Updated August 04, 2014.
Written or reviewed by a board-certified physician. See About.com's Medical Review Board.
2014 - Hearing aids suffer from an image problem. About 36 million Americans report some degree of hearing loss but only 20% of those with hearing loss choose to pursue hearing aids. The stereotype of hearing aids has long been that of expensive, clunky technology that doesn’t work well on the phone, amplify a lot of background noise, and cause feedback (whistling).
Apple may change all that.
Apple announced the Made for iPhone hearing aid program initiative at the 2012 Worldwide Developers Conference.
This allowed their operating system to connect directly to hearing aids using a low power version of Bluetooth technology. The beauty of this solution is that hearing aids do not require an extra piece of equipment to interface with Bluetooth telephones or devices; the iPhone becomes the equivalent of a remote control and auxiliary microphone via an app.
Companies, such as Starkey and GN Resound, have created hearing aids and iPhone apps that allow users to wear very discreet hearing aids with the following benefits:
1.Users can stream content from iPhone and iPad directly to their hearing aids. This includes music, movies, phone calls, Facetime, and even GPS directions.
2.Using the iPhone via the hearing aids allows for hands free cell phone use.
3.Users can set specific settings for certain locations. For example, if a user goes to a certain noisy restaurant often, he could “tag” it and the hearing aid will automatically detect when he has entered that location and will adjust to the settings the user prefers in that situation.
4.The iPhone itself can be used as a remote microphone. If someone is sitting at the far end of the table, the hearing aid user can set the iPhone in front of them; the iPhone acts as a microphone to pick up their voice and transmit it to the hearing aids directly.
5.The iPhone allows the user to see battery status and to make changes in sound quality, such as adjusting treble and bass.
6.There is a setting that will assist the user if finding their hearing aids should they be misplaced.
7.The apps are easy to use. There are even video tutorials on YouTube should a hearing aid user need a refresher course on how to change a setting.
The iPhone compatibility allows significant user control, better hearing in noise opportunities, and the hearing aids are comparable in cost to other high end hearing aids. The actual hearing aids are smaller than a traditional Bluetooth headset and work well to amplify sound even when not being used with the iPhone apps.
By combining technology that most people use daily with hearing aids, the hope is the stigma of hearing aids will decrease and consumers will realize the quality of life improvement proper amplification can offer.
A comprehensive hearing evaluation should be done by an audiologist if you (or a family member) notes concerns with your hearing or if you are age 50 years or older and have not had a baseline hearing evaluation as an adult. If significant hearing loss is found, take the time to look into these new options and see how they can improve your quality of life.
Sources:
http://www.starkey.com/hearing-aids/technologies/halo-wireless-hearing-aids
http://www.resoundlinx.com/en/US/Welcome/Consumer#ProductSupport
https://www.nidcd.nih.gov/health/statistics/Pages/quick.aspx
https://www.apple.com/accessibility/ios/hearing-aids/
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