Let Advanced Audiology Concepts help you reconnect

By Patricia Nugent

October is National Protect Your Hearing Month. At Advanced Audiology Concepts The Hearing Center in Mentor, raising hearing loss awareness is a year-long endeavor.

“We’ve always sought to educate the public about the importance of quality hearing and the newest devices coming to market that are making that quality better and better,” says Dr. Jane Kukula, founder of The Hearing Center. “Over the past year or so, there has been a significant leap in the technology of hearing devices.”

Not Your Grandmother’s Hearing Aids
“Bluetooth-enabled connectivity from your Apple or Android smart phones, tablets or computers has opened the door to new possibilities for the hearing impaired,” she says.

“These aids have their own microcomputer in each device. The key difference between the new digital aids and past models lies in their ability to filter out background noise. Older models just amplified everything at the same level. Newer devices can be fine-tuned to meet an individual’s specific hearing loss. They actually break down the dynamics of what sound is. This is especially important in helping people take part in conversations with others, or enjoying music on a much crisper, better level.”

People hear best when they do so with both ears. Dr. Kukula says when aids are connected to a smartphone, both ears are engaged, so they hear much better.

“This sounds like a little thing, but it’s actually a huge thing,” she says. “Imagine going from having slightly impaired hearing during all your phone calls to hearing them easily?”

Helpful apps are also being introduced, such as one that turns your cell phone into a remote control for your aids. “For those who are profoundly hearing impaired, there’s an app that turns phone calls into text they can read,” she says.

Bluetooth tech also offers an accessory people can plug into their television that delivers sound directly to their device.

Only You Know They’re There
In addition to taking tech to the next level, the new aids are also virtually invisible.

“We fit them specifically to each person’s ear canal, and even match the color to either a person’s skin tone or hair color to further camouflage them,” she says.

Another advancement is durability and longevity, as she reports many models are now made from titanium and will “be around long after most of us will be.”

Advanced Audiology Concepts is located at 8897 Mentor Avenue in Mentor. Call the office to set up an audiogram to see how healthy your hearing is, 440-205-8848. Visit AAChear.org for more information