Auctioning of hearing aids for Hear Indiana’s "Talk Walk Run 2010" event
The non-profit Indiana chapter of the Alexander Graham Bell Association for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing, Hear Indiana’s “Talk Walk Run 2010” event is being held on Saturday, May 1, 2010.
The purpose of the 5K walk or run is to raise awareness and funds for children with hearing loss. One of the ways they are raising funds is through an auction of books, hearing loss related products, and sports memorabilia on their website. What’s interesting is that they are auctioning a pair of Phonak Naida IX hearing aids at a starting bid price of $2,000 for both. There are current no bids on the item and the auction ends on April 29 at 10:00 p.m. The retail price of this hearing aid varies depending on the practice, but the Naida IX can retail for approximately $3,000 each.
Please remember that this hearing aid is not appropriate for every individual. Consult with your audiologist about whether or not this hearing aid is appropriate for you. Learn more about the Naida IX on Phonak’s website.
Here are the restrictions listed on their website:
Restrictions:
Naída is water resistant and available in 19 colors and four different styles. With the help of your audiologist, you may choose your color and style. Please contact your audiologist or Paul Kreimer (800-777-7333 or paul.kreimer@phonak.com) if you are unsure if this hearing aid is right for you.
Tips from Audiologists for dealing with noisy restaurants
- Sit in tables in alcoves, which provide a barricade against sound waves.
- Avoid sitting by the bar or kitchen.
- Avoid sitting near large parties, who tend to talk louder.
- Ask for additional light and look at your dining companion. Without realizing it, we read lips.
- Ask management to turn the music down, even if you get dirty looks. Not only does this reduce noise, but people will then talk more softly.
- Look at photos of the restaurant ahead of time. No carpet or tablecloths and boxy dimensions should raise red flags.
Why such noisy restaurants?
An excerpt from the article about the SF restaurant pictured above read: “The staff of La Mar in San Francisco realized noise was a problem immediately after opening, says general manager Andrew Generalao. It was a “low priority,” Mr. Generalao says, until a local reviewer printed that the decibel level was 80—just under the level audiologists consider damaging to hearing after long-term exposure.”
What is an Audiologist?
More often than not, when someone asks me what I am studying and I reply with “audiology,” I see a curious look on the face that is accompanied with “what is that?” Other times, people are able to make some connection to the ear. I enjoy educating others about the field of audiology and the scope of practice for an audiologist. I feel strongly about the positive difference we can make in patients’ lives in helping them hear better, which can ultimately lead to an improved quality of life. Having said that, audiologists are not only involved in the diagnosis and treatment of hearing loss, but also evaluate those individuals with balance problems.
Link between Painkillers and Hearing Loss
Turn On My Ears!: Watch Drew Hear!
I came across this blog about Drew, an adorable 2 year, 9 month old boy who had simultaneous bilateral cochlear implants in June 2007. He was born with profound hearing loss due to Connexin 26, which is a known genetic cause of hearing loss. He was implanted at just 8.5 months old, making him the youngest child with bilateral implants in Ohio!
You can read all about Drew’s process of cochlear implantation, his daily adventures and more on his blog: Turn On My Ears!
Watch a video of Drew when he hears his first sounds with his cochlear implants!
FDA Approved: Implantable hearing device
On March 17, 2010, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the first 100% implantable hearing device called the Esteem® Totally Implantable Hearing System by Envoy Medical Corporation. The goal of the device is to replicate the function of the middle ear bones and improve quality of life.
- Adult subjects 18 years of age or older
- Mild to severe sensorineural hearing loss
- Speech discrimination test score greater than 40%
- Normally functioning Eustachian tube
- Normal middle ear anatomy
- Adequate space for the Esteem® implant
Another criteria that I believe should be included based on my educational training is that patients are candidates if do not benefit from wearing conventional hearing aids. I am looking forward to working with this newly accessible technology and seeing the positive impact it will have on patient’s lives. FDA reports that long-term studies will need to be performed to examine safety and effectiveness, as a condition of the approval.
AudiologyNow! 2010 – April 14-17, 2010 – San Diego
This will be my second time attending the conference as a student volunteer. It is a great opportunity to learn about the research and technological advancements in the field of audiology. I plan to come away with insightful information to share on this blog!
Visit the AudiologyNOW! website for more information.
Joey McIntyre (New Kids on the Block) talks about their 3 month old son’s hearing loss
AudiologyNOW! 2008
AudiologyNOW!, the annual audiology convention held by the American Academy of Audiology (AAA) was at the Charlotte Convention Center in Charlotte, NC from April 2-5. This year, the convention was themed “Hear to Stay” to celebrate the 20th Anniversary of the American Academy of Audiology. With approximately 7,000 attendees, the event offered learning labs, research poster displays, technological information and the Audiology Solutions exposition.
The expo featured products and services related to audiology including the latest developments in hearing aid technology. The expo included the following categories among many others: diagnostic instruments, hearing aid manufacturers and accessories, implantable devices, earmold/impression material, listening devices, earphones, batteries, and hearing protection. The Employment Service Center is available each year to provide an opportunity for employers and job seekers to network.
The DiscovEARy Zone was a free and interactive station designed for kids to educate about the human ear and hearing loss. More specifically, information about how the ear works, dangerous sounds, information about how to protect ears from loud sounds and hearing screenings provided by audiologists on-site. This was made possible using interactive computer kiosks, hands-on learning tables, displays and listening stations. The DiscovEARy Zone debuted at last year’s convention and was open to the public.
As a first-time attendee, I enjoyed every aspect of the experience and felt I gained some valuable resources as a student. One of the highlights of the event was having an opportunity to meet audiologists, other audiology doctoral students, and professionals and individuals involved in our profession. There was a wealth of information available, such as recent research findings and interesting case studies to learn from. With all the great events and activities, it was just a matter of having enough time to experience everything.
Next year, AudiologyNOW! will be held in Dallas, TX on April 1-4, 2009. For more information and to download the program (PDF) for AudiologyNOW! 2008, you can visit www.audiologynow.org.