Valley Audiology

Success with Hearing Aids

Dr. Kjeldsen — Wed, 05 Jun 2013 15:31:59 +0000

Several times this week my patients have been impressed with the high tech aspect of hearing aid fittings from the programming ability of the manufacturer’s software to the real ear testing we do during fittings. It is very exciting what technology allows us to do in fitting hearing aids but more than ever I want to emphasize the personal aspect of what truly makes for a successful hearing aid fitting. We start with a willing patient who has an open mind and a touch of patience. Hearing aid fitting is a process and patients who are patient (no pun intended) and who come in motivated to learn and adapt will be more successful. Next we rely on our audiologists to understand the needs of each patient and appropriate fit and adjust the hearing aids to allow the patient to do the best they possibly can. Finally, we have the relationship of the audiologist and the patient who will work together to fine tune the hearing aids and talk through how to optimize the patient’s communication ability. It is the long term relationship that we are dedicated to at Valley Audiology.

Jacob’s Ride

Dr. Kjeldsen — Tue, 30 Apr 2013 21:48:37 +0000

A man named Jacob Landis is making an inspirational journey. He was first diagnosed with hearing loss as a young child. He received a cochlear implant at the age of 10. Now at age 24 he wants to help raise awareness about hearing loss and raise money for people who can’t afford hearing services.

Jacob will be riding his bike across the United States to all the major league baseball stadiums in the country. His journey began at the beginning of April in Maryland and he’ll be in the Bay Area in July to visit the ballparks in Oakland and San Francisco.

To read more about Jacob’s ride and to donate to his cause, visit www.jacobsride.com.

Moisture is a killer for hearing aids

Dr. Kjeldsen — Mon, 01 Apr 2013 23:24:08 +0000

It doesn’t just take a hop in the shower or a leap in the pool to break a hearing aid. Daily moisture build up from perspiration can cause outages over time. With summer rapidly approaching this subject is on our minds.

Typical moisture related complaints are static and intermittent functioning of the hearing aids. Sometimes the moisture build up is enough to cause corrosion in the battery compartment.

The first line of defense is a jar with a desiccant costing $18.75. If that doesn’t work well enough we may urge you to buy an electronic dryer for $80. With both of these devices you put the aids in and leave them over night for a thorough drying.

A new hearing aid by Oticon

Dr. Kjeldsen — Thu, 14 Mar 2013 17:54:54 +0000

Oticon, one the world’s leading hearing aid manufacturer’s, has released their new hearing aid called the Alta. With the Alta Oticon has worked on making a very high quality, natural sound as well as an aid the works well in noisy places. We’ve begun fitting the aids and it appears to be meeting our patient’s expectations. If you think it’s time for you to replace your aids or if you are in the market for your first set, come in to talk to us about the Alta.

Mail Order Hearing Aids Have Little Value

Dr. Kjeldsen — Thu, 07 Mar 2013 21:47:07 +0000

There are many pitfalls to purchasing hearing aids online or through the mail. The following is a list of things that you DON’T get when purchasing remotely:
1. Face to face consultation to gather information on your hearing and your communication needs.
2. Session spent on orienting you to the parts of the hearing aid and the maintenance required.
3. In the ear calibration of the hearing aid for feedback.
4. Real ear testing to determine what frequency response is being delivered.
5. Several post fitting appointments to answer questions and adjust the hearing aid.
6. Follow up examination to ensure you are caring for the hearing aid properly.
7. Immediate assistance over the phone or quick appointments when the hearing aid isn’t working.
8. Access to loaner hearing aids if your aid needs to be repaired.
9. Ongoing counseling and education on hearing loss and communication skills.
10. A local professional who can keep you up to date on current technology and research.

Legally speaking, hearing aids delivered through the mail in the state of California must be purchased from a dispenser licensed in the state of California. Here is a link to the Speech Language Pathology, Audiology and Hearing Aid Dispenser’s Board with information about mail order hearing aids:

http://www.speechandhearing.ca.gov/forms_pubs/mail_order.pdf

Let the buyer beware! These aids may seem cheap but they have little value.

New Hearing Aids Released

Dr. Kjeldsen — Tue, 12 Feb 2013 19:47:27 +0000

Following up on my previous posting, all the hearing aid manufacturers that we deal with have new products available. Phonak came out with their new Bolero(behind the ear) and Virto (in the ear) models. Some new features include better hearing in wind noise and more zooming in on voices you want to hear in loud background noise. Widex has their new Dream series of hearing aids. Their research has resulted in aids that handle loud sounds with less distortion allowing for better speech understanding in background noise. The Oticon Alta is a premium level hearing aid delivering more speech clarity and directional hearing in background noise. Years of work and millions of dollars go into new hearing aids so I can’t do the technology justice in this short post. If it’s time for you to upgrade your hearing aids, make an appointment and we can go into the details and discuss how the new technology will benefit you. 925-676-8101

The Rapid Pace of Technology

Dr. Kjeldsen — Wed, 30 Jan 2013 21:59:19 +0000

Our world is full of new and exciting technology: faster and smaller computers, sharper and bigger televisions, and mobile phones that take pictures and respond to voice commands. The technology in the hearing aid industry is going the same speed. Aids are smaller, faster and sharper than they were even a few years ago. They don’t take pictures yet or respond to voice commands but give the industry time! Some patients come into my office saying that hearing aids didn’t work well for family members in the past so they are hesitant to try. I am always encouraging that new technology is worth a try.

Ready and Willing to Educate

Dr. Kjeldsen — Thu, 17 Jan 2013 18:48:59 +0000

Last week I spoke to a group of retired men about the causes of hearing loss and current technologies for remediation. I had a great time and I heard from several attendees that they learned quite a bit. Over the last few years I’ve spoken to other groups (religious, medical, retired and otherwise) and I like being able to educate people about hearing. There isn’t much information available in the general media about hearing. If you are looking for a speaker for your group, please feel free to give me a call. Leigh Kjeldsen, Au.D. 925-676-8101

Stop Procrastinating!

Dr. Kjeldsen — Fri, 04 Jan 2013 23:28:51 +0000

This is one of my New Year’s Resolutions. I’ve been thinking for weeks that I needed to post on my blog so now I am going to stop procrastinating. Have you been concerned about decreased hearing? Is your family asking you to come in for assessment? Do have hearing aids from years ago that are in the drawer because they don’t seem to benefit much anymore? Stop procrastinating and give us a call – 925-676-8101. Help yourself hear better in the new year.

Two Hearing Aids Are Better Than One

Dr. Kjeldsen — Tue, 04 Sep 2012 19:04:45 +0000

If your audiologist recommends two hearing aids for you and you can afford two aids, the following is a long list of reasons to wear two aids:
- Balanced sound. You will be hearing in stereo.
- Better sound quality. With two aids the volume doesn’t have to be set as high and the sound quality will be better.
- Less feedback. Again, the aids can often be set a bit lower and you will have less trouble with feedback.
- Better understanding of speech in noise. When we are hearing from both ears we can better pick out what we want to hear out of the background chatter.
- Better ability to tell where sound is coming from. We know where sound is coming from when we are hearing from both ears.
- Reduced risk of auditory deprivation. Studies have shown that our understanding of speech can decline if we aren’t hearing from an ear.
If you are only wearing one aid, ask your audiologist if you should be wearing two.