How Your Smartphone Can Help You Hear Better

By Yishane Lee

Since they first became available, smartphones such as those from Google and Apple have provided a boon to people who have hearing loss. Because of the sophisticated, built-in microphone in these phones, there is a panoply of apps (applications) that help boost the volume at varying levels of sophistication, and many are free or nearly free to download. Composer Richard Einhorn (a friend of HHF) has described the various apps he uses in his work as well as hear better.

There are also apps that measure decibel levels, allow you to mix sounds to favor high frequencies, and help you program your hearing device. In Hearing Health magazine, we have written about and reviewed various apps—see “12 Apps to Help You Hear Better” and “Apps Explosion”—and the field is constantly evolving and expanding.

Now we have what promises to be an even more seamless integration between the smartphone and hearing aid. Last year, Apple, the maker of the iPhone and iPad, made its programming interface accessible to hearing aid manufacturers so that they can better integrate hearing devices with those devices. In October, as reported by David Copithorne on the blog Hearing Mojo, Denmark-based hearing aid maker ReSound has announced the first “made for the iPhone” hearing aid, the LiNX.

Copithorne predicts that Apple’s “cool factor” will encourage more first-time hearing aid users to try a hearing aid such as LiNX. Plus, the technology in LiNX eliminates the need for an added device (such as a neck loop) in order to stream sound between a smartphone and hearing aid—a simplification both first-time and long-time hearing aid users will appreciate.

Among the many tech upgrades that Copithorne reports, ReSound also says it has resolved a nagging issue for people who use wireless technology and/or Bluetooth for extended periods of time: battery drain. It promises its new device  is more powerful and less power hungry than others.

It’s nearly impossible to keep up with all the new apps that are introduced (and keep in mind that Apple reviews apps before allowing them into iTunes, whereas Google does not have a vetting process for apps available on Google Play). That said, two new apps are taking fresh approaches to sound and hearing. The first is Lumisonic, which was originally designed to work for music. The app (available for the Nintendo Wii console, iPhone, or a PC or Apple desktop computer) adds real-time graphics and vibrations to any sound. Its software translates soundwaves from music or speech into radiating circles that are altered based on the sound. You can also alter the sounds yourself, like a synthesizer.

Proloquo2Go is an iPhone-only app that aims to help people who have no voice to communicate. After selecting a sentence using easy-to-understand graphical icons, the app pronounces it and writes it for you. You can add words not in the app’s vocabulary database by typing them in and selecting new icons; you can even take photos using the iPhone and assign them to words. Voices varied by gender and age are available to read the sentences.

As the smartphone (and tablet) market continues to expand, you can bet we’ll have ever more hearing-related apps. Let us know about your favorites below.

Yes, the Holidays Are Right Around the Corner - But No Need to Panic

By Yishane Lee

Every year at about this time I start to make lists of gifts to give various members of my family. Not only are the holidays right around the corner but everyone but me (and the cat) has a fall birthday! It can be a challenge.
 

It can be even more of a challenge if you’re shopping for a loved one who has a hearing loss. You want to be sure to get a gift that shows you care and that you’re aware of the obstacles they may face. In our annual Holiday Gift Guide—available in the Fall issue of Hearing Health, in your mailboxes soon and now online—we’ve compiled a list of our favorite items for gift-giving.

These range from an astonishing memoir by a successful lawyer who only discovered he had a hearing loss is his 30s. Gerald Shea, author of “Song Without Words,” recounts the ways he subconsciously coped through school and work while exploring such issues as the nature and significance of language.
 

You may also want to consider two types of headgear—the AfterShokz Sportz Headphones and the Max Virtual Cynaps Cap—that conduct sound through the bones in your skull directly to your inner ear through vibration. Sports enthusiasts and those with hearing loss alike can benefit from these innovative products.
 

We also have a great list of vibrating watches, earplugs, phones and phone signalers, clocks, and cochlea-inspired jewelry, along with suggestions from our staff writers who have hearing loss—including the best stocking stuffer ever. Aren’t you wondering what it is? Browse through our gift guide, “Gifts From the Heart,” and find the perfect gift today.
 

For people who are considering getting a hearing aid, or updating their current one, we have two stories for you. “What to Expect When You’re Expecting… Hearing Aids” by staff writer Courtney M. Campbell, Au.D., manages expectations when it comes to getting hearing aids. Here’s a hint: It’s not like getting glasses—it’s not a one-step process.

And if you’re thinking of upgrading or updating your hearing aids, here’s another hint: Rapid advances in technology mean a new, low-priced aid is likely to be better than even a premium aid from a year ago. Read “8 Signs You May Need a New Hearing Aid” by Barbara Jenkins, Au.D., BCABA.

Look for the Fall issue in your mailboxes soon and online now. If you’re not already a subscriber to our award-winning and free quarterly publication, make sure to subscribe here.

Marathoning for a Cure for Hearing Loss and Tinnitus

By Tara Guastella

Whether it’s cycling, running, swimming, or whatever interests you—be it baking, knitting, or painting—we can work together to help you fundraise to help HHF fund research that will cure hearing loss. This fall, several individuals across the country will be running a marathon for a cure for hearing loss and tinnitus while raising funds to help HHF support groundbreaking research.

