Loss of Hearing

Posts Tagged ‘Hearing Aids’

A bone anchored hearing aid was developed back in 1977, but wasn’t approved for use in the U.S. until 1996. This aid works by being implanted in the bone, so that sound is conducted here rather than through the ear. It proves effective for many cases of conductive and mixed hearing loss, but does not offer much assistance for other types of hearing loss problems.

This aid has an implant, a sound processor, and an external abutment. Together, these parts create sound transmission through the bone, allowing people to hear things without needing the use of their actual middle ear or external canal.

Once the bone anchored hearing aid is put into place, it becomes a part of the bone over time. Vibrations are sent through the bone, which stimulates the nerves in the ear. Once the nerves have been stimulated, the person can hear.

Chronic ear infections, congenital middle ear defects, and those with a dislike for traditional hearing aids can all benefit from the bone implant. This will allow for the middle ear to be bypassed, which is great for suffers of ear infections, because it is known that no more damage will be done to the hearing because of the implant.

The bone anchored hearing aid is also useful in patients who only have one deaf ear. By implanting this device in the deaf ear, the sound is transferred from the deaf ear to the good ear, which offers a sensation of hearing in that ear. So many people can benefit from this great device, but it can prove to be an expensive investment.

Like many other hearing aids, this procedure is medical in nature but has very little support of the insurance companies. Therefore, you must make sure that this is the right treatment for you, but also that you can afford it.

The bone anchored hearing aid is probably the best device that is available for middle ear problems, unilateral deafness, and other people who couldn’t find solutions that suited them before. The implant is unnoticeable and doesn’t get in the way like a hearing aid might, and you don’t have to worry about it slipping out.

Once the device has been implanted, the process is complete and no readjustments are needed. If you suffer from any of these types of hearing loss, this device might benefit you.

Many people who suffer from hearing impairments find it difficult or even impossible to tele-communicate. Even though there have been many advancements to help people with various disabilities communicate easier, little time has been spent on those with hearing problems. In a time when telecommunicating is all the rage, shouldn’t those who are hard of hearing also get a chance to enjoy modern communication like the rest of us?

Communication plays an important role in our lives, and we are constantly looking for new and inspired solutions to communication problems. But exactly how much of these solutions benefit the hard of hearing?

But there is hope yet. With the new and improved TDD, or tele-communications device for the deaf, more hard of hearing people are now able to communicate telephonically. The TDD is an electronic device that transmits messages to a recipient through a phone line. This device is also known as a telephone typewriter, or a tele-typewriter. The size of a small laptop, this device features the standard QWERTY keyboard used in all typewriters, and boasts an LED or LCD screen that displays the typed messages. Earlier designs of the TDD had the text printed on a small spool of paper, much like how cash registers print receipts.

TDD users have also developed their own code that makes conversing easier. Since TDD users are not able to determine when the person they are speaking to has finished talking, they use the term ‘GA’, which means ‘go ahead’.

There are various other common abbreviations also used. ‘CA’ refers to the Communications Assistant, or the person who relays the messages for both parties. ‘SK’ means ’stop keying’, while ‘SKSK’ means ‘hanging up’. Furthermore, ‘SK’ also means ‘goodbye’ or ‘about to hang up’; while ‘SKSK’ refers to an immediate hang up. ‘Q’, ‘QQ’, or ‘QM’ means question mark, while ‘XXXX’ is used to indicate typing errors instead of backspacing. A good thing to note is that TDD only uses capital letters.

TDD users will find another advantage out of this device. They will be able to contact the Telecommunications Relay Service, which is a group of operators that help relay message in phone conversations for the hard of hearing. They use captioned phone technology, which helps them with voice recognition properties.

There are other technologies, however, that help the hearing impaired. These include SMS (short message service) on mobile phones, online chatting and instant messaging.

 

Nine years is a long time for an 11-year-old boy to be without any hearing in his right ear, however, this is what happened to Jerome Bartens who had to cope with this handicap. He was diagnosed as deaf in his right ear when he was just 2-years-old.

 

Doctors and hearing aid audiologists could offer no help to the Bartens’ and the cause of his deafness was left unresolved until 27 January 2008 when he and some friends were playing in a church hall. Something popped in his ear and when he put his finger in his ear, a 1cm-long waxy cotton bud came out. It is believed this bud has been lodged in his ear for the past nine years.

