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H
e a d l i n e s
Turn it down, save hearing
Folic
Acid Slowed Hearing Loss In Special Elderly Population
Important
advice about Cochlear Implants and Meningitis
Consultants
urged to 'downplay' digital hearing aids
Good
news for mobile phone users
Office
Of Fair Trading
Disability
web site lists Hearing centres
TV
Help for The Hard Of Hearing
Hearing
centre for children now open
Sonic
2nd generation digital release
Hearing
Concern About To Relaunch
Help
The Aged Need Your Old Hearing Aids
Betterhearing
UK dispensers.
Longer life
battery power.
Tom Begley, Divisional Vice President of Sales,
Rayovac Batteries
1/22/2007
The zinc air battery is powered by air; if it doesn’t get
enough air in through the vent holes before use, it will not work
properly. We ask that you remove the tab and wait a minute or so to give
the air a chance to get into the battery. It will then power right up
and you’ll get great service. We have seen some issues in the past where
the consumer did not let the battery “power up” and we saw premature
failure or dead cells. If a customer does see dead cells, tell them to
wait a minute once they peel the tab off. This should solve the problem.
Folic Acid Slowed Hearing Loss In
Special Elderly Population
Article Date: 03 Jan 2007 - 5:00 PST
In a three-year study, 728 older men and
women with high blood homocysteine
levels and no hearing loss were given
either daily oral folic acid or a
placebo supplement (Article p. 1.) Daily
folic acid supplementation slowed
decline in hearing of low frequencies by
0.7dB after three years. Folic acid did
not affect hearing thresholds of the
high frequencies. However, the
participants lived in the Netherlands,
which at the time did not allow folic
acid fortification of food, so
participants' baseline folate levels
were about half those found in the U.S.
population. Authors say, "Considering
that the folate status of older adults
is generally low in countries without
folic acid fortification programs, our
findings suggest a possible way to
diminish the public health burden of
hearing loss in those countries." (An
accompanying editorial begins on page
63.)
###
Tip sheet: Annals of Internal
Medicine, Jan. 2, 2007, issue
Contact: Susan Anderson
American College of Physicians
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Turn it down, save hearing
More young people are suffering hearing loss because of the
overuse of portable listening devices, says Chip Hahn, director
of clinical services at Cardinal Hill of Northern Kentucky in
Florence.
"When I started here at Cardinal Hill (Healthcare
System) six years ago, it was very unusual to see people
in their 20s and 30s experiencing hearing loss," said
Hahn. "Now I'm seeing a couple patients a week."
Hahn said research has shown that many young people
are listening to devices such as MP3 players or iPods at
100 decibels or higher, which means they could be doing
damage to their hearing in as little as eight minutes.
He said a normal conversation is about 60 decibels
and an ambulance siren is 120 decibels.
According to the Children's Hearing Institute, 100
decibels is equal to noise from a chain saw or
snowmobile.
Hahn said with more powerful headphones today and
many of them inserted deeper into the ears, the
intensity is very loud.
"iPods are a good thing, but they can be misused,"
Hahn said.
DECIBEL LEVELS
Dangerous levels:
150 dB = rock music peak
140 dB = firearms, jet engine
130 dB = jackhammer
120 dB = jet plane take-off, amplified rock music at
4-6 feet, car stereo, band practice, ambulance siren
Extremely loud:
105 dB = helicopter
100 dB = snowmobile, chain saw, pneumatic drill,
night clubs
95 dB = motorcycle
90 dB = lawnmower, shop tools, truck traffic, subway
80-96 dB = restaurants
Very loud:
80 dB = alarm clock, city street traffic
70 dB = vacuum cleaner
Normal levels:
60 dB = normal conversation
35 dB = whispered voice
Results of high-level exposure:
110 decibels or louder: regular exposure of more than
one minute risks permanent hearing loss.
100 decibels: No more than 15 minutes of unprotected
exposure is recommended.
