Needs Assessment: The Most Important Component of the Hearing Aid Evaluation
Some blanket statements: Nobody ever obtained hearing aids because of the hearing test. The most important component of the hearing aid evaluation is the needs assessment. Absolutes can be tricky. There is always an exception to an absolute. (There’s another absolute right there.) Hyperbole!! “A rhetorical formulation of exaggerated statements or claims not meant to…
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Communication by Ear? New ‘Earswitch’ Technology Offers Hope to People with ALS, Other Neurological Conditions
Editor’s Note: A new ear-level device being developed by a UK primary care physician, along with a team of researchers at Bath University, is providing hope for people with neurological conditions that are unable speak or operate a keyboard, with new ways of communicating via a computer. HHTM President and CEO, Kevin Liebe, recently connected…
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Response to an Ignorant Argument: The True Value of Hearing Aids
I have a confession to make. Many years ago I was having a particularly bad day (perhaps someone took my green Phonak screwdriver) and a patient said to me, “I don’t understand why hearing aids cost so much. It can’t cost more than $100 to make them.” I think the first words out of my…
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What I Listen for In an Interview
In my job I have the opportunity to conduct many interviews with prospective hearing care providers. These interviews typically cover clinical and sales/counseling topics. Most of the time it is a pleasant experience during which we have a conversation that is stimulating, perhaps I learn something, and there is give and take. As a trainer…
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How the Hearing Industry is Creating Better Lives for Those With Tinnitus
by Dr. Sara Burdak, Chief Audiology Officer, Starkey Audiologists find their way into the profession for a multitude of reasons, but overwhelmingly it is because of the desire to help people. One thing that unites us is the mutual goal of improving the lives of people with hearing and balance disorders, including tinnitus, a common…
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Don’t Forget Assistive Listening Devices: They’re Not What They Used to Be
All a person has to do to hear better is to wear hearing aids. Slap on a pair and the world will be your oyster. No more problems. Easy peasy! Or maybe not? Definitely not! Hearing aids are a tool. All too often it is the only tool offered to our patients. In that we…
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