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New Technology, Hearing aid types, and what they do for you.
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Two New Technologies
• Receiver in the Canal Receiver in the Canal
• Frequency Compression Frequency Compression
In total: In total: 30 million Americans,30 million Americans,10% of the population.10% of the population.
10%
Don’t accept this isolation.Don’t accept this isolation.
Helen Keller said:
“Blindness separates you from things. Deafness separates you from people.”
Receiver In the Canal
• Appropriate for people with Appropriate for people with mild-to-severe hearing loss.mild-to-severe hearing loss.(This is more than half of all (This is more than half of all people who need hearing aids.)people who need hearing aids.)
• Addresses high, mid-range and Addresses high, mid-range and low-frequency hearing loss.low-frequency hearing loss.
a major breakthrough.
• The first hearing aid that places The first hearing aid that places a tiny speaker directly a tiny speaker directly in the ear while keeping the in the ear while keeping the canal open.canal open.
• The speaker floats in the canal.The speaker floats in the canal.
vs.
TOC (totally open canal).
You
• While all occluding hearing While all occluding hearing aids give you a hearing loss aids give you a hearing loss and force you to “start over”...and force you to “start over”...
+ RIC = More
• With Vivatone, you keep all With Vivatone, you keep all the hearing you already have. the hearing you already have.
• Vivatone adds to it.Vivatone adds to it.– Vivatone takes advantage of the
natural amplification of your ear. – Provides amplification only in the frequencies you need.
What my patients say...
• Hear the soft, subtle Hear the soft, subtle
sounds of the world:sounds of the world:–Footsteps. –Birdsong.–Whispers.
• Hear your spouse, hear children.Hear your spouse, hear children.• Hear what you want to hear, rather Hear what you want to hear, rather
than everything else.than everything else.
• Hear the sounds that Hear the sounds that enrich your life:enrich your life:
–Rustling of paper. –Clink of silverware.
DIFFERENCERIC lets you hear
beginnings and endings of words.
• Knife and nice.Knife and nice.• Pick and pit.Pick and pit.• Fed and said.Fed and said.• Fail and sail.Fail and sail.• Chief and cheat.Chief and cheat.• And thousands more!And thousands more!
Hear the difference between:
Other advantages of RIC:
• Remarkably comfortable.Remarkably comfortable.• Virtually invisible.Virtually invisible.• Lightweight, (users Lightweight, (users
are unaware of it!)are unaware of it!)but rugged.but rugged.
Can you see it?
100% digital.• The hearing aid is the computer chip. The hearing aid is the computer chip.
The software can be changed for The software can be changed for virtually unlimited processing.virtually unlimited processing.
• Exceptional sound quality.Exceptional sound quality.– Enhanced clarity.– More detail in speech.– Greater sharpness and brilliance.
• Can have it right away. Can have it right away.
– 10 to 15 minutes.
(Don’t have to wait two weeks for a hearing aid.)
Hear better faster.
• Fitted right the first time – Fitted right the first time – fine-tuned in the first office visit.fine-tuned in the first office visit.
You can hear on the phone.• Occluding hearing aids
tend to produce feedback or “buzz” when used while on the phone. So users often take them out.
• No such problem with RIC.
• A setting for a crowded place A setting for a crowded place with background noise, such as with background noise, such as a restaurant or cocktail party.a restaurant or cocktail party.
• A setting for a church or A setting for a church or auditorium, where you are auditorium, where you are far from the speaker.far from the speaker.
Directional microphones.
• A “back” microphone A “back” microphone reduces distracting reduces distracting noise from behind.noise from behind.
• Amplifies more in the Amplifies more in the direction you look.direction you look.
• It doesn’t have to be It doesn’t have to be sent off for repairs.sent off for repairs.
• Instead, it can be Instead, it can be replaced off the shelf.replaced off the shelf.
Repairs.If there’s a problem with the receiver…
The closest thing to hearing like you did
before you needed a hearing aid.
Frequency Compression: Frequency Compression:
• Thresholds 65-70dB or poorer at 2KHz and above.
• Greater than 35dB per octave slope.
• Poor tonal perception• Hearing loss due to
ototoxicity.• Reduced speech
recognition scores. • Inability to detect and/or
recognize /s/, /sh/.
Who is a candidate for frequency Who is a candidate for frequency compression?compression?
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Damaged or dead regions /S/
SPL TH
How DFC hearing aids workHow DFC hearing aids work
The hearing aid digitizes the entire bandwidth, 0 – 10,000Hz.
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How DFC hearing aids workHow DFC hearing aids work
•used to “bypass” damaged regions.
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/a/
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How DFC hearing aids workHow DFC hearing aids work
• By bypassing the dead regions in the higher frequency region and pushing the response into the healthy areas of the cochlea you once again hear high frequency information.
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/a/
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How DFC hearing aids workHow DFC hearing aids work
• This can takes weeks or even months to adapt to.
• Sonovation offers a 90 day adjustment period due to the time involved.
• We send you home with a workbook and assignments and schedule multiple follow up visits.
• The resolution of the ear is much better in the low frequencies. Because most of the
critical bands are below 2KHz, relatively small spectral differences can be detected.
