Kenjis main concern is following me on here I guess it get’s boring in the basement.
As to the OP it doesn’t seem like he wants to put any effort into getting his aids right… as in tossed them in the drawer and these at least his third free pair aren’t suiting him either. Ask to speak with the dept chief they will more then likely get you an appt with their ‘ace’ fitter. They can bring in the Resound rep or pick up the phone and talk directly to Resound tech support. If on the long shot of getting no joy from the chief go to your patient advocate. Once the chief gets involved written status report are required to be filed until YOU agree the problem has been resolved. Remember you are not locked into Resound. The Oticon OPEns and the Signia Primax are available.
My dad (Col., USAF ret.) and father-in-law (Lt.Col., USAF ret.) both go to the same VA clinic. Their audiograms don’t look much different.
My dad (with moderate dementia) hates his hearing aids, doesn’t use them (I doubt he can even find them), and says any time he tries to talk with his audiologist he’s told nothing useful and feels shut down.
My father-in-law (with significant dementia) loves his hearing aids, uses them consistently, and says his audiologist is very helpful and responsive. He loves the app on his iPhone, likes to tinker with his settings, and frequently uses the lost hearing aid finding function.
Oh, and at Costco (with a hearing aid fitter, not an audiologist), I found that I very much liked the tulip dome in my right ear using Resound Cala 8’s (Costco-branded Linx2). The fitter thought I’d need the closed domes but it made me feel as if I were in a bucket or had my finger in my ear every time I spoke. The tulip dome sounded much more natural to me. I got an open dome for my less-lousy left ear.
OP, it wouldn’t hurt to post your audiogram. You could copy the table below to your signature and fill in the blanks from your audiogram.
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Your right ear is shown in O’s and red (on a color printout) on the audiogram and your left ear in X’s and blue. There may well be other markings, but those are the basics.
After reading this thread, I’ll post my current and historical (since audiograms in sig lines will change)
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I started with closed domes and they felt like fingers in the ears. Open felt better. I’m not sure if that is because they look more flexible. Closed had somewhat of a tunnel sound.
Looking at pictures of Tulip domes, it seems that they might be described as closed domes with side vents. Is that a good analogy?
My new Audi says my new HA will be BTE with closed domes. Is that based soley on my recent audiogram?
Here’s a good article on open and closed fittings. http://www.hearingreview.com/2012/11/open-fit-hearing-instruments-practical-fitting-tips/
Basically, to get any amplification at low frequencies, one needs a more closed fitting. However, ultimately it’s up to you. If you can’t stand a closed fitting and won’t wear the hearing aids, you’d get more benefit from a more open fitting. It’s a balance between “occlusion” and audibility.
fter reading this thread, I’ll post my current and historical (since audiograms in sig lines will change)
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I started with closed domes and they felt like fingers in the ears. Open felt better. I’m not sure if that is because they look more flexible. Closed had somewhat of a tunnel sound.
Looking at pictures of Tulip domes, it seems that they might be described as closed domes with side vents. Is that a good analogy?
My new Audi says my new HA will be BTE with closed domes. Is that based soley on my recent audiogram?
snevetsm: It would be interesting to know if there is any time-line link between your dad’s and father-in-law’s dementia and when they finally bought their hearing aids. I’ve read - and seen first-hand! - how dementia can set in if hearing issues aren’t addressed.
Also know first-hand many grumpy, senior HA wearers who refuse any kind of help with a key communication issue (i.e., hearing). Sometimes their issues begin with earwax build-up due to medications. If not addressed, it spirals out of control to complete inability to carry on conversations, withdrawal, anti-social behavior, and even sparring with their audiologists.
Considering how critical hearing is, it’s amazing to me how little attention, insurance and options are out there to correct the issue early-on.
Yes: closed domes do sound occluded. The open domes are a way of venting the aids - not unlike the vent holes in ITE-style aids (those with a hard plastic shell).
