Assistive Technology: Hearing Aids 1
Jylene Paredes Critical Analysis
Hearing Aids
Assistive Technology: Hearing Aids 2
Abstract
Within society today, there are a lot of technology that surrounds us. Whether that being from those that we witness being in the process of development, those that are far from reach from us or from those that we carry around all day and use every day. Any form of technology that gets made is used to aid our lives, which is better known as assistive technology. One of those forms of assistive tech is a hearing aid. Hearing aids are a form of hi tech assistive technology because of what is used and built in to make it function. As much as they are there to help those to better their hearing, there is more that needs to be taken into consideration, as their results from having one, but also take into account their drawbacks and how to work around them.
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When you look in today’s society and the environment where one is around or lives within, it is inevitable to not find a piece of technology that helps and satisfies someone’s day of life. As people who can’t seem to wait to get our hands on the newest, more advanced version of technology that we might already have in possession; knowing which electronics are best for us or others is something we can easily be familiar with. Although, when it comes to the hi tech that assists those with an unfortunate disadvantage in their lives, that may go unnoticed or not taken with as high regard to the newest phone or computer being released. To those who have that disadvantage within their lives, if not assisted with some sort of technology, it may be difficult for them to grow as one with some form of disability, meaning that they might not show any progress and be stuck if they do not conform to the hi tech that is there to aid them is needed. Hearing aids are just one of those hi tech devices that is utilized to accommodate those with a hearing impairment. Built into these hearing aids is a microphone that helps pick up sound, an amplifier used to increase the sound around someone and a receiver that sends the amplified sounds to someone’s ear. As much as new & improved versions of different technology are being created and brought to the public in today’s age, a form of assistive technology that cannot go unnoticed are hearing aids. Hearing aids are not only useful but beneficial to users because it helps gain back a strong communication that could have been lacking, and prevents hearing loss which also helps the prevention of other disabilities coming into someone’s life.
As severe as it is to have one of someone’s senses taken away or it slowly deteriorating, hearing loss comes in two categories. The first being conductive hearing loss (CHL) and the second type is called sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL). “Conductive hearing loss is often one that is caused in external or middle ear problems; whereas in sensory hearing loss, it is due to a
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disorder within the ear, specifically involving the cochlea” (Turkington, Finley, Waun, 2015). The cochlea provides nerve impulses that are in response to sound vibrations that are heard, which is why that being that sound is around us every day 100% of the time, hearing aids are used more by those with sensory hearing loss. For those that are not given the blessing to use the sense of hearing, it can be hard for that person to communicate or perhaps find it difficult to have a conversation with others. The “importance of social skills, self-awareness, persistence and the ability to accommodate oneself in an integrative environment” (Journal of Communication Disorders, 2018) is one of the most important aspects of life, that everyone should be able to have to experience and enjoy. Being that hearing aids not only can pick up sound, but can also amplify that sound, for those that find themselves losing their ability to hear, this can immensely change the attitude for someone to communicate. Just to give an example, if the sound that is being projected for many to hear is some type of music, then a person with a hearing aid will be able to connect with the music and communicate on how they are reacting to the many sounds and rhythms that are being presented before them. The “consistent use of hearing aids was the only variable that exhibited a strong relationship with hearing and language skills” (Novaes, Cavanaugh, Figueiredo, Mendes, 2012). In other words, with hearing aids being in usage, it brought up an impactful outcome within the capability of one’s hearing and language skills. Bringing to term that hearing aids bring out the result of a better communication pattern for those that might have found it difficult to go through.
Other than having a hearing aid to better enhance the volume of sound around a person, hearing aids can also be brought into someone’s life due to another setback that they are facing. These setbacks can be in a “delayed diagnosis of AD, dementia, depression, anxiety, and
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injurious falls” (Mahmoudi, 2019). Dementia, a group of symptoms affecting memory, thinking and social abilities severely enough to interfere with one’s daily life, is one of the common disabilities that can come from a hearing loss. However, with the use of a hearing aid, it can bring back the aspect of memory due to its technology and being able to detect nearby sounds. It can help the memory of someone because with the person hearing what was said to them or something they heard, it can help them repeat back and strengthen their memory with what was heard. The social ability aspect of dementia can also be assisted by the use of hearing aids because using this piece of technology is proven to work on a social aspect; such as, communication. Not only that, but “hearing aid technologies have also improved the likelihood of the speech signal being optimally delivered to the impaired auditory system. Distortion is no longer a significant factor in hearing aid signal processing” (Bentler, 2013). Not having any more distortion in ones life can be freeing because it will not give that misleading or false hope of being able to hear anything at all. Being effective enough to help out the disappearance of disabilities such as dementia are quite outstanding, but it can also bring out optimism for not seeing any factors for “cardiovascular health, psychological and emotional health, cognitive and physical activity, smoking and diet” (Dawes, 2015). Seeing results within any health state is truly remarkable because it can change the outlook on life that that person may now have. Not being able to hear what others can, brings a negative look on life for some, but improving an emotional health can bring out the best in those in need.
