Q: What do you think about disposable hearing aids, self-programmable
hearing aids, etc.?
A: I keep saying that hearing aids are basically something that deafened people refer to in the past tense, but …
(Deafened people are by definition those who are past the point of benefiting from amplification, or on the way there. However, it's apparent that a lot of hard of hearing people do stop in. I am not broadening the scope of the Page, but it isn’t too big a detour for a fine sunny day.)
I have seen these on the news, e.g. the “Songbird” hearing aid that you wear and throw away, like contact lenses. [See the Associated Press that is or was on the Canoe website or on CNN.]
The vendor is candid that this is a product that has targeted at a vulnerable and—if, as a late boomer myself, I may say so—vain market segment: As quoted by AP:
"Songbird is targeted to the vast population of baby boomers whose lifelong exposure to decibel-blasting music, high-pitched manufacturing noises and other forms of noise pollution has taken its toll on their hearing," said Helena Solodar, co-owner of Audiological Consultants of Atlanta, which sells the hearing aid."It is an interesting concept, but the circuitry is not that revolutionary," said Doug Hudson, CEO of HearingPlanet.Com, an Internet seller of hearing aid products based in Nashville. "It's a good idea for the consumer who is not sure they want to commit to full-fledged program of amplification and hearing rehabilitation," he said.
The Deafened People Page does not believe that this is in the consumer's best interest. My reasoning was reinforced when I read this media coverage. It is a conventional wisdom that success with hearing aids is only as good as the user’s commitment, leaving us to wonder whether the only function of these devices and distribution channels is to separate affluent boomers from their money.
The company CEO was quoted as saying the Songbird would be marketed
as being for noise-induced hearing loss, to avoid the stigma that
hearing loss was related to aging. Nobody wants to admit to actually
aging, least of all the boomers. Step right up and be manipulated,
folks.
I agree with another person quoted in the AP article, Thomas Powers,
director of audiology for Siemens Hearing Instruments (a hearing aid
manufacturer). Mr. Powers said one concern is that users of disposable
hearing aids might not get checkups as often because they don't
require maintenance. Hudson (whose HearingPlanet.com does not carry
Songbirds) concurred:
"There's really no mechanism or guarantee
that a person would get future hearing tests to see if their hearing
has changed," he said. "There are lots of professionals that
are not real excited about this product," Hudson said.
While the manufacturer says that Songbirds cannot be dispensed without
a hearing test or consultation with an audiologist, it seems tailor
made for abuse. It is a trivial challenge to get the disposable
contact lenses you want without professional interference.
The Songbird is estimated to be more expensive than conventional
hearing aids. AP pointed out that the newest digital hearing aids cost
around $4,600 for both ears, but they'll last five or six years. The
cost of Songbirds, replaced monthly, would be about $5,760 for six
years. How many of the Songbird users actually will replace them
monthly? “Lemme see, if I don’t use them every day, maybe I can
squeeze six weeks, maybe eight out of one...” Not using them every
day is probably detrimental to getting your brain used to the sound.
Looking at a picture of the device, I can’t imagine that the
“comfort factor” is going to be habit forming anyway. Whereas a
conventional hearing aid has a custom mold and can be made in a
variety of materials, the Songbird looks like a flexy plastic mushroom
type plug thing. Looks like it could be good for scooping the old wax
out of the ear canals though. It also looks like it would kind of
dangle and wobble around, and tickle, and it certainly doesn’t look inconspicuous.
It is not beyond my imagining that the company may nevertheless do very well financially. A lot of people do, offering products and services that are not in people’s best interests.
I have also heard ideas about creating hearing aids that the user “tunes” himself. I don't have an issue with the user switching among programs on a hearing aid that has multiple stored programs. There are many different listening tasks and listening environments and I think that people can learn how to recognize which program works best in which setting. I will even confess that I checked the manufacturer's frequency response spec sheet and actually used a tiny screwdriver to change a setting on a BTE hearing aid myself in the past. But I have a PhD in engineering and I can read a spec sheet. We’re talking about people fiddling with knobs until it “sounds right”.
Even if it was possible for people to accurately tune their hearing aid this way (human sensory perception and reaction time makes me wonder if the tuning would be even halfway accurate) there are important reasons why medical screening needs to be part of the process. Hearing loss is not always “just age” and inevitable. It could be something simply repaired by surgery, in which case, why go to all the bother and expense of buying a hearing aid? On the other extreme, a hearing loss could be caused by a tumour, or come along with a syndrome that involves other organ systems. If you only (or mainly) have hearing loss on one side, you definitely need to be seen.
The marketing machines are going to insinuate that hearing loss is categorically caused by noise, or at worst, aging, but until you have had a medical assessment, you do not know that. Just because you did get a lot of noise exposure and you are aging, doesn’t mean you don't also have something else going on. Seeing professionals not only ensures that there are no latent problems, but it also introduces other essentials of coping well such as training in new listening skills, perhaps, or introduction to self-help networks. Hearing aids do not sound normal. If you are not working with anyone (professional) who can assist you to find the best aid (the “prescription”), make adjustments to maximize the performance of the aid, and teach you to tell the difference between the crappy sound that goes with the territory of hearing aids and the crappy sound that results from a badly chosen, badly fitted, or badly adjusted hearing aid, I’ll give you odds that the hearing aid will rest in peace among your socks in the dresser drawer.
On this matter, I do have advice. Don’t be a marketing victim. Be a smart consumer. If the audiologist and otolaryngologist say that it's just noise induced hearing loss (“NIHL”) or presbycusis (you’re old, get over it), go ahead and buy whatever device suits you. But then, don’t overlook the custom fitted hearing aids and personalized follow up as a very worthwhile alternative to these mass-market One Size Fits All options. (Anyone who has ever bought pantihose knows what One Size Fits All means!)
For hearing aid purchase self-defence tips, see another Q Files item.
