Bob Martin

In my last couple of blog posts I discussed the use of “listening programs” to improve hearing. Today I want to continue this discussion and cover the difficult topic of “How to enhance word understanding and simultaneously reduce background noise.” When I tackle this problem, hearing when it is noisy, I first ask myself, is it possible for this patient

In my last blog post, I introduced the topic of listening programs and how to use them to create fantastic hearing for your hearing aid patients. In this article I want to continue that discussion and work through the specifics. But first, let’s talk about the default listening program.   THE DEFAULT SETTING When we program hearing aids, we input

The greatest joy that our profession brings us is to help people hear well. People come to the office hearing poorly. They leave hearing better. They leave happy. And they leave us with a deep sense of accomplishment and satisfaction. Today I want to add another tool to your toolbox. It a hearing aid feature you use everyday—the multi-program capacity

Today’s advanced hearing aids offer lots of features that consumers may find pretty amazing. As a result, hearing care providers may be tempted to parade these high-tech wonders in front of their patients to get them excited about what they offer. In my opinion, this is a huge mistake! If you promise too much, the patient will expect too much,

Those of us who have worked in this field for years have taken thousands of ear impressions. And, just like nurses who give injections every day, it is easy for us to become desensitized to the importance and potential risks of this procedure. Taking an ear impression is not a risk-free process. The safety of the patient’s ear can be

This following story is true, and it happened to me. It has now been more than a year since this sad episode occurred, and I would like to say I have recovered. But if truth be told, this case has changed my life forever. Some wounds go very deep. Sarah and I worked together for more than 35 years. We

How many times have you told a patient what hearing aid they need, only to be told, “Well, that’s fine, but I want the other one.” At times there is a substantial difference between the hearing aid system that would work best for patients and the system that they want. Some hearing aids have the potential to be modified into

Airline pilots always use checklists to land and take off. Regardless of how many years of experience they have or how confident they are in their abilities, they still consult checklists to make absolutely certain they do not deviate from their standard routine. In an emergency or other difficult situation, following a checklist helps keep you safe and on track.

With all the modern inventions that surround us and with all the new ideas that come onto the market everyday, wouldn’t you think that the “Hearing Aid Industry” would have invented some simple way to turn hearing aids on and off at night? Well, no such luck. We still use the 70-year-old idea of opening the battery door at night

Patients and their families want to know how they can improve the quality of hearing aid fittings. Our topic for today, “Patient Notes,” is one way we can markedly improve all aspects of the experience our patients have with the hearing aids we give them. Written notes help ensure that we do not miss or neglect critical “hearing issues.” This