Being that hearing aids have a beneficial result from being used, there can also be a setback with them. The biggest being the expense that they carry. There was a “recent consumer survey that found that consumers spend $1800 to $6800 for a pair of hearing aids, with batteries adding
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additional costs” (Rhoades, 2015). This is an extreme setback to those who are in need of assistance with their hearing, and even more so to those who might not have the money at all. Not having the sufficient amount of money comes with its drawbacks, and not being able to buy something that can change the life of another or for themselves can truly be heartbreaking. But it does not mean that someone should stop looking because there are “more than one thousand different models of hearing aids available in the United States” (Turkington, 2015) that might satisfy a range of money that can be best suitable for its buyer and user.
As technology sees itself to be advancing and growing stronger with what it is capable of doing and helping those along the way, hearing aids is no exception. They are used to pick up sound and amplify it, to then be sent to its receiver to be able to hear that sound. This form of technology has been used and has greatly affected the lives of many who were going through hearing loss. Not only hearing loss, but other disabilities that could have also sprung due to their hearing loss; such as dementia. Hearing aids have shown to be costly and come at a high price, but for what it is worth, and for bringing a lack of communication back into a person’s life or helping their hearing loss and helping another disability, it makes hearing aids essential in today’s world and one of the forms of assistive technology today that is most useful.
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Bibliography
Bentler, R., Walker, E., McCreery, R., Arenas, R., & Roush, P. (2013, November 27). Nonlinear Frequency Compression in Hearing Aids: Impact on Speech and Language Development. Retrieved from https://ovidsp-dc2-ovid-com.ccny-proxy1.libr.ccny.cuny.edu/sp-4.03.0b/ovidweb.cgi?QS2=434f4e1a73d37e8c6114 a63cc85fea09a36a921291f22eade2fe51a6663486fb07961989a8acf429683ac8002f7acd0022d3b57be39e382317a1b5 ab792038ecd239d6f2e06fba1d93ea7c553a343c97bc0b66cfc7718ce759290003a26779a89abaddf21d8cdcf24451e45 e49d68c7d45ea90b096f9c192b3592c00ed304337b161d6de841bedf67b8b6dad12ae8b0a298305327ed27b11aba0743 844461b0980bc4200307941c0089262af8f1e925a1264852b0ab52e15d8731eeed309f6da9df0d83939a0f4f898b8c2bd b172c6cc873a2217dedc1a1630b6b97b1a52a5294c233731ba51cbc55d0442901d2676f202990a780e7f5570fee1e1ed 7941038d92dff408c780261b43caa2d7eb6eb65e
Dawes, P., Emsley, R., Cruickshanks, K., Moore, D., Fortnum, H., Edmondson-Jones, M., … Munro, K. (2011, March 11). Hearing Loss and Cognition: The Role of Hearing Aids, Social Isolation and Depression. Retrieved from https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0119616
Mahmoudi, E., Basu, T., Langa, K., McKee, M., Zazove, P., Alexander, N., & Kamdar, N. (2019, September 4). CLINICAL INVESTIGATIONCan Hearing Aids Delay Time to Diagnosis of Dementia,Depression, or Falls in Older Adults? Retrieved from https://onlinelibrary-wiley-com.ccny-proxy1.libr.ccny.cuny.edu/doi/epdf/10.1111/jgs.16109
Novaes, B., Versolatto-Cavanaugh, M., Figueiredo, R., & Mendes, B. (2012, June 12). Determinants of communication skills development in children with hearing impairment. Retrieved from http://www.scielo.br/pdf/jsbf/v24n4/en_a08v24n4.pdf
Rhoades, J. (2015). Attitudes of Normal Hearing Listeners TowardsPersonal Sound Amplification Products: EtymoticBean. Retrieved from https://academicworks.cuny.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1654&context=gc_etds
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Spencer, L., Marschark, M., Machmer, E., Durkin, A., Borgna, G., Convertino, C., & Journal of Communication Disorders, . (2018). Communication skills of deaf and hard-of-hearing college students: Objective measures and self-assessment. Retrieved from https://www-clinicalkey-com.ccny-proxy1.libr.ccny.cuny.edu/#!/content/playContent/1-s2.0-S0021992417301697?r eturnurl=null&referrer=null
Turkington, C, Finley, K., & Waun, J. (2015). Hearing Aids. Retrieved from
https://go-gale-com.ccny-proxy1.libr.ccny.cuny.edu/ps/i.do?p=HWRC&u=cuny_ccny&id=GALE%7CCX36224003 34&v=2.1&it=r
