The Festive Season and Hearing Loss: How to enjoy the sounds of the season

For many people with hearing loss, the holidays can be especially challenging. While large family gatherings offer a great chance to catch up with friends and family, Christmas parties can lead to challenging listening situations for people with hearing loss.

Here are some tips for people with hearing loss to better enjoy holiday gatherings.

1. Find a quiet corner – Stand away from loudspeakers and noisy kitchens and position yourself in the quietest area of the room. This way you can hear conversation rather than noise.
2. Pick your seat – If you’re having a sit-down dinner, pick a seat at the center of the table nearest to a close friend or relative. This way you have a better chance of hearing conversation and enjoying your meal.
3. Pick your drink – A glass of wine can make you more relaxed – or it can confuse you and make your level of understanding worse. Be aware of what you are drinking and your own level of tolerance.
4. Buddy up – Find a friend or relative with whom you can hang out at the party. This person can help you to feel more included in conversation and can repeat things you may not understand.

Wearing hearing aids
If you have hearing aids, it’s important that you wear them to festive events. You may think that with so much noise at a party or family dinner, hearing aids would just make things louder, but modern digital hearing aids aren’t simple sound amplifiers. They are designed to filter out all the unwanted noise - like the clanging of dishes in the kitchen or the background music - and help you focus on speech.

Two hearing aid features in particular are put to work in crowds:

• The Speech Enhancer - Many hearing aids reduce noise by using a speech enhancer. This technology works to reduce background noise and helps you focus on what you need to hear.
• Directional Microphones - Directional microphones work to reduce the amount of noise allowed to enter your hearing aids. In noisy environments, like at a Christmas party, the system will work to pick up the least amount of noise.If the noise is located behind you, your directional microphones will adapt to pick up sound from in front of you and dampen noise from behind you. According to a 2004 study, directional microphones are proven to improve speech understanding in noise.

Have the “hearing loss” conversation
Christmas gatherings are a good time to have “the conversation” with friends and loved ones. We’re talking about the conversation about hearing loss and getting hearing aids. If you think your loved one is unable to hear correctly, take out your phone or tablet and encourage them to book a hearing test. This is a great first step to help someone realise they have a hearing loss.

Help guests with hearing loss
You might not have hearing loss - but one of your guests might. Here are some tips on helping your guests with hearing loss enjoy your party"

• Background music - Everyone loves a good Christmas carol, but when those carols are in the background of the conversations of 20+ people, no one can hear them anyways. Consider turning down the background music - or turning it off completely when several guests are socialising at once. People tend to speak louder to be heard over the music, so your music may in fact make the party louder.
• Dish Duty - Hold off on cleaning the dishes until after your guests have left. For people with hearing loss, the clatter of kitchen dishes can distract from dinnertime conversation. Take time to enjoy your guests rather than worrying about the clean-up!
• Seating - If you know that one of your guests has a hearing loss, seat that person at the center of the table closest to those with the quietest voices. It may also help if you sit next to that person, so you can help him or her to better understand the conversation.

Christmas Appeal: Supporting Deaf Children in Rwanda

As part of my company's community and charity work, we are involved with a project in Rwanda, supporting very under priveledged deaf children.

As you prepare for the celebration of Christmas, buying presents and baking the cakes and mince pies, please spare a thought for those less fortunate than we are. 

This is Israel. He is 11 yrs old, and until May this year, he had never been to school.  He was born profoundly deaf, into a very poor rural family in Rwanda.  His mother has since died, and he was discovered by ‘Chance for Childhood’ workers in Rwanda when they were visiting remote villages in the Nyabihu District. His father is very poor. Israel had no decent clothes, the ones he is wearing are made at the School for him.  His shoes are far too big, but he has shoes!

When he arrived at the school, he knew no sign language, could not read or write, and communicated by gesture.  There are no hearing aids available to him either.  But he has proved to be a quick learner!  He has learnt the alphabet, signs for many practical things and basic numbers and arithmetic.  He enjoys school and has made friends with whom he can communicate.

Israel will get no presents this Christmas.  However, Chance for Childhood and Nyabihu Demonstration Centre for the Deaf, are giving him the best present they can – a language, the chance of an education,  vocational training when he is older, friends just like him, three meals a day, access to health care and much more. They are giving him a chance to move out of abject poverty, - a future where he could earn a living and provide for his family.

