Waterproof Hearing Aids Tested

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Loghead

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The maker of an invisible hearing aid is attempting a waterproof version.

Today's newest models range from the completely invisible — it sits deep in the ear canal for months at a time — to Bluetooth-enabled gadgets that open cellphones and iPods for hearing-aid users.

Next month, about 60 swimmers will begin testing a next-generation Lyric, to see if stronger coatings can withstand at least three swims a week, allowing the device to repel the water that short-circuits regular hearing aids.

If so, expect to see it marketed to active seniors who increasingly find the pool a gentler form of exercise than pounding the pavement.

"It's my preferred exercise," says Kathy Burkhard, 62, of San Jose, Calif., who is anxiously awaiting the results. She already swims with her Lyrics, her ears bundled against the water with special earplugs, a water-resistant headband and a racer's cap.

"I do it well and I enjoy it and I wasn't ready to give it up."

It's part of a quiet revolution in hearing technology, to increase the usefulness and comfort of devices that too many people still shun.

"Stigma is one of the biggest obstacles we face," says Dr. John P. Weigand, audiology director at the State University of New York's Downstate Medical Center.

According to Statistics Canada, more than one million adults across the country reported having a hearing-related disability. In the U.S., more than 30 million adults have some degree of hearing loss. The National Institutes of Health says most could be treated with hearing aids yet only about one in five people who could benefit uses them.

Pitch problems
Why? Many people simply don't know, or accept, that they need one. Hearing loss can come at any age, from disease or genetics or not protecting your ears from loud noise. But it becomes more common with aging; federal statistics in the U.S. show one in three people older than 60 have hearing loss. And it can creep up, as often people first lose the ability to hear higher pitch before they notice wider problems.

Then there's reluctance to try hearing aids because of the appearance, or because of longtime problems with sound quality, particularly the ability to hear well in noisy environments.

And there's the cost, which varies around the country but can range from $1,500 US per ear for more basic designs, up to $3,300 US per ear for premium brands. Only some insurance pays; Medicare doesn't.

Enter the newer technology, which hasn't eliminated the sound problems but, specialists say, does improve them for people who pick the right option for their lifestyle and hearing needs:

The Lyric is inserted 4 millimetres from the eardrum, aiming to funnel sound more naturally. It's not the first deep-in-the-canal hearing aid — others have left the market — but is the only extended-wear version. It stays in the ear for up to 120 days, until the battery wears out. A yearly subscription of $1,650 US for each ear covers the fitting and replacements.
Seals protect the Lyric from the moisture of showers and earwax, while maintaining the right pressure to avoid pain in this very delicate ear region, explains Dr. Robert Schindler, professor emeritus at the University of California, San Francisco, and a board member with manufacturer InSound Medical Inc.

Schindler, a pioneer of cochlear implants for the deaf, helped develop the Lyric when his mother asked why he didn't improve her hated hearing aids. But it only works for a fraction of people, those with mild to moderate hearing loss whose ear canals aren't too small.

A simpler approach hides the hearing aid behind the top of the ear and just a thin wire, the receiver, snakes into the canal, says SUNY's Weigand. About two-thirds of his patients opt for those.
Directional microphones are cutting background noise even in some less expensive hearing aids, going into a zoom mode to emphasize voices straight ahead of the wearer.
"I hear that complaint much less than I heard it five years ago," Weigand says of background noise. "The ambient sounds are never going to go away, and you need to hear them to be aware of your environment, but typically people will look at what they want to hear."

And more and more hearing aids are compatible with Bluetooth wireless technology, hugely appealing for tech-savvy baby boomers who've run into problems in the past with hearing aids that didn't work with their cellphones, Weigand says. A streamer, made by companies including Siemens and Phonak, is worn around the neck or in a pocket where it wirelessly funnels sound from Bluetooth devices — cellphones, iPods, a car's GPS navigator — straight into the hearing aid.
Choosing a version "is a balancing act between the person's dexterity, their lifestyle, the cosmetic concerns they have," says Weigand. "We have to give them options."
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http://www.cbc.ca/health/story/2009/12/29/hearing-aid-swim.html

The idea of hearing aids being waterproof is a cool idea, but I wonder if it will only be a feature for smaller hearing aids for people with mild losses.
 
Seems to say ITE. What amazes me is the 62 year old lady who said she bands her ears with aids in so she can still swim. :confused:

I have been swimming deaf with no aids since I was a little kid. Why would you need a hearing aid to swim?

On the other hand I would not mind a BTE covering profound loss that was waterproof for summer walks.
 
Bottesini said:
Seems to say ITE. What amazes me is the 62 year old lady who said she bands her ears with aids in so she can still swim. :confused:

I have been swimming deaf with no aids since I was a little kid. Why would you need a hearing aid to swim?

On the other hand I would not mind a BTE covering profound loss that was waterproof for summer walks.
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I agree. That was strange. I always take off my hearing aids when I go into pools, lakes, showers, baths, etc. I honestly do not overly care if I can hear a person while swimming. If there's a snake in the pool/lake, I think I will be able to tell by seeing everyone running out. :lol:
 
Loghead said:
I agree. That was strange. I always take off my hearing aids when I go into pools, lakes, showers, baths, etc. I honestly do not overly care if I can hear a person while swimming. If there's a snake in the pool/lake, I think I will be able to tell by seeing everyone running out. :lol:
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Or everyone will go running out, screaming, "Look that deaf kid is being dragged under by a large loud snake!"
 
Bottesini said:
Seems to say ITE. What amazes me is the 62 year old lady who said she bands her ears with aids in so she can still swim. :confused:

I have been swimming deaf with no aids since I was a little kid. Why would you need a hearing aid to swim?

On the other hand I would not mind a BTE covering profound loss that was waterproof for summer walks.
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I agree.

I don't see the need to have hearing aids to swim.
 
It is the social life around swimming

There you are out there with barely clothed females all around. If your are like me no ASL and cannot hear without hearing aids, it is another prime pickup place that is not so prime. daaammmit. Oh I forgot I have given up on all that.
 
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well, if hearing aids is your only source of communication, you would love to joy in the fun with your friends and family. The only problem is.... you can't hear so you have no choice but watch people splash, laugh, and play.... in silent.

Then swimming have became more like a exercise or bathtub in a size of a pool because there's nothing fun about swimming.
 
Although Id imagine that waterprrof HAs might not be much use for the swimmer who is just there for themselves (fitness) as there is little need to communicate> id of thought this was more aimed at the social side of swimming where you may perhaps take your children, friends, family etc in a shallower pool for a splasharound. Would be nice to know when someone screams "running boooooomb!" so you can perhapas move out of the way!

I am an avid swimmer for fitness and go every day and i see little use for me with these HAs in that situation but i do take my little boy who loves to scream and splash around in the baby pools.

Another use that I would definately consider is that i am also a keen cyclist and gym goer and often find sweating a problem for my HAs I know the image is gross but the technology does have some benefits if it works.... I cant live without my HAs in the gym as im often treated like a PT in those places and get approached all the time!.... well that is until i take my HAs out and wipe all the sweat off and curse quietly into my hands as they temporaily stop working! blasted things!

Cant help but think that they perhaps arent marketing these HAs properly.
 
I don't care for HAs when im swimming. I can read lips and can do without hearing the splash, not a big deal.
 
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