Marine Corps Marathon
Sixteen years ago, Julie Davis joined a group of 50 million people in this country, and it wasn't by choice. Her left ear stopped working and the buzzing and ringing started. Not only had she experienced profound hearing loss, but she also acquired vertigo, balance issues, and other consequences associated with hearing loss that many people rarely discuss. On October 27, 2013, Julie will Run for the Buzz in the Marine Corp Marathon and is raising funds for a cure for hearing loss and tinnitus. Support her run today!

ING New York City Marathon
On November 3, 2013, Tom Abbey, Veronica Calhoun, Tara Guastella (HHF staff member and the author of this post), Andy Shepard, and Kim Montini will tackle the 26.2 miles of the NYC Marathon in support of a cure for hearing loss and tinnitus. Each team member is spending the next several months training for the run with Tom Abbey of Functional Fitness VA, a team member and trainer. Whether being impacted by hearing loss personally or through a family member, each team member is excited to raise funds for HHF in order to expedite the timeline to a cure.
    
Visit Team Hearing Health's Marathon page and support the team as they run through the five boroughs of NYC for a cure for hearing loss and tinnitus.

Learn about other unique ways individuals are fundraising to cure hearing loss. If you are interested in fundraising for a cure, please contact development@hhf.org.

Ten Clues Your Child Has Hearing Loss

Ten clues your child has hearing loss

Universal hearing testing for newborns has helped to identify most children with hearing issues quickly and accurately. With a simple test, 80 to 90 percent of hearing loss can be detected, and children can begin early intervention with the best possible outcomes for language development.

“Even if your child passed the newborn screening at birth, however, keep in mind that hearing loss that is genetic or progressive in nature can manifest when your child is a toddler or older,” says Dr. Barbara Jenkins, an audiologist and writer of this article, with Hearing Health Magazine. “It’s important to identify signs that may suggest possible hearing loss in your child, so that testing can be done and treatment and management undertaken.”

Delayed or absent speech development is the most important clue indicating a possible hearing loss in the very young child. Identifying hearing loss in the infant and young child requires watching for critical developmental milestones.

Use the following milestones from Hearing Health Foundation as a guideline, and always discuss any concerns with your pediatrician.

* By 3 months, your baby recognizes and quiets to your voice, makes cooing noises, and is startled by sudden, loud noises.

* By 6 months, your baby recognizes speech sounds and familiar voices, turns his head toward interesting sounds, plays with his own voice, and laughs. Your baby uses his voice to indicate pleasure and discomfort, and has speech-like conversations with caregivers.

* By 9 months, your baby can understand simple words like “mommy,” “daddy,” “no,” “bye-bye” and his own name.

* By 10 months, your baby’s babbling should sound speech-like with strings of single syllables (“da-da-da-da”).

* By 12 months, one or more real, recognizable spoken words emerge.

* By 18 months, your toddler should understand simple phrases, retrieve familiar objects on command (without gestures), and point to body parts when asked, “where’s your ... ears, nose, mouth, eyes,” etc. Your toddler has a spoken vocabulary of between 20 to 50 words and short phrases (“all done,” “go out,” “mommy up”) and is learning new words each week.

* By 24 months, your toddler’s spoken vocabulary should be 200 to 300 words and simple sentences can be spoken. Adults not with your child on a daily basis can understand your child’s speech. A toddler at this age should be able to sit and listen while being read books.

Children who have developed speech skills are more difficult to identify. Use these guidelines from Hearing Health Foundation to discern a possible newly acquired hearing loss.

1. Your child seems to hear fine some of the time and then not respond at other times.

2. Your child wants the TV volume louder than other members of the family.

3. Your child says “what” more often than he used to.

4. Your child moves one ear forward when listening, or he complains that he can only hear out of his “good ear.”

5. Your child’s grades fall, or his teacher notes that he doesn’t seem to hear or respond in the classroom as well as other children.

6. Your child says that he didn’t hear you. This may seem obvious, but many parents assume that their children are not paying attention when in fact there may be an unidentified hearing loss.

7. It seems as though your child is just not paying attention.

8. Your child starts to speak more loudly than previously.

9. Your child looks at you intently when you speak to him. He may be depending more on visual cues for interpreting speech.

10. You just have a feeling. Sometimes you just can’t put your finger on what your concern is. Don’t let that stop you. Ask your child’s doctor for a referral to ease your mind.

There are many possible causes of acquired hearing loss that present themselves months or years after birth. Most hearing loss in children without obvious risk factors (such as premature birth) has a genetic cause. If you have any concerns, contact your pediatrician for a referral to a hearing health care provider for a complete hearing evaluation.

To learn more about genetic hearing loss, visit Hearing Health Foundation to read the Summer 2012 issue of Hearing Health magazine, available online at hearinghealthfoundation.org/hearing-health-magazine.  

To learn more about the types of newborn hearing screenings and the importance of early detection and early intervention, visit hearinghealthfoundation.org/newborn-screening-information.