Do you wear hearing aids, but still have trouble hearing in noisy places like  restaurants, or on the telephone?  Here are a few things that can help you to hear better.

Wireless Technology

There are devices that can be used with your hearing aids to help you hear better in noisy situations and on the telephone.  For example, the Roger Pen from Phonak, or the Siemens Easytek.  These devices communicate with your hearing aids, to focus on the voices you want to hear, an reducing the other noises around you.  They also talk directly to your mobile phone using Bluetooth, so that you can hear clearly on the phone through your hearing aids, without even placing the phone to your ear!

The Roger Pen from Phonak talks to your hearing aids using either a neck loop or audio shoe which plugs into the bottom of your hearing aid.

When at a restaurant, you can place the pen on the table, directed at the conversation you want to hear.   It will amplify these voices above all the other noise around you.  This is because it is closer to the conversation than you hearing aids, and the microphones are pointed directly at the voices you want to hear.  In addition, the Roger Pen adapts itself according to the noise around you, and the position it is placed in, to optimise your speech understanding.  To answer a phone call, simply press a button on Roger and talk.

The  Siemens Easytek is worn around your neck and communicates directly     with your Siemens Binax hearing aids.  Using your smartphone, the Binax 7 hearing aids allow you to adjust the directionality and span of the microphone to focus on the voices that you want to hear, reducing the rest of the noise around you.  Watch a video of how this works here.   Phone calls are answered using one quick press, and you can carry on a conversation while your phone is in your pocket!  In addition, if you wish to use a device such as the Roger Pen, a small device can be plugged into your Easytek to allow the Pen to work with your hearing aids.

Cochlear Implants

For people with severe to profound hearing loss, even when wearing hearing aids, they have difficulty following what is said, particularly on the telephone or in noisy situations.  The Roger Pen and Easytek are 2 devices that may help in these situations.  Another option is a Cochlear Implant.  The implant is inserted into the inner ear, replacing the job of tiny hair cells that pick up sounds and send them to the brain.  An external speech processor is worn behind the ear.  This picks up sounds, converts them to electrical signals, and sends them to the brain.  There are wireless accessories that are compatible with cochlear implants, such as the mini mic and phone clip.  The phone clip will work with any Bluetooth device, and the mini mic will help you to hear better in noisy places.

If you would like more information about any of these options, please contact us.