There are 109 children just like him at the Centre.  However, the Centre is in a rented building, which is in very poor condition, and part of it is due for demolition next year to make room for a new road.  But they have acquired land to build a new purpose built Centre. The plans for the building are now being drawn up and the next stage will be to start building.  Just £5 will buy 100 bricks, and we need a lot of bricks!

Please donate what you can so that children like Israel can have a more secure future.  

Thank you. 

http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/team/NNS

Experts warn that one in five Brits will suffer from hearing loss by 2035

Despite a growing problem, medical research spending on hearing loss has dropped in last decade, according to Action on Hearing Loss.

The number of people in the UK suffering from hearing loss will top 15 million by 2035, experts warn.

One in five of us will face deafness, tinnitus or hearing loss due to our rapidly ageing population, according to Action on Hearing Loss.

But despite the growing problem, medical research spending on hearing loss is the only area which has seen a drop in the last decade, a report by the charity found.

There are now 11 million people - one in six adults - in the UK living with hearing loss.

This figure is set to rise to 15.6 million by 2035, and will affect one in five adults.

There is plenty of research which shows that early intervention prevents hearing loss becoming worse over time, and this the decision hits the people who are least able to afford to pay for privately prescribed hearing aids.

I've campaigned for some years though my company's “Love your Hearing” campaign, to raise awareness about hearing loss, and I urge everyone to have regular hearing tests.  Ultimately untreated hearing loss can lead to social isolation and has been linked to ill health and depression. 

What is even more worrying is that clinical commissioning groups across the UK are withdrawing free NHS hearing aids to new patients with mild hearing loss it will save £150,000 a year. This will only exacerbate the problem.

Let's hope the something changes and fast!

New Apple Watch That Controls Your Hearing Aids

For today's blog post i wanted to let you all know a little more about the latest hearing aid technology with instruments that can be controlled by the new Apple Watch.

The aids are manufactured by ReSound, which has developed the first app that allows hearing aid wearers to control their instrument from their new Apple Watch. This is the latest in Smart Hearing – with the most discrete control available anywhere.

This free app allows control of volume, treble and bass levels, pre-programmed settings for different places (local restaurant, café, sports stadium, office, home) and view of the setting selected – right from their wrist. The app is called ReSound Smart™ and is available now from the App Store.

This development in hearing aid technology, connectivity and control follows swiftly on from the launch last year by ReSound of the world’s first made for iPhone hearing aid – ReSound LiNX.

ReSound calls this combination of audiology, connectivity, design and apps ‘Smart Hearing’. It delivers hearing aid wearers the most advanced and natural hearing experience.

Interested users can get immediate access to the ReSound Smart app for Apple Watch by visiting the App Store and downloading the latest version of the ReSound Smart app (3.0.1).

More information about ReSound’s portfolio of smart hearing aids can be accessed by visiting www.resound.com.

 

‘Molly Watts, a young woman with Ushers Syndrome explores some of the real world benefits of the Watch when paired with Smart Hearing aids. It’s a fascinating and moving account by an inspiring young woman and well worth a read.’

http://www.mollywatt.com/blog/entry/my-ears-my-eyes-my-apple-watch

Hearing aids can help those with tinnitus

Imagine wearing a pair of headphones which are playing the sound of a whistling kettle.  Now imagine wearing those headphones all day, and all night, seven days a week, 365 days a year.

Horrific it might sound, but that’s what life is like for many people who fall victim to tinnitus.

It is estimated that 10-15% of the population experience tinnitus - a ringing, roaring, whooshing or chirping sound in the ears. However, while there is no cure, scientific research has proven that real tinnitus relief is possible.

The key? Treating the most common underlying cause – hearing loss, which 80% of people with tinnitus have to some degree – alongside one-on-one coaching to help the individual better understand and manage their tinnitus.

There is evidence to suggest hearing aids can mask tinnitus sounds to help improve communication and reduce stress and anxiety levels, which normally exacerbate tinnitus. The loudness and prominence of tinnitus is decreased by activating the auditory system and amplifying background sound.

The knowledge that you can mask tinnitus with a hearing aid is not an innovative concept, but previous hearing aids occluded the ear canal with a tight fitting ear mould. Patients reported a hollow reverberation amplifying chewing sounds and the sensation of tinnitus. A more recent type of hearing aid called the open-fit has been designed to successfully alleviate tinnitus symptoms by introducing a noise-reduction control.

The slim tube connected to the hearing aid is cosmetically appealing, comfortable to wear, as well as eliminating external sound sources without interfering with the transmission of sounds from the outer ear to the inner ear.

