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| TubeRiders decorate BTE hearing instruments. |
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| EarGear covers protect hearing instruments. |
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| Critter Clips secure hearing instruments from loss. |
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| Signing Time! helps parents communicate with children regardless of hearing ability. |
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| Domino from Bellman Audio uses wireless technology. |
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| The NoiZfree Beetle interfaces with cell phones and MP3 players. |
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| Oticon’s Connectline phone adapter enables hearing instrument users to hear phone conversations. |
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| The Jitterbug phone is handy for users who have hearing aids and cochlear implants. |
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| The OjoVision Digital Video Phone is simple to use. |
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| ClearSounds Quattro makes cell phone calls more enjoyable. |
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| The Smart Alert™ System sends alerting signals directly to some Unitron hearing instruments. |
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| Bellman & Symfon’s Visit offers a variety of devices that help people with hearing loss to respond to audio signals. |
The holidays are around the corner, and even if the goose is a bit lean this year, most will be eager to give generously to family and friends especially if a well-chosen present can help facilitate better communication and holiday closeness. And, since kids generally get most excited as fall turns to winter and the decorations begin to appear, let's have a look at their gift possibilities first.
Stuff stockings with Critter Clips! They attach to a hearing instrument on one end and can be fastened to the back of a toddler's collar on the other, securing the hearing instruments from loss. Similar to Westone's Color Otoclips, which are more suitable for teens and adults, Critter Clips are available for use with one device (monaural - $8.95) or two devices (binaural- $12.95). And kids can wear their favorite character: Croc O'Dile, Cool Cat, Hon E Bear, Dogzilla or Wabbit. Also choose from Dino, Farm or Sea Clips.
Kids will love to decorate their BTE hearing instruments with Tube Riders, billed as "styles for the ears." They can attach rockets, airplanes, baseballs, flowers, ladybugs, alligators, butterfl ies, basketballs and more to the instrument to make their own fashion statement. Prices start at $6.95.
Practical gift-givers should stock up on Ear Gear, decorative covers that protect hearing aids, cochlear implants and bone anchored implants from moisture, dirt or accidental loss. Ear Gear can be purchased through distributors such as Adco, Harris Communications and Sound Clarity; prices start at $24.95. Ear Gear Safari comes complimentary with the purchase of an Oticon Pediatric hearing instrument.
To encourage children with hearing loss to learn to appreciate music, you can use the same fun music appreciation program at home that therapists are using with good results. Advanced Bionics TuneUps, the 2009 Therapy Times MVP winner, weaves music and language together to help kids develop important interaction and communication skills. The 19-track CD features children with cochlear implants as background singers. The set also includes fl ashcards, a song book and instructions to maximize use as a hearing habilitation tool reasonably priced at $19.99. To order, call Advanced Bionics at 877.829.0026. Learn more at here.
Signing Time! from PBS enables parents to communicate with any child before they can talk, regardless of their hearing ability. Learning signs can result in better reading and language abilities and scientific studies suggest that children who learn to sign have higher IQ scores, are better adjusted and learn to read at an earlier age. Many parents observe that by learning to communicate earlier, the "terrible twos" are not so terrible a child can use a sign instead of throwing a tantrum to communicate. Individual DVDs cost $21.99; a two-DVD starter set is $39.99; or give the gift that keeps on giving with a Signing Time Club membership, with plans ranging from $19.99 to $59.99 a month.
For the kids in your family without hearing loss, consider a gift of Logitech Loud Enough Earbuds, volume-limiting earbuds designed for use by children. Priced from $39.99, they're a perfect solution for parents wanting to limit the volume level their kids are exposed to when listening to iPods, DVD players, Xbox, Nintendo and more.
"All I want for the holidays is to talk on my cell phone and listen to my MP3." Alrighty, then! Put the Phonak iCom on your wish list so you can stream the audio signal from a variety of communication and entertainment electronic devices, including your TV, GPS systems and stereo equipment. The iCom can be connected to these devices either through Bluetooth™ or with a standard audio cable. Enjoy the stereo sound quality effortlessly and wirelessly. With Phonak TVLink, it is easy to connect the hearing system to the TV via Bluetooth ($125). Purchase the Phonak iCom and accessories through your hearing healthcare professional and get it programmed while you wait. Priced from $299, iCom works with most behindthe-ear models in the Phonak Exelia Art, Certena Art, Versata Art, Audeo, Naida and Neo product lines and, depending on the size of the model, may be available for half-shell or full-shell, in-the-ear Phonak hearing instruments.
Music can also be enjoyed by hearing aid and implant users through the use of the NoiZfree Beetle H-2ST. It is a lightweight Bluetooth receiver that interfaces with cell phones and MP3 players, transmitting music and speech directly to the hearing instrument or implant with your choice of a lightweight telecoil earhook or an induction neckloop. Simply switch your hearing instrument to T or MT to connect with the receiver. NoiZfree Beetle can be purchased through Harris Communications, with prices starting at $98.
