A New Alarm Clock

Does your alarm clock wake up everyone in the neighborhood except you?  Now you can safely turn off the sound on your alarm clock and not have to worry about oversleeping!
This new alarm clock from Bellman & Symfon wakes you with a high-intensity flashlight, powerful vibrations and sound directly in the pillow - perfect when you need to get up on time without waking others.

Helping Hear the Minister's Words - as seen recently in the Toledo Blade

Our local newspaper published the following article on February 6, 2012.  Is your church doing all that it can to help you hear?

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Helping Hear the Minister's Words - Enhancement easy way to assist hearing impaired at churches, TMA

by Laurie Omness - special to the Blade

When people in church don’t hear what the minister is saying, the minister can tell.

“You might say something that has the congregation laughing, and there will be a couple of faces that are just blank. Or you’ll see one or two people leaning over to ask someone ‘What did she say?’ And you know they didn’t hear you,” Dottie Kaiser of Lima said.

Ms. Kaiser does a lot of what she calls “pulpit-fill” for vacationing pastors or for Ohio churches needing an interim minister. She says even when churches have a good sound system, churchgoers who are hearing impaired cannot hear everything.

“Sometimes you’ll see people with real expressive faces squinting, and looking intently at you, trying to hear,” she said.

A few Toledo religious institutions have made an effort to help hearing-aid wearers by installing a supplementary sound system endorsed by the American Academy of Audiology and widely used in Europe.

It’s known as a hearing loop.

The loop systems consist of an amplifier and wire installed around the perimeter of a room. Low electrical current from the amplifier creates a magnetic field. People wearing hearing aids or cochlear implants equipped with a telecoil device can pick up the sound of a speaker wearing a tiny microphone whose voice is transmitted over the magnetic field.

The system won approval by audiologists because it doesn’t require the user to ask for special headsets or a transmitter that is necessary with FM transmitting systems. It also has the advantage of using as receivers the wearer’s own hearing aids which have already been fine-tuned to the owner’s hearing needs.

Hearing aid users can switch between settings — one with an M or “microphone” and T or “telecoil.” The microphone setting amplifies one-on-one conversations and works fine in many situations. The telecoil setting enables the wearer to pick up sound from a person amplified by the induction loop.

“It is an easy way to eliminate background noises and cut down on distance problems,” said Dr. Clint D. Keifer of Toledo Audiology in Maumee.

He says ambient noise interferes with hearing for everyone but is more problematic for the hearing impaired, even those fitted with an appropriate device. An estimated 30 percent of people older than 60 have some hearing loss and Dr. Keifer’s practice is seeing an influx of people who are reaching that age.

“In my experience, the baby boom generation is savvy about technology but wants something that’s inconspicuous,” Dr. Kiefer said.

Since the induction loop transmits to the t-coil in the user’s hearing aid, no one has to ask for special headsets at a public venue, something that traditional F.M. amplification requires.

Susan Kaufman is a hearing-impaired person who has experience with F.M. systems and with the loop and prefers the loop. “Oh, my gosh,” she said. “You feel like the speaker is right there in your ear.”

Mrs. Kaufman once wore hearing aids and was fitted for cochlear implants in 2001. Both devices have t-coils that serve as the receivers for sound transmitted from the loop. She was instrumental in having the loops installed at several buildings on the campus at the Congregation B’nai Israel.

She also recently assisted in making a presentation to officials at the Toledo Museum of Art urging the installation of an induction loop to make programs more accessible to the hearing-impaired.

Kelly Garrow, the museum’s director of communication, said the museum is committed to expanding access to the museum’s collection.

She said the museum’s new director, Brian Kennedy, was “dumbfounded” that there were not already loop systems installed. “They are mandatory in Australia,” she said. Mr. Kennedy worked at the National Gallery in Australia before coming to Toledo.

Ms. Garrow said that several projects are being planned for the museum but the induction loop system is a high priority. “It will happen at the museum,” she said.

Andy Jankowski made the loop presentation to the museum on behalf of Assistive Audio, the local company which installed the loops at Congregation B’nai Israel.

He says that the systems are installed in public places such as churches, auditoriums, retirement communities, and parks.

Hearingloop.org is a non-profit advocacy group for the hearing impaired. Its Web page offers advice on the cost of systems.

“Typical costs range from $2,000 to $8,000 for small to medium-sized worship centers, but more for very large facilities with lots of embedded steel. Most congregations’ loop systems will cost no more than what one of their members would pay for a pair of today’s high tech hearing aids,” the site said.

Mr. Jankowski has installed much smaller loop systems as well, including a system for the backseat of a mini-van used in his own family.

