<html><div style='background-color:'><DIV class=RTE> > >Sarah said: "Seriously, I know an elderly woman with Alzheimer's who was recently fitted >with a hearing aid.  The device (one ear only) has been checked, rechecked, >and re-re-checked, and it functions as it should.  Even her psychometric >test data confirm this.  Although she can now understand us when we are >speaking, she complains that ALL sounds are obnoxious to her, including >anything with frequency components that were in her hearing deficit range >(e.g. onions frying in a skillet).  She is happiest with the hearing aid >turned down or even off (serving as an ear plug). It frequently takes time for the brain to re-learn how to process the new inputs of sound.  Especially if the patient has been hard of hearing for a long time, it takes longer to get used to the hearing aids.  Most audiologists tell the patient to expect to spend about 6 months getting used to hearing sound again. This is one reason it makes great sense to get hearing aids as soon as a person realizes he is having a problem.  It's important for the brain to continue to receive sound stimulation. In my Powerpoint presentation for the PTG on hearing loss, I filtered different sounds so we could hear how tuning octaves, fifths, and thirds and voicing a cheap spinet would sound with a moderate conductive hearing loss.  Every time I give the presentation to a group of techs, everyone agrees they like the spinet MUCH BETTER with the hearing loss :-) Diane Hofstetter > >Because her sensitivity curve changed with her hearing loss, she became >accustomed to hearing the world in muted tones.  The "normal" sound of a >piano, for instance, would be very muffled and heavy on the bass, probably >including a spinet.  (Think of one of those booming, consumer-grade, muffly >stereos from the early 1970's.)  When you change that sound envelope by >restoring higher frequency hearing (the range most frequently lost), sound >becomes tintier (as it normally sounds to someone with healthy ears).  Thus >higher partials, buzzes, rattles, etc., etc. -- sounds with higher frequency >components -- sound obnoxious. > >So the problem isn't Sir John's spinet, per se <cough, cough>, but the fact >that he is now hearing this magnificent instrument as it normally sounds to >the rest of us.  He may in fact have preferred the spinet's sound to a >larger instrument's sound because of its relatively greater emphasis on >higher frequencies.  That would enable him to hear the melody better, for >instance.  Now that his "tone control settings" have been diddled with, he >doesn't like the sound.  Ask him to listen to a larger, better piano and see >if he likes that more. > >In short, he's going to have to accept that the world sounds differently >from what he's previously experienced. > >Peace, >Sarah, >I just spent the better part of an hour, typing a response to your comments. Damned 'puters! grrrrrr! Damned thing froze up on the last sentence! grrrrr! >Anyway, I'll try again. >All of what you have written is true. However, there is far more to this, than any can know. >I've given classes on The Stigma of Hearing Loss, with a teaching partner who is a highly respected Dispenser. During our first class, we started by showing everyone the proper way to insert foam plugs. As we spoke the plugs expanded and most all, attending, were told that they now heard how I hear w/o my hearing aids. About midpoint through this segment, one gentleman jumped up and, (literally), slammed out of the class. I was startled, as were most in attendance. My teaching partner gave me a knowing look and continued on with the class. After the class was over, I brought up this incident. He told me he has seen this before. In all likelyhood the gentleman had a serious hearing loss and had come to the class seeking some kind of panacea. When he inserted the plugs, he no longer could hear ANYTHING and became frustrated/angry. Hence his reaction. To this day, I wish that I could have had a private conversation with him and told him that he wasn't alone and there likely was help avaiable for him. That never happened and I'm sad about it. >Many technicians have approached me with questions, regarding hearing and their hearing loss. Many have been steered in a good direction for help. Some cannot be helped as they have a different type of hearing loss that aids, (at this time), will not help their situation. It is unfortunate that hearing is the least understood of the medical sciences endeavors. Although, technology is advancing by leaps and bounds, there is, unfortunately, MUCH to be learned and understood in this regard. >One of the problems, in our industry, is that "we" make our living with our ears. "We" have set ourselves up as "authorities" on sound. Our egos get in the way of common sense, in this regard. Guys are definately worse at dealing with this than the Ladies! >I strongly urge you all to : HAVE YOUR HEARING CHECKED AT LEAST ONCE A YEAR!!!!)<g> (Hopefully, you must realize that I am not "preaching", but rather just giving you all that "nudge" to do it.<G> >Finally, Diane Hoffstetter is becoming a knowlegeable advocate for us, in this great/odd profession. It is my hope that others will follow in her footsteps and make more inroads to discovering what can Really be done to help us. If any of you suspect some hearing loss, pleeeeeese, get yourself checked. My hearing aids have suppressor circuits in them. When I subject myself to LOUD sounds, they simply diminish the amount of sound that reaches my ears. This feature, hopefully, is saving what little hearing I have left. >Another part of the equation is that the Research costs a whole lot. Inroads and discoveries are being made almost daily. Because of the costs of Research, high-tech hearing aids are VERY expensive! There is no "cheaping down" as in computers, etc.! If a person has hearing aids that are more than a year or two old, they have really OLDE technology. The epitome of the "Catch 22"!!!! Not many of us can fork out $5k-$10k every few years, so we muddle along with the OLDE ones. >I know this is very long, but I consider this subject tatamount to all tuners in NEED TO KNOW!<G> >Regards, >Joe Garrett, R.P.T. >Captain, Tool Police >Squares R I </DIV></div></html>