Interestingly, experts also believe that even those without significant hearing loss may find hearing aids are helpful. Straining to listen causes increased hearing sensitivity and this can allow tinnitus to emerge or, if present already, to worsen.

How can hearing aids help?

If you have a hearing loss, a hearing aid can help with managing tinnitus by offering sound therapy in the following ways:

• increase the information available to the brain by amplifying background sounds making the tinnitus seem less audible.
• improve communication with others, therefore reducing stress levels.
• helping to compensate for your hearing loss.
• help you to habituate to tinnitus sounds.

For more information on tinnitus please click here. 

National Tinnitus Awareness Week runs between 2^nd-8^th February 2015 and is organised by the British Tinnitus Association.

Hear better than ever with Siemens binax hearing aids

Siemens is lifting binaural hearing systems to a new level. For the first time, hearing-impaired individuals can now hear better than those with normal hearing in particularly demanding listening situations*.

Despite their enormous computing power, the new Binax instruments are the most energy-efficient in their class.

Binax exchanges audio signals. Each binaural hearing aid can assess the acoustic environment not only on its own side, but also on the other. In the process, four microphones – two in each device – form a virtual eight-microphone network. New calculation methods work much like the human brain in leveraging the fact that voice signals don't reach both ears at the same speed or volume. Based on such differences, wearers can more accurately identify and focus on the sources of sound.

Binaural hearing aids also use this new technology in windy locations ideal for those golfers and outdoor patients. They automatically determine which side is receiving better signals and replicate them for the other device. These latest Siemens binaural hearing aids are capable of transmitting around a thousand times as much data per second as preceding models.

The new peak performance does not come at the expense of battery life and they can run on conventional hearing instrument batteries or, depending on the model, on rechargeable batteries.

Karen's comments: “We have had amazing success with the last Siemens technology platform called Micon and this new level is so exciting. My team and I can't wait to get started and see how this technology performs and improves peoples lives.”

If you would like to be amongst the first trialling these new instruments, please give our customer care team a call and book your appointment - Freephone 0800 096 2637.

FACT: These latest Siemens binaural hearing aids are capable of transmitting around a thousand times as much data per second as preceding models.

*Two clinical studies have shown that binax provides better than normal hearing in certain demanding environments (Northern Colorado University, 2014; Oldenburg Hörzentrum, 2013): Speech Reception Thresholds in cocktail-party situations improved up to 2.9dB for wearers with mild to moderate hearing loss using Carat binax or Pure binax hearing instruments with narrow directionality, compared to people with normal hearing.

Don’t allow hearing loss to isolate you this holiday season!

The holiday season is well and truly here! For most of us, December is full of parties, catching up with family and friends and lots of Christmas shopping.

For those with untreated hearing loss, however, the festive season can be full of loud and daunting situations. When you feel like you can’t contribute to a conversation or understand what is being said, social occasions become intimidating and stressful, and isolation is often the result. The festive season can be a particularly lonely time for those who haven’t yet sought treatment for declining hearing.

It takes an average of five to ten years for people in the UK with a recognised hearing loss to decide to get a hearing aid. This long delay can be due to a number of factors: many don’t realise how bad their hearing has become, while others are concerned with a perceived stigma surrounding hearing aids. Some simply can’t afford to invest in hearing aids, whilst others tell themselves, “I’ll do something about my hearing loss when it gets really bad.”

Untreated hearing loss can lead to isolation for a number of reasons. One might start declining social invitations because they are too embarrassed to constantly ask people to repeat themselves. Even going to dinner with family members can be isolating, as it’s often hard for people with hearing loss to hear anything over background noise. This can be frustrating and depressing, so eventually it’s easier to just say ‘no thanks’ to invitations.

Making phone calls or answering the phone when it rings can also be difficult for those with untreated hearing loss. Talking on the phone can be much more difficult than having a face-to-face conversation, as there is the added difficulty of not being able to lip-read. Gradually, phone calls go unanswered and messages are not returned.

These combined issues can lead to loneliness and largely unnecessary isolation.

What can you do to reduce isolation this Christmas?

If you are experiencing isolation due to hearing loss, do not wait for another holiday season to pass you by. It is important to get out there and have fun! This time of year is full of joyful celebrations and events and you should be able to take part.

Hearing aids are amazing devices that can improve your quality of life dramatically. Book an appointment with your local audiologist to have a hearing test and discuss your options. It might be that a set of hearing aids could dramatically increase the fun you will have this year!

For more information on hearing loss, visit www.hearingcarecentre.co.uk