“I have grandchildren who are profoundly deaf and have cochlear implants,” he said. The installation of the loop in their van allows them to watch and listen to DVDs while on long trips,” he said. “I’m in the business to make it a better world for them.”

Don Beyer of Torrence Sound Co. of Perrysburg agrees. His company installed loop systems at two Toledo churches, Hope Lutheran and Historic St. Patrick. The company provides all kinds of sound systems for different venues.

“One of the joys of the job is getting a thank you,” Mr. Beyer said. “But it really means a lot when the folks that shake your hand are hard of hearing. They’ve been left out for a while.”

"Keeping it Down on the Farm"

At the National Future Farmers of America convention in Indianapolis, the National Instutute of Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD) launched online materials to encourage parents to protect their preteen's hearing from loud noises on the farm.

The effort is part of NIDCD's national public education campaign, It's a Noisy Plant. Protect Their Hearing, designed to increase awarenes of the causes and prevention of noise-induced hearing loss among parents of children 8 to 12. The new "Keeping it Down on the Farm" materials included downloadable tip sheets on how to reduce noise and a list of common sounds found on the farm that occur at potentially damagin levels.

Find them here: Keeping it Down on the Farm

Information for Patients with Dizziness

If you haev a balance disorder as a result of an ear problem you should know:

• The ears work together to create balance.  The ears send a balance signal to the brain, and the brain compares the two signals.  Normally these signals are the same.  Vertigo is triggered when the balance signals are unequal, such as when one ear sends a strong signal and the other a weak one.
• Sedating medications do not help the healing process.  Medications like Antivert (meclizine), Valium (diazepam), and some antihistamines suppress the vestibular and central nervous system.  This delays the healing process because the medication reduces the neural response as the brain tries to balance the two signals, and delaying rehabilitation makes balance problems worse.
• The ears need to learn to work together.  Some patients do not want to move because they are afraid of creating vertigo, but this is a mistake.  The brain needs to relearn how to coordinate the balance signals from both ears.  The more often the brain deals with the signals from the ears, the quicker the dizziness problem will be resolved.  When the brain learns how to coordinate the signals from both ears, balance results.
• Balance exercises help. Vestibular rehabilitation is a series of instructions and exercises to help your brain adjust to a weak ear signal.  Remember, professional ice skaters and ballerinas learn to spin rapidly without getting dizzy.  Rehabilitation classes help patients adapt to the signal imbalance coming from the ears.

From The Hearing Journal, December 2011, Volume 64, Number 12. Written by Robert L Martin, Ph.D.

When a Loved One Resists Help for Their Hearing Loss

from the Better Hearing Institute - written by Richard Carmen, Au.D., Auricle Ink Publishers, Sedona, AZ

When we think of helping a loved one with hearing loss who declines use of hearing aids, we often think of how important it is to repeat ourselves, speak clearly, speak louder or interpret what others say if they cannot hear the message. But when we do these good deeds for loved ones with a hearing loss, what we don't realize is that we're assisting in their failure to seek help.  Such well-intended efforts are counterproductive to the ultimate goal of them receiving hearing aids. Here's why.

If a loved on with a hearing loss has come to rely on your good hearing, what is the great need for them to wear hearing aids? You co-dependent efforts must stop in order for them to grasp the magnitude of their problem.  Many people with a hearing loss never realize how much communication they actually fail to understand or miss completely because you have become their ears.  However, it takes only a short time for them to realize that without your help, they're in trouble.It is through this realization that one becomes inspired to take positive action to solve their problem.  Therefore, as a loving spouse or family member you must create the need for your loved one to seek treatment by no longer repeating messages na being their ears.  Your ultimate goal is for them to hear independent of you.

Here are some practical tips for you:

STOP REPEATING YOURSELF! Explain that you are on the "Hearing Help Quest" - one that involves you loved one by allowing him or her the opportunity to realize the significance of their hearing loss. Do not stop helping though. All you do it preface what you repeat by saying each time, "Hearing Help!" or some other identifier. In a short amount of time, your loved ones will relize how often you say this. In turn, they will come to realize how often the depend on you. (This suggestion is only for a loved one who resists the idea of getting any help.)

STOP RAISING YOUR VOICE (the complaining you're hoarse). That results in stressing your throat and vocal chords.

STOP BEING THE MESSENGER BY CARRYING THE COMMUNICATION LOAD FOR THE FAMILY. Do not tell your loved on "he said' and "she said" when he or she needs to be responsible for getting this information directly from the source.

DO NOT ENGAGE IN CONVERSATION FROM ANOTHER ROOM as tempting as this is and as convenient as it appears. The sets up your communication process for failure.

CREATE A TELEPHONE NEED. This means for you to stop being the interpreter on the telephones. Allow your loved one to struggle in order to recognize how much help he or she needs. We're looking for motivation (to hear) from you loved one - not you.