85 decibels: Prolonged exposure to any noise above 85
decibels can cause gradual hearing loss.
http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070124/NEWS0103/701240390/1058/NEWS01
Posted by 4HL on January 29, 2007 03:37 AM
Important
advice about Cochlear Implants and Meningitis
There have
been some reports in the media concerning meningitis following
cochlear implantation.
It is
important to stress that in the UK, the risk to cochlear implant
patients of contracting meningitis is extremely low and may be no
greater than it is in the general population.
Research by
the Nottingham Paediatric Cochlear Implant Programme, which has
treated 423 patients over 13 years, found that one child had
suspected meningitis. The child made a full recovery and no causal
link has been identified.
Among a
further 4,000 people in the UK with cochlear implants, there is only
one other possible known case.
While
investigations continue, the Department of Health is recommending
that all implant patients are given the pneumococcal meningitis
vaccine as a precaution. Implant centres have been advised to ensure
that all patients are vaccinated by their family doctor.
GPs have also
been contacted about the new guidelines.
Betterhearing
strongly advises anyone who is concerned to contact their implant
centre or their family doctor immediately. Or call NHS Direct: Tel:
0845 4647 / Textphone: 0845 606 4647.
Consultants
urged to 'downplay' digital hearing aids
Consultants are being urged to 'downplay' the benefits of digital
hearing aids in a bid to cut costs in Dorset hospitals.
A letter from the head of audiology and hearing therapy to staff at
Dorset County Hospital is appealing to surgeons and consultants not
to tell patients about the dramatic improvements in hearing quality
offered by the new digital hearing aids - because there is no money
available to pay for them.
But the Royal National Institute for the Deaf says there is "no
excuse" for misleading patients.
Old analogue types of hearing aid suffer from whistling feedback,
distorted noise and people suffering from partial deafness say they
find that they cannot hear conversations when there is any background
noise, such as traffic or music.
With a digital hearing aid, these problems are minimised and in many
situations cut out altogether.
But West Dorset General Hospitals NHS Trust's head of audiology
Jeremy Tweed says that funding is so low for his department that the
digital aids can only be given to people with the very highest disability.
He wrote to consultants saying: "When you refer patients to us
for assessment of candidature for a hearing aid, it is very important
that you do not say what type of hearing aid they will get.
"It is also very helpful to us if you can downplay the benefits
of digital versus standard NHS hearing aids."
RNID Chief Executive James Strachan said: "Mr Tweed's letter is
symptomatic of the national crisis in audiology which is affecting
West Dorset Trust and every other hospital across the country.
"There is no excuse for falsely playing down the benefits to
patients of digital hearing aids but Mr Tweed should never have been
put in this position in the first place.
"Mr Tweed is trying to run an audiology department on a
shoestring budget and modern hearing aids cannot be provided while
the Government is starving them of cash."
"Even the Health Minister, Jacqui Smith, acknowledged at the
RNID Breaking the Sound Barrier event last Friday that waiting lists
are too long and that the system must be modernised and extra money
invested. But she still refused to make any commitment to roll-out
digital hearing aids for everyone who needs them."
RNID has been persistently campaigning and lobbying the Government to
improve NHS hearing aid services and make the latest technology
digital hearing aids available to everyone on the NHS.
In response to campaigning, in January 2000 the Government announced
a project to introduce leading edge digital hearing aids into the NHS
as a step towards modernising NHS hearing aid services. Starting with
20 NHS Trusts, known as the First Wave, these have created a model
for the rest of the NHS to follow and set quality and funding
standards against which a new national service can be measured.
GN Store
Nord's Beltone to sue U.S.' Starkey for 'stealing' distributors - CEO
COPENHAGEN
(AFX) - GN Store Nord AS' newly acquired Beltone hearing aid chain is
to sue U.S. hearing aid producer Starkey for allegedly
"stealing" distributors using unfair methods, daily Boersen
reported, citing GN Store Nord's CEO, Joern Kildegaard.