I like your description of the tulip dome. I had also tried them out on my Oticon Opn miniRITE aids for a few weeks, but due to my hearing loss, found they were TOO vented.
It’s a process! I had also tried out foam domes that I bought at Amazon.com. They were SUPER comfy, but I couldn’t seem to get a proper seal, therefore could not hear on the phone AT ALL.
When at the audiologist’s yesterday, I brought a picture of a “zip tip” - which I’d read about right here on the forum. My aud-guy said he’d fit one patient who had an allergic reaction to the material used. So, that nixed THAT option.
I now have double-domes, size L, which seem to offer comfort, some breathability and still a good seal for better hearing.
The argument about which dome isn’t really that productive. The more severe the loss, the more closed the domes need to be. When one changes style, the aids need to be readjusted. It may not be what one wishes for but it is what it is.
I’m wondering why the Audis just don’t do that from the start. With the advances in 3D scanning and 3D printing, it should be a no brainer. All they really need is a scanner. Take a mold and scan it, the files can be uploaded, printing done overnight and shipped out to Audi the next day. Scanners are cheaper than the printers. The precision required for soft tissue is less than hard tissue, you don’t need a fit within microns like a dental crown or implant. Correct me if I am wrong, but the fit does not even need to consider muscle movement.
Ack, the truth is, not all audis have that kind of 3D scan-to-manufacture technology. It is still sadly a pretty old-fashioned way for making earmolds: mix up the goop, squirt it into the canal, either CHEW or DO NOTHING (I’ve had both directions given to me), and then hope the molds are turned into a hard plastic case that fits half-decent.
In the 30+ years I’ve had hard plastic molds made for my aids, I’ve NEVER EVER had both right and left aid fit perfect. Never. One of them is leaky-squeaky and causes constant, low-level feedback and leakage till the day I replace them. No audiologist seems to want to re-make the mold! I don’t see why laser imaging plus 3D manufacturing can’t be used to make molds, but maybe the cost of the aids would be prohibitive?
It’s just a far from perfect fitting scene today as things stand.
I hear you. I know that in Dental similar cost barriers exist. Some offices had the scanner & milling units for ceramic crowns. Unless they were high volume producers for the technology, by the time they paid for the units they were outdated. The current trend is for in office scanning and sending out for 3D printing or milling. Here is a 4 year old article that explains the different formats used in dental. https://www.dentalaegis.com/idt/2013/04/an-introduction-to-3d-printing-and-laser-sintering
[quote=“1Bluejay, post:18, topic:25609, full:true”] snevetsm: It would be interesting to know if there is any time-line link between your dad’s and father-in-law’s dementia and when they finally bought their hearing aids. I’ve read - and seen first-hand! - how dementia can set in if hearing issues aren’t addressed. [/quote]
I’ve done a lot of clinical work with dementia patients and I’m confident there’s no causative link between poor hearing and dementia - whether or not the hearing issues are addressed, dementia will “set in” anyway if it’s going to.
I definitely believe that poor hearing can lead to pseudodementia, feed depression, cause social withdrawal, and even contribute to psychosis.
^^^^ Yes, I am no medical professional, but it sure seemed that my aunt (mom’s older sister) progressed down the path of dementia. She was hard of hearing for years before getting the lowest cost aids possible (almost to DENY the issue existed) when she was in her late 80s. But her dementia could well have had a genetic component.
As for my dad’s hearing situation: he was fit with aids in his early 30s, and had NO dementia. My father-in-law grudgingly got aids in his late 80s, and also had NO dementia.
Perhaps the situation can arise if there is a genetic pre-disposition AND the person is losing their hearing over time, thus starting the downward spiral of anti-social withdrawal, paranoia, and then possible psychosis.
There is no causative link between hearing loss and dementia. They both happen to be more common with age and hearing loss causes depression which can look like dementia and communication problems which make testing for dementia difficult.