 

His father, Mr. Bartens, believes Jerome put this cotton bud in his ear when he was a 2-year-old and that the tip fell off the plastic stem. Young Jerome has always struggled at school because he is hard of hearing in his right ear. He also said he has become used to being shouted at and having to turn up the television’s volume so that he could hear better.

 

His father said he has always suspected there is something in Jerome’s ear canal that is hampering his hearing, and is amazed that the many doctors and hearing specialists they asked for help have not found this bud. Mr. Bartens said: “But the doctors and hearing specialists said it was wax and he would probably grow out of it. I am amazed they didn’t spot something as obvious as a cotton wool bud.”

 

Jerome is overjoyed at his new-found hearing and reckons he will be much happier at school now that he no longer suffers from continual earaches. Jerome said: ‘It was very strange at first to be able to hear everything. But now I’m getting used to it – it’s great that people don’t have to shout to me or that I don’t have to turn my head all the time.”

 

While elated that his hearing has returned to ‘normal’, the family is keeping the waxy cotton bud as a souvenir and showed it to the specialists who were checking up on Jerome. The single father has also made complaints against the several doctors who examined Jerome over the years and who thought there was nothing wrong with the young boy.

 

 

 

Wild Zapper, Common Ground Sign Dance Theater Company, Rathskellar – The 4 Jack, ChanDanse De Sourds, Russian Soul, Arai Dance Show, China Disabled People’s Performing Arts Troupe. Dynamic names for groups of very talented, high-energy performers who have won awards and inspired countless people around the globe.

Incredibly, all these groups are made up of dancers who are deaf. Literally, they can’t hear the music they’re dancing to. Some of the dancers were born deaf; others lost their hearing during infancy or childhood. Some have some residual hearing, and may use traditional hearing aids or cochlear implants. Some communicate by reading lips; others rely on the use of sign language.

Who are these remarkable people, and how have they made a name for themselves in what might be considered a profession that’s only accessible to people who hear?

The China Disabled People’s Performing Arts Troupe is a group of twenty-one young male and female dancers. They are most famous for their Thousand Hand Guan-Yin dance, a breathtaking performance depicting an ancient Chinese deity with many arms and hands. This group’s tight coordination and elegant artistry has thrilled audiences around the world. They use four human, hearing “conductors” who stand unobtrusively at the corners of the stage to cue the dancers into their next steps.

Wild Zapper is an all-male deaf dance troupe in Maryland, USA. These dynamic young men work with children to help them experience jazz, funk and hip-hop dance styles, plus some valuable American Sign Language. They give workshops and other educational programs that have won them high accolades and loyal fans worldwide.

Common Ground, comprised of four dancers out of Liverpool, England, originated a style of dance performance that fully integrates sign language into their choreography. Like the Deaflympics, this group is now run by deaf people. Their work is strongly rooted in deaf culture, but those who are unfamiliar with sign language can fully enjoy their passionate performance pieces too. Common Ground is alo involved in reaching out to the community. They run workshops for colleges and other groups, and give technique workshops for those who hope to be performers.

Another American group, Rathskellar – The 4 Jack, is made up of four deaf song-signers. This group’s very popular work is set to a background of throbbing music that feels almost primitive. They incorporate the raw beauty of sign language with the cultural vibrancy of the deaf community of Gallaudet University, where the group was formed.

Russian Soul was the first theatre for the deaf in the world. Founded in 1964, it now has several touring performing troupes based in Moscow. This group’s acclaimed Mime and Gesture Theatre is blossoming despite the difficult times in Russia.

Chandanse des Sords, a group that is unique in France, has ten deaf dancers, plus deaf percussionists and a deaf technical team. They do community outreach and offer performances of inspiring dance and “visual music,” which is percussion. This group’s purpose is to show that deaf people can create high-quality works completely under their own direction.

Arai Dance Show of Armenia is now led by Hayk Hobosyan, 26, who was inspired at age 11 when he first saw Michael Jackson dancing on television. When asked how he can dance without hearing the music, Hayk states that dance is passion, a way to express thoughts with gestures. He specializes in hip hop, break dancing and Latino dance, and he has been called a “phenomenon” and “the sun” of the Arai Dance Show.

To communicate among themselves, these deaf artists speak in the sign languages of their own region or country. Far from being simply speech made visible on the hands, sign languages are languages in their own right, which use space, directionality and many other components that spoken languages simply can’t use. Watching these artists’ hands fly in sign language is almost like watching another elegant dance performance.

These remarkable people have realized their dream through hard work and determination. Through their devotion to their art they have helped raise awareness of sign language and of the artistry and “musicality” that deaf people can possess.