by state question or legislative action — administrators at both St. Mary's Regional Medical Center and Integris Bass Baptist Health Center are confident health care in Enid is well-positioned to serve the public, even if questions remain about how Medicaid expansion might come to pass.
Students of nursing at Enid colleges are taking advantage of new equipment and seeing the results of hard work in their field of study, according to officials at Northwestern Oklahoma State University-Enid and Northern Oklahoma College Enid.
“You wake up some days and you wonder why you’re awake and what you’re supposed to do that day, and the Enid patients have helped me understand that we are doing exactly what we’re supposed to be doing by being in Enid.” — Dr. Craig W. Carson
“The goal of LTCA of Enid Area Agency on Aging is to empower those aged 60 and older by providing information and access to resources that will assist in linking people in need with appropriate available services in their community.” — Ruth Stubblefield, LTCA executive director
“This is like a foundation. It’s a springboard. It’s unlimited what they can do." — Lois McCullough, health careers instructor at Autry Technology Center
With a host of new technology, techniques and staff, and significant recent investments in infrastructure, the leadership at Integris Bass Baptist Health Center are confident in the hospital’s ability to adapt to and meet the demands of a changing health care landscape.
In addition to new equipment, procedures and space, St. Mary’s also recently added, or soon will add, several new physicians. Between the new staff, equipment and expansion, Roberts said St. Mary’s is well-positioned to continue improving care to its patients.
Hedges Regional Speech and Hearing Center is the only nonprofit institution of its kind in Northwest Oklahoma, Executive Director Carmen Ball said, and help it offers is always in high demand.
Since the passage of State Question 788 in 2018, nearly 250,000 Oklahomans have received their licenses to possess, grow and use medical marijuana and local dispensaries say the number will continue to grow.
CBD, or cannabidiol, is a cannabis compound with medical benefits that does not make people feel “stoned” and can actually counteract the psychoactivity of tetrahydrocannabinol, a crystalline compound that is the main active ingredient of cannabis, also referred to as THC.
Hearing aid technology — from answering the phone with a device to bluetooth capabilities and monitoring blood pressure — creating so many opportunities for those with limits to break the barriers of sound.
"If you have to rearrange your schedule and force it in, it usually won't last. So picking a time or a day when it's easy for you to come is important." — Kallie Gower, health and wellness coordinator at Denny Price Family YMCA
“We have these twelve rivers that run through our body. So if we look at our hand we have the lung meridian, the large intestine, the pericardium and the triple burner of the small intestines and heart.” — Ross Greg, ACU
Comments
Post a Comment