For more information, click HERE.

Why Hearing Healthcare Professionals Still Matter

a few months ago - November 11, 2011 to be exact - I shared with you a article urging consumers to seek proper diagnosis, treatment and counselling for hearing loss.  (see HERE)

I'd like to add to that discussion by sharing this next article with you.  It was written by Ross Cushing, Au.D.  Dr. Cushing is the director of A&A Hearing Group in Maryland.

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Increasingly, hearing aids are being sold online, through catalogs, and directly to the consumer, bypassing the hearing healthcare professional.  Even Hammacher Schlemmer, a gift and gadget retailer, is selling hearing aids as an over-the-counter product.

Leaving aside whether it's legal (it's not), the main argument for buying direct is that it will provide greater access to more products, which will make manufacturers more competitive, and this will ultimately provide a less expensive, higher quality product for the consumer.

Here's the problem. Although it is true that the distributors of these products can almost always provide hearing aids at lower costs, the purchase and use of a hearing aid without a proper examination, diagnosis, fitting, programming and counseling is a recipe for poor treatment outcomes and increased health risks.

There are many potential causes of hearing loss including aging, blockages, ear infections, fistulas, head injury, medication, Meniere's disease, noise damage, otosclerosis, and tumors. Many cannot be treated with a hearing aid and may require a cochlear implant instead. Several require immediate medical intervention. If they buy via a catalog, how will consumers know when to seek medical attention? They won't. What's more, hearing loss can result from the improper fitting or programming of instruments.

Most hearing aid manufacturers will not allow their hearing aids to be sold or purchased without a face-to-face consultation with a licensed practitioner.  They recognize the risks of buying and using them without the proper counseling and fitting that only a licensed hearing healthcare professional can provide.

Customers value professional input as well.  Research by trade group Hearing Industries Association using MarkeTrac data provided by Sergei Kochin, Ph.D., the executive director of the Better Hearing Institute in Virginia, has shown that the top reasons for patient satisfactions with hearing aids are directly attributable to his experience with a trained hearing professional.  The technology is successful only when a professional has evaluated the hearing loss and prescribed a customized solution.

There are four important components in the audiology model that are necessary-and absent-from the direct-to-consumer model:

1. Proper Evaluation.  A battery of audiology tests will evaluation if medical treatment is necessary and if a hearing aid is even needed.

2. Individualized device setup. A hearing aid has to have the right hardware and software for the needs of the individual. It has to physically fit correctly. It has to be tuned and configured to the individual's dynamic range of hearing. And finally, it has to be used correctly.

3. Psychological considerations and counseling. A hearing aid is not a normal consumer product. It is a medical device. On average, people know they have a hearing problem for seven years before they do something about it. They wonder: "What will other people think about me if they know I have a hearing aid?" There are communication issues to be addressed, and there is often a fear of having to rely on an artificial device.
   From the perspective of someone who has never gone through the process of getting hearing aids, getting hearing aids through a catalog may seem simpler.  They can try it in their own time and see if it workds. In theory this soudns attractive, especially for new users who aren't ready to confront their own perceptions of wearing hearing aids or for those who want to keep costs low. But does this work?
   It's like putting a Band-Aid on a broekn arm. Although on the surface it may seem as if better hearing can be more accessible if provided in a direct-to-consumer way, in reality it is not practical or effective, and in many case, not safe. Fitting hearing aids is an art that is guided by science and delivered by the experience of a hearing healthcare professional.

Not Customizing Hearing Aids Hurts Patients:

I recently read this passage in a monthly hearing journal:

   Just one of every four Americans with hearing loss wears hearing aids, a figure that suggests many are missing the chance to hear better and improve their quality of life, said Sergei Kochkin, director of the Washington DC based Better Hearing Institute, at a convention session.
   Part of the problem may be stigma."To some, hearing aids are a sign of impending death," he adds.
   But, according to Kochkin, stigma is just an excuse for underuse because if more people wore hearing aids, there'd be less stigma.  The real issue, he said, is too many people have negative experiences with hearing aids due to poor fitting and improper adjustment.
   "Thirty percent of new use fittings are probably failures," he said.  "They get poor benefit, poor fit and comfort, and poor performance in noise.  As a result, we fail to improve positive word-of-mouth about our services."
   Between 11% and 18% of hearing aids stay in people's drawers. In other words, more than a million of the 8.4 million hearing aid owners never use the devices, said Kochkin.

Wow.  That hurts.  And I want to comment:

At Kenwood Hearing Center, we PROMISE to work with you; to customize your chosen hearing technology to best fit not only your hearing loss, but more importantly, your hearing needs.  We PROMISE to work with you ensure that your hearing ability supports your listening demands.