Competition
for the best distributors in the U.S. has intensified and GN Store
Nord's hearing aid unit, GN ReSound, will go a long way to protect
the values acquired in Beltone's trademark, the daily reported.
"Beltone
is the make that most Americans over the age of 50 know and associate
with hearing aids," Kildegaard told the daily.
"It is
therefore important to protect the values that we bought last
year," he added.
Kildegaard
would not explain what the unfair methods are, the newspaper wrote.
Up
to two years delay for receiving hearing aids
In March 2001, the Royal National Institute for Deaf People in the
UK, RNID, published a report on waiting lists in connection with
hearing tests in the UK.
The report found that, in England, the average delay for taking a
hearing test via direct referral was 13.5 weeks. In Scotland and
Wales the average delay was 10 weeks and 8 weeks, respectively. One
in eight hearing centres in England typically report of waiting lists
of 24 weeks or longer for a hearing test.
If a person needs a hearing aid, there is a further delay. The
additional waiting time for hearing aid fitting means that in some
hearing centres in the UK a person will have to wait up to two years
before receiving his or her hearing aid.
In addition to long waiting lists for hearing tests and hearing aid
fittings, the Brits also have to wait an average of 10 weeks for a
subsequent reassessment appointment.
If people decide to consult a private dispenser instead there are
practically no waiting lists for fitting of hearing aids.
Portable
handsfree T-hook for hearing aid users.
GN Transistor
has developed a convenient handsfree solution for hearing aid users
who use Ericsson's latest mobile phones. T-hook can be used with BTE
and ITE hearing aids and is placed on the ear allowing safe and
comfortable placement. Sound is picked up when setting the hearing
aid in the T- position (telecoil). No additional batteries are
required. For more info visit www.transistor.se
Office
Of Fair Trading
Some time ago
we learned that OFT were to conduct an investigation into the retail
pricing of hearing aids in the UK. We have now been advised
(informally) that the inquiry has been shelved having found no gronds
for complaints. Findings show:
-
A healthy
competitive market
-
No evidence of
any anti-consumer practices
-
Diverse
choices of supply, prices and services
-
plentiful
opportunities for consumers to shop around
Website
provides Hearing centre listing.
Disability.co.uk
aim is to carry as much information as possible to help people with
disabilities, their carers and families, by providing details of the
benefits available to them from the DSS, the Benefits Agency, &
War Pensions, to businesses that cater for the disabled such as
Holiday tour operators, hotels, restaurants, equipment and service
providers etc. In addition there are many Charities and Organisations
that can be of assistance to people that are disabled, who may
possibly be able to help in so many different ways.
Hearing
Aid for TV Viewers
From
the newsroom of the BBC, United Kingdom, Monday, 14 August, 2000
Those
hard of hearing will now be able to enjoy a night in front of the
telly without being plagued by background babble on the box.
A
team of UK scientists have developed a device called Diction that
will lower the background noise in for example street or pub scenes
on TV, letting viewers hear the main speakers more clearly.
Diction
is the first time that television sound has been "cleaned
up" by filtering the varying volume and pitch that forms the
background noise on the audio track of a programme. Most noise
suppression technology is based on a constant level of one type of
background noise such as traffic or machine noise.
However,
the most distracting sounds are those that are constantly
fluctuating, especially other people talking. Diction homes in on
those fluctuations and tunes them out.
The
software can distinguish the main speaker from its stronger signal
and allows it through
Plug-in
black box:
The
new technology will initially come as a plug-in black box via the
Scart connector at the rear of the television's receiver. It will
analyse and process the sound signal turning down the volume of
background noise as a programme is aired. The amount of
noise-reduction can be controlled by the user.
Professor
Ahmet Kondoz, head of the research team at Surrey University,
estimates the boxes will be on the market within one and a half
years. "Eventually I expect that this technology will become an
integral part of any television set," he told BBC News Online.
