The Client-Centered Approach
As printed in Hearing Health, volume 20:3,
Fall 2004
Mary called our clinic to learn more about hearing
aids with newer technology. She was wearing one hearing
aid that was about eight years old and reported having
difficulty understanding at distances and in noisy situations.
She also told us that she does quite a bit of traveling
and expressed an interest in technology that would help
her understand tour directors. “Nothing is more
frustrating,” she said, “than taking a tour
of a gorgeous castle in England and not understanding
a word about its history!”
An evaluation of Mary’s hearing revealed a severe
hearing loss in her poorer ear and a moderate loss in
the other. She acted on our recommendation for new hearing
aids for both ears. Since Mary had been wearing a behind-the-ear
(BTE) model and was comfortable with it, she ordered
two digital BTE aids with directional microphones …
in purple cases!
Mary recently completed her trial period with the new
aids and reported no problems with the one in her poorer
ear. She was having difficulty adjusting to her other
aid, however. She said she felt like she was talking
in a barrel, an occurrence commonly known as the occlusion
effect. In response to her comments, we increased the
size of the vent in her earmold to allow her voice to
sound more natural. Mary also told us that the sound
provided by the aid was brassy and tinny so we made
adjustments to its frequency response to improve the
quality of sound that she perceived.
She came back two weeks later for additional fine-tuning,
inlcuding an adjustment to help her enjoy her favorite
type of music with her aids’ special music program.
Mary is now elated with her new instruments.
To fulfill her desire for better hearing while away
on trips, we ordered an assistive listening system to
use on tours. Mary will soon try it out while on a Mediterranean
cruise, a wonderful opportunity to see if she enjoys
her travels even more now that she is equipped for easier
listening.
Related Articles:
Aural Rehabilitation.
What is it? What can it do for you?
Aural Rehabilitation
Strategies to Improve Communication
Conquering Couple’s Hearing Gap
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