As Audigy Certified Professionals, we are committed to making every effort to maintain your confidence and satisfaction while providing you with the best hearing care possible.

Holiday Observances

Our offices will be closed the following days in observance of the Holidays:

Saturday, December 24

(affects Toledo office only)

Monday, December 26

(affects Toledo and Bowling Green offices)

Saturday, December 31

(affects Toledo office only)

Monday, January 2nd

(affects Toledo and Bowling Green offices)

We hope that you all have a very safe and happy holiday season!

Do You Hear What I Hear?

Released: 12/9/2011 2:15 PM EST 
Source: House Research Institute via Newswise

The Sounds of the Holidays Can Help a Person Recognize Hearing Loss

Newswise — Los Angeles, CA – December 9, 2011 – Jingle bells, carols, and holiday greetings are all the sounds that help make the holiday season special. But, those holiday sounds also give people an opportunity to recognize if they are having trouble hearing. According to the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD), of the 36 million American adults who report having a hearing loss, an estimated 26 million of them between the ages of 20 and 69 have a high-frequency hearing loss caused by too much exposure to loud sound.

Noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL) is usually painless, progressive, permanent, and completely preventable. NIHL happens when a person is exposed for too long of a time to sound pressure levels of 85 decibels or more, resulting in damage to the sensory hair cells of the inner ear. It can be the result of exposing your ears to a sudden, intense impulse noise like an explosion or gunfire or extended or repeated exposure to loud machinery and recreational activities, such as loud music and video.

The process is so gradual that people often do not realize they have a hearing loss until it affects the ability to carry on conversations in daily life. With NIHL softer high frequency sounds are difficult to hear, which means a person can hear what is said but they cannot understand what is said.

How can people recognize if they have noise induced hearing loss?

“When a person frequently has trouble understanding conversations at holiday parties, family gatherings, and in noisy restaurants it might be a good time for a hearing test and ear examination,” said John W. House, MD, president of House Research Institute and physician at the House Clinic. “We recommend for people to pay close attention to how well they can hear in different situations.”

The holidays give family and friends the opportunity to notice a change in a loved one’s hearing as well. People with hearing loss may have trouble participating in conversations because they miss key words.

“We hear from our patients that they first noticed a change in their hearing several years before they finally come in to the House Clinic to have their hearing checked,” said Dr. House. “Often it is a spouse or family member who urges a patient to get their hearing tested.”

Physicians in the House Clinic recommend patients come in for a hearing test at the first sign of a change. There are some forms of hearing loss, which are not noise-induced, that can be treated with surgery to restore the patient’s hearing. The sooner a hearing loss is identified, the sooner the patient can learn about the treatment options that may help.

If you know someone who is having trouble hearing, you can help give the gift of hearing by encouraging them to schedule a hearing test as well as by supporting the research and education programs of the House Research Institute to improve hearing loss treatments and knowledge of hearing loss and related disorders. For more information, log on to www.houseresearch.org.

In 2006, House Research Institute launched the nation’s first NIHL prevention education initiative focused on encouraging safe hearing choices among teens and young adults, called It’s How You Listen That Counts®. To learn more, visitwww.earbud.org.

About the House Research Institute

The House Research Institute, formerly the House Ear Institute, is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to improving the quality of life for people with hearing loss and related disorders through scientific research, patient care, and the sharing of knowledge. Institute scientists research the auditory system, at the level of function, as well as at the cellular, molecular and genetic levels. We also explore the neurological interactions between the auditory system and brain, and study ways to improve auditory implants, diagnostics, clinical treatments and intervention methods. We share our knowledge with the scientific and medical communities as well as the general public through our education and outreach programs. For more information about the House Research Institute, please call (800) 388-8612 or (213) 483-4431, E-mail info@hei.org or visitwww.houseresearch.org. 

Just for FUN!

1. Maine is the only state whose name is just one syllable.
2. Many hamsters only blink one eye at a time.
3. Mel Blanc (the voice of Bugs Bunny) was allergic to carrots.
4. Millie the White House dog earned more than 4 times as much as President Bush in 1991.
5. Money isn't made out of paper, it's made out of cotton.
6. Montpelier, VT is the only U.S. state capital without a McDonalds.
7. More Monopoly money is printed in a year, than real money printed throughout the world.
8. More people are killed annually by donkeys than die in air crashes.
9. More people use blue toothbrushes than red ones.
10. Mosquitoes have teeth.
11. Most Americans' car horns beep in the key of F.
12. Most cows give more milk when they listen to music.
13. Most dust particles in your house are made from dead skin.
14. Most lipstick contains fish scales.
15. Mr. Rogers is an ordained minister.
16. Murphy's Oil Soap is the chemical most commonly used to clean elephants.