Hearing aids helping many
HealthAudiologist urges good fit
By Prue Salasky
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Published: November 11, 2008
Audiologist Deborah Minnis holds one of the newest hearing aids during a seminar she presented in Hampton, Va.MCCLATCHY-TRIBUNE PHOTO
HAMPTON, Va. — For some, the sound is that of crickets chirping; for others, it’s bacon frying or even a high-pitched ringing sound.
These inside-the-head noises are symptomatic of tinnitus, a side effect of damage to the nerve endings in the inner ear and its accompanying hearing loss. Ironically, such hearing loss may also involve a heightened sensitivity to loud noises, audiologist
Deborah Minnis says.
She’s explaining the basics of sensorineural hearing loss to a group of 50 at a free seminar at
Sentara CarePlex Hospital in Hampton, Va. Everyone older than 60, she notes, has some loss, usually at the high-pitched, high-frequency range. Hearing aids can help many of them.
In her work through a hospital, Minnis has the luxury of recommending hearing aids to those who need them on the basis of need and fit.
"Our key message is rehabilitation, not retail,” she says, explaining to the group that her salary is not dependent on the sale of any assistive devices.
The audiologist holds a doctorate involving several years of study beyond undergraduate training.
Yet, the only requirement for a state license as a hearing-aid "specialist” — they sell the bulk of devices in the retail market — is a high school diploma.
Minnis says the newer technology is increasingly helping to diminish unwanted feedback and ambient noise while providing the desired amplification.
Hearing aids aren’t cheap, and they’re not covered by
Medicare or by most private insurance companies.
Digital, programmable styles vary in cost from about $1,000 for an "entry level” model to $3,000 for the best sound processing available.
They may look identical, but the essential difference is in the sophistication of the electronics used.
But Minnis said there are many effective ones that fall in the middle price range.
The least expensive are just microphones; others have microchips that process sound. That’s where Minnis’ expertise comes in.
After administering a hearing evaluation, Minnis programs each device to the individual using a
Bluetooth programmer with a Noah link. It transfers live data to a computer so she can determine the best outcome. "It’s like testing glasses. I can ask what works best for them as they’re trying it,” she says. "With wireless, I can even walk them down to the cafeteria and test it there in a different environment. It’s really fine-tuned.”
She recalls that when the first programmable hearing aids came out a decade ago, audiologists went overboard.
You could have a program for every situation, one for the bowling alley, one for the restaurant and so on, and the wearer had a push-button switch to choose. "We quickly realized you don’t want a zillion programs and that one really good program was better.”
McClatchy-Tribune Information Services
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