At Ellis-Scott
& Associates, we feel the key to the success of good hearing aids
is the follow-up care we provide.
At
Ellis-Scott & Associates, we carry the finest quality
products. We are the tri-state area’s exclusive dealer for
Nu-Ear hearing aids.
Today’s
hearing aids are smaller and sleeker. These new instruments
correct the most common type of hearing loss (those caused by
nerve damage.) Our totally digital, computerized hearing
aids are at the forefront of this technology, offering a unique
programming feature that lets you “tune out” bothersome sounds.
Unlike most medical tests, the tests that
measure hearing ability are relatively quick and painless. Your
evaluation may include...
otoscopy, or looking into the ears with
a lighted scope
an audiogram, a sound check that
produces a mapping or graphical representation of hearing
ability
tympanogram, which measures the
pressure of the inner ear and assesses the ear drum’s
mobility.
These tests are performed at our office and usually take less
than an hour to complete. With the information from these tests,
we will be able to make an accurate assessment of your hearing
capabilities and advise you of all your treatment options. In
most cases, this means hearing instruments. If a medical problem
is found, we will refer you to a physician for appropriate care.
Products
What’s that in your ear?
Every hearing aid is a miniature conglomeration of electronic
circuitry encased in plastic. Every hearing aid has these parts:
a microphone that picks up sound, an amplifier to boost the
sound, and a receiver that delivers the amplified sound into the
ear. All are powered by tiny replaceable batteries.
But thanks to microprocessor or computer chip technology,
current hearing aids far surpass the simplicity of what’s
described above.
Any hearing aid you buy should help to compensate for your
hearing loss and be comfortable to wear. Equally important is
the attitude and commitment of the wearer—whether that’s you or
someone close to you. It takes time and dedication to get the
best possible result from any hearing aid.
There are many makes of hearing aids, and many models from
each manufacturer. What’s important is to find the best solution
for your listening requirements.
Click on a number above to see details of each part.
New technologies
Hearing aid technology has come a long way in the last few
years, thanks to the computer microchip and digital circuitry.
Here are some of the latest innovations.
Digital technology Why does music from a compact disc sound more crisp, clear, and
distortion-free than music from a record or tape? The answer, at
least in part, is the difference between analog and digital
sound processing.
Digital hearing aids have one or more microchip processors
inside them that convert analog sound waves into the zeros and
ones of computer language. Sound in this format can be processed
more quickly and more efficiently than analog sound waves; in
fact, incoming sounds are sampled at a rate of a million or more
times per second. The digital aid’s circuitry analyzes these
sound levels and frequencies, manipulating them to provide a
more efficient match to an individual’s hearing profile.
For example, a person with hearing loss may have trouble
hearing soft sounds, but when some sounds are amplified even a
small amount, they become uncomfortably loud. Hearing aids with
digital compression circuitry are able to stratify incoming
sounds, detect those that need amplification from those that
don’t, and process the sound accordingly.
Programmable technology Digitally programmable hearing aids, which are different
from fully digital aids in that they’re not equipped to process
all incoming sound digitally, offer the very useful benefit of
being able to sculpt sound to fit a particular individual’s
unique hearing profile, and can be reprogrammed if there are
changes in hearing loss. Programmable aids can be set up with
multiple channels, enabling you to preset and store several
different programs, each sculpted to a particular set of sound
environments. You can then select the appropriate program using
a button or remote control unit: normal conversation, concert
hall, office, or telephone, for example.
Feedback reduction technology Feedback has long been a problem for hearing aid wearers.
Now we know a lot more about feedback, and have developed ways
to deal with it. Feedback happens when amplified sound waves
escape back out through the ear canal and are then re-amplified
by the hearing aid—resulting in the high-pitched squeals that
set your teeth on edge. Smaller, in-the-canal styles of hearing
aids place components closer to the eardrum, preventing sound
waves from escaping, thereby reducing, and often eliminating,
feedback. Some new aids are also able to detect these sounds
before they become audible and cancel them out, greatly reducing
this frustrating problem.