"Although
most noise complaints come from elderly and hard of hearing, this
technology could improve the TV-watching experience for everyone. You
don't realise how distracting background noise is until you get rid
of it."
Dr
John Low, technology director at the Royal National Institute for
Deaf People welcomed the development. "We look forward to
following the progress of this research, and hope that the technology
becomes commercially available at low cost in the near future.
"Anything
of this nature that helps to improve access to the world of
television for the one in five households affected by hearing loss is
a positive step towards inclusion and opportunity."
Mobile
hopes:
Tests
conducted at the University of Manchester on 60 to 70 year olds
showed a big improvement in their attention span when watching a
programme using Diction.
The
technology could also prove very useful to mobile phone users in
noisy environments.
The
University of Surrey's Diction technology has been developed in a
consortium with the Independent Television Commission (ITC), the
University of Manchester's Age & Cognitive Performance Research
Centre, Premier Electronics GB Limited and Broadcast Project Research Ltd.
Childrens
Hearing Centre in Newbury
An
independent centre for children has opened in Newbury, Berkshire,
UK.The Burwood Centre for Childhood Deafness has a multi-disciplinary
team of clinicians including audiologists, psychologists and speech
and language therapists who understand that many deaf children
willonly reach their full potential once their complex needs have
been acknowledged.The centre also provides practical support to the
parents and families of deaf children in an ongoing partnership. You
can call them on +44 (0) 1635 573 820 or view www.burwoodcentre.org
Sonic
new product
Sonic
Innovations have released the second generation of the Natura
hearing aid range. Two new products Natura 2 and Natura SE are
available in CIC, ITC and ITE styles.New features are enhanced sound
quality and pprogrammable noise reduction.
Relaunch
of web site....a site you must visit!!
Hearing
Concern (formerly known as the British Association for the Hard
ofHearing) an organisation in the UK for deaf and hard of hearing
people have relaunched there new website . The website will display
information about deaf and hard of hearing issues in the form of
factsheets and information about Hearing Concern's different
services, projects,campaigns and membership.
take
me to hearing concern
Old
Hearing Aids For Poor In India
UK
based charity Help The Aged need your help for the poor in India,
any unused hearing aids will be serviced and fitted to some of the 30
million people over 65 that suffer with hearing loss. Betterhearing
would like to actively promote and help.
All
hearing aids shall be sent to Her Majesty's Prison Erlestoke, where
they will be cleaned, tested and sorted by prisoners, specially
trained by a qualified audiologist before being sent to HelpAge India.
Please
wrap them up carefully and insert a note stating you heard about the
appeal at Betterhearing.co.uk and send to:
HearingAid
Appeal
Help
The Aged
Freepost
lon 13616
London
EC1B
1PS
UK
Dispensers Apply Now.
Betterhearing UK shall soon
be providing a UK listing of professional hearing aid audiologists in
order to help our viewers. Get advertised now by sending your full
details to mail@betterhearing.co.uk
More
Battery Power.
Millions
of people can now hear loud and clear -- and longer -- thanks to
breakthrough technology developed by Rayovac (NYSE: ROV), the world's
No.1 manufacturer of hearing aid batteries. Products like the new
Rayovac Ultra Zinc Air Hearing Aid Batteries, which will last up to
30 percent longer than other zinc air hearing aid batteries, are what
also make Rayovac the fastest growing battery manufacturer in the U.S.
Set to
ship in early summer, the high-performing, long-lasting batteries
will be
available through both retail outlets and hearing care professional locations.
"Rayovac
Ultra Zinc Air Hearing Aid Batteries are just the latest in a series
oftechnological advances developed by Rayovac's team of dedicated
hearing aid battery scientists," said Rayovac Chairman and CEO
Dave Jones.
"It's
this dedication to innovation that has resulted in Rayovac's
position as the world's leading producer of hearing aid batteries
with a nearly 60 percent share of the global market."
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