Digital Down in Price and Up in Sales
Recently released results of Hearing Review’s annual survey of hearing aid dispensers brings good news to consumers. The average price of digital instruments continues to drop, down almost 10 percent since last year! Consumers now pay an average of $2,158 for a digital hearing aid, sort of midway in the current price range of $1,302 to $3,044. Dispensers also reported that 79 percent of their unit volume consists of digital aids, up 4 percent in the last 12 months.
Early Implants Prove Most Beneficial
Two studies published in May in Archives of Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery provide more evidence that the earlier children with profound hearing loss receive cochlear implants (CIs), the more they benefit in learning to speak and understand speech.
In a study by Univ. of Texas researcher Ann Geers, 43 percent of children implanted at age 2 were found to have normal language abilities by the time they reached age 9.
This contrasted sharply with only 16 percent reaching normal skills by age 9 among children who were implanted at age 4.
Deafness Research Foundation provided partial funding for the second study that noted rapid improvement in understanding speech during the first 12 months after implantation in children who received their CIs between 1 and 3 years of age. Yet more support for the case for early intervention.
$500,000 for Hearing Damages
Forbes.com reports that Jana Ahneman of Lafayette, La., won more than $500,000 in damages in her lawsuit against Northwest Airlines for the loss of hearing in one ear due to a pressurization problem on her flight. She has a congenital condition that makes her ear less resistant to the glitch that plagued the DC-9. She claimed, apparently convincingly, that Northwest was aware of the problem and negligent by leaving it uncorrected. For complete coverage go to www.forbes.com and search “Jana Ahneman.”
VOICE Says Be Heard
The Voice Over Internet Consumer Equity (VOICE) coalition is urging consumers to oppose the VoIP (Voice Over Internet Protocol) Regulatory Freedom Act of 2004. Now sitting in the Senate Commerce Committee, the bill categorizes VoIP as an “information” service, which restricts regulation and puts consumer protections in jeopardy. The industry could create their own accessibility standards for customers with disabilities and make provisions like Telecommunications Relay Services optional. Contact the committee members and your legislators to voice your opinion.
Help with Hearing Aids Worldwide
Japan helps pay for hearing aids for those in need. Assistance varies from one region to another but the government program usually allows consumers to purchase their preferred hearing aids even if cost exceeds the standard assistance amount.
In Northern Ireland, a coalition of UK organizations is training volunteers to offer support and advice through home visits to people newly fitted with hearing aids and people adjusting to hearing loss. The goal is to reduce the isolation felt by many of the region’s 219,000 with hearing loss.
New Approaches to Treating Otitis Media?
House Ear Institute researchers recently published findings from two studies on treating middle ear infections, or otitis media (OM), an increasingly common problem. Antibiotics, sometimes in repeated courses, have been used for over 30 years and overuse is resulting in a dramatic worldwide emergence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria. The first study illuminated the molecular mechanisms underlying OM, information that may lead to alternate therapeutic strategies. In the second study, the role of innate immune molecules in the normal defense and maintenance of the middle ear were examined as a possible way of boosting the body’s natural defenses against bacterial infection. For more, visit www.hei.org.