Buying for the baby boomer who has everything? Check out the Domino, from Bellman Audio. Domino is a personal hearing system that uses wireless broadband technology to relay the audio signal from the transmitter unit to the receiver. It comes with earbuds, a travel case, charging cable, universal charger, tie clip microphone and a stereo cable. Earphones, stereo headphones, a neckloop for use with hearing aid/implant T-coils, USB car charger and external microphone are optional accessories. The transmitter and receiver are small and lightweight, with a charge time of 2.5 hours for eight hours of use. Domino delivers crystal-clear stereo sound to assist those who suffer occasional hearing diffi culty or who need an extra boost with their hearing aids or implants. This system transmits up to 25 meters and is available from Harris Communications for $995.
You'll think it is the holiday season all year round with Oticon's ConnectLineTM, a complete connectivity solution that enables hearing instrument users to listen to TV audio as well as phone conversations via landline or cell phone using Oticon's Streamer. Streamer employs Bluetooth technology to transmit audio to hearing aids and, with ConnectLine, enables any landline or cell phone to connect to a hearing aid. The ConnectLine kit ($650) is available through your hearing healthcare professional. The kit includes the Streamer ($325), the TV adapter ($300) and the telephone adapter ($200). Oticon Streamer works with most behind-theear models in the Oticon Agil, Epoq and Vigo product lines and, depending on the size of the model, may be available for half-shell or full-shell, in-the-ear Oticon hearing instruments.
The whole family will enjoy Clarity's new D613 cordless phone, which amplifies up to 30 dB to provide crisp, clear and interference free communication. The ergonomic design has large, soft-touch buttons as well as bold numbers and text. It's available at RadioShack throughout the U.S. or can be ordered direct from Clarity, for $89.95.
For grandparents or elderly parents on the "nice" list, a Jitterbug phone is the perfect gift. Easy to use and compatible with hearing aids and cochlear implants, Jitterbug phones feature a deep listening cup circled by a foam ear pad to reduce extraneous noise and the likelihood of feedback, along with large keypads for easy dialing. There are no complicated menus or confusing icons, no contracts or prepaid hassles and a helpful operator is available 24/7. Add-on services include daily check-in calls ($5 a month) and medication reminders ($10 a month). Free Live Nurse consultation comes with every rate plan priced at $29.99 and up. In honor of the American Heart Association, Jitterbug has introduced an eye-catching Go Red for Women cell phone to remind us all to eat healthy and exercise. Phones also come in gray or white and start at $99, with service plans starting at $14.99 per month.
When you call family at holiday time, wouldn't it be great if you could see them while you speak with them? The Ojo Vision Digital Video Phone, which connects via high-speed Internet, does just this. With a seven-inch, high-resolution screen, large buttons and sleek design, the user-friendly graphics make it simple to dial, redial, add contacts and operate the speakerphone. There's a one-time activation and equipment fee of $138.98 and monthly service costs $29.99.
Even if a video call isn't possible, the ClearSounds Quattro Bluetooth Amplified Neckloop will make a cell phone call more enjoyable. It connects with telecoilequipped hearing aids or implants and has 30 decibels of amplifi cation boost. The Bluetooth neckloop streams the signal directly to the hearing aid, thereby removing the interference generated by mobile phones and hearing aids in close proximity. It's a wireless mobile phone hands-free device which allows hearing aid users to hear phone conversations and TV audio, and is compatible with any standard Bluetooth Version 2.0 + EDR devices. Use it with a computer, cordless phone, MP3 or other audio device. It is available from HARC Mercantile for $199.
This holiday season, nothing is more important that the safety of your family, and the dry winter air, combined with the holiday glow of candles and strings of lights, poses extra risks to your home and family's safety. Perhaps a great gift to give each other is a multisensory alerting system.
The Smart Alert™ System is the fi rst alerting system designed to communicate with hearing aids and feature all the components you need to stay safe.. Enjoy the comfort of knowing you are connected wirelessly to the most important warning and communication devices in your home, such as a telephone detector, doorbell or smoke detector. Smart Alert can also be confi gured with a remote control device, a nightstand remote charger and a bed shaker. The advanced Smart Alert remote communicates alert signals directly to Unitron Passport™, Latitude™ and 360™+ hearing instruments. The Smart Alert Awareness system includes two detectors (telephone and doorbell), a remote, nightstand charger and bed shaker and can be purchased through a hearing healthcare professional for $745. The Smart Alert Safety Awareness system includes all these components plus a smoke detector for $995.
Another option is Bellman & Symfon's Visit wireless alerting system, a sleekly designed array of devices that can also detect doorbells, smoke alarms and even a baby's cry, alerting those with hearing loss to respond. Depending on the option ordered, the Visit can transmit the alert via a vibrating pager or a fl ashing light. The Bellman Visit Value Pack 2 is available from Sound Clarity for $275 and includes a pager receiver, a Visit door transmitter, a telephone/multipurpose transmitter and a Visit fl ash receiver.
Nannette Nicholson, Ph.D., has a joint faculty appointment at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences and University of Arkansas at Little Rock, and a clinical staff appointment at Arkansas Children's Hospital. She is an assistant professor and the director of Audiology in the Department of Audiology and Speech Pathology. E-mail her at NN@uams.edu. Dawn O'Brien Taylor, M.A., M.Ed., ECSE, is an Au.D. student at the University of Bloomsburg, Pa. The authors would like to express their appreciation to Ashley DeLaune, B.S., an Au.D. student at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, Ark., for her assistance.
