Hearing Instrument Programs And Their Utilization Flashcards
Hearing aid manufacturer software
The ability to add/delete/alter programs all take place within the manufacturer software
Goal of programs
- to have parameters of each program within the hearing aid designed to ensure an optimal environment
- diff manufactures have diff names for their programs, but goal of program will be the same across manufacturers
Noise programs
- generally noise programs will have a directional/cardiod mic that amplifies only what is in front of the individual
- noise reduction programs are turned up/ more aggressive
- gain/vol coming from the hearing aid is usually not as loud compared to the start up program
- for program to be maximally effective, need to face away from the noise source
Music programs
- highly trained musicians notice the amplitude compression and freq compression that hearing aids impose on sounds (reduces quality of music)
- music has greater freq range and intensity range vs speech
- all advanced features (directional Mics, noise reduction, freq lowering, feedback management etc.) ARE TURNED OFF
- output limiting is increased or can even be turned off
GOAL= to make hearing aid as LINEAR as possible, so no distortion of the signal occurs (just amplify it, no other manipulation)
TV programs
- generally the TV program within the hearing aid will provide more high freq gain when compared to any other programs
- high freq. boost provides more clarity, which means better understanding
TV is difficult because …
- no separation of the background noise from the speech (news reporter talking w music)
- distance bw TV and hearing aid user created echoing/ reverberation = distortion
- visual cues are limited
- pace that ppl speak on TV can’t be changed
Solutions to TV listening
- closed captioning
- using a device that eliminates the distance bw the TV and listener
Other program options
- programs available that allow you to point the amplification map left, right, behind
- phone programs enable hearing aid user to hear voice in phone in both ears (streamed wirelessly)
- tinnitus programs (provide music/ noise to distract the hearing aid wearer from their tinnitus)
- wind noise programs
- FM programs
- Telecoil
Hearing aid programs and people
- who gets what programs is client specific/ decided by discussing w individual … Individual needs to have knowledge and desire
- approx 70% of hearing aid users never end up using more than 1 program
Level of technology bw hearing aids
-coat of hearing aid will be based on how many features are available within hearing aid
-usually broken down into high end, middle level, and entry level
(Flexible, provides more choice)
Higher end hearing aids
- have more channels = easier to modify vine of the aid to match the individuals HL
- allow for more programs
- beneficial if the user is in many diff environments and has knowledge of which program to switch into
Better noise reduction
- lower end hearing aids have a cap on how aggressive their noise reduction technology is
- higher end hearing instruments have more aggressive noise reduction
- idea is to make things more comfortable, reduce cognitive load, increase SNR
Binaural synchrony
-high end hearing aids exchange and compare info bw each other to switch into a setting that maximizes SNR
(Example: lots of noise on the individuals left side, noise of interest on right, left hearing aid will decrease the amnt of vol it’s providing, and right aid increases amount of vol
-lower end hearing instruments find a compromise (either both reduce vol or increase vol)
Hearing aids and programs
-different environments = different acoustic challenges = hearing aid programs compensate by changing their settings
