Posts Tagged ‘hearing aid’

Thinking about buying a Starkey Destiny hearing aid or two? These hearing aids have an excellent reputation for quality and innovation. They are BTE hearing aids, or behind-the-ear hearing aids, and several styles are available in the Destiny series. Built with BluWave Signal Processing, the Starkey Destiny  hearing aid adapts to your ever-changing environment, a factor that is certainly important for hearing aid wearers.

When you meet with a hearing professional, they will be able to determine the best Starkey Destiny hearing aid model for you, as there are several different kinds. Here are the key features of the Starkey Destiny hearing aid:

Directional Speech Detector (DSD). This feature reduces background noise and focuses on speech sounds. DSD monitors environments and adjusts to them.

Automatic Telephone Response. A big complaint about hearing aids is that talking on a telephone can be difficult. Thanks to Automatic Telephone Response, the Starkey Destiny hearing aid adjusts for optimal communication and eliminates feedback.

Active Feedback Intercept (AFI). AFI helps get rid of annoying feedback sounds like whistling.

Acoustic Signature. This state-of-the-art sound management tool detects and classifies different sound environments and then adapts to an optimal setting. It’s available on the Starkey Destiny 1200 and Starkey Destiny 1600.

What’s more is that the Starkey Destiny hearing aid series is stylish and thoughtfully designed.

More Hearing Aids

We’re proud to carry the Starkey Destiny hearing aid, but that’s just one of many quality hearing aids in our impressive selection. Stop by your nearest Hearing Aid Express store to have your questions about hearing loss and hearing aids answered. Our friendly staff will be happy to assist you. We also offer several free services on a daily basis, including free hearing evaluations, free cleanings and adjustments, and free digital demonstrations.

Last week, an Edmonton, Canada child’s hearing aids were stolen during a robbery at her home — the burglar also stole the family’s Xbox and game accessories while they were out to dinner. The hearing aids, worth $22,000, were in the child’s backpack, which the burglar used to carry off the Xbox and games.

The support the family has seen from friends is truly wonderful. The Canoe.ca News reported that the mother’s co-worker brought to work on Friday an Xbox and games for her son, and a friend of the family’s held a fundraiser.

Thankfully, though, one of the hearing aids has turned up. Someone anonymously returned one to a drop-off location at a local shopping center. Both hearing aids were worth about $22,000, and the family has been understandably devastated by the loss. Eleven-year-old Haley, the child, used one of the hearing aids full time and the other was a spare.

Along with the stolen device, the person also returned the Xbox and the backpack. The police are looking into whether there are fingerprints on the Xbox or backpack they can use to track down the thief. Police have said that it’s possible the other hearing aid could have fallen out of the backpack.

Consumer Reports is a trusted source for unbiased, honest reviews of products. And in their July issue, they’re publishing a report on hearing aids. This is the first comprehensive report on hearing aids that they’ve done since 1992. This report is meant to be a comprehensive guide to buying and owning a hearing aid.

Making this report on hearing aids involved following a dozen hearing-impaired patients over a period of six months. Consumer Reports noted how they shopped for and used hearing aids, they also lab-tested 44 hearing aids’ features. Furthermore, 1,100 people all over the nation who had bought a hearing aid in the last three years were a part of a survey given by the Consumer Reports National Research Center.

Consumer Reports found that two-thirds of 48 total hearing aids purchased had been amplified too little or too much, so the user was not experiencing the right fit. Still, 73% of people who took part in the national survey said that they were “highly satisfied” with their hearing aids. That could mean that people using hearing aids might be so pleased with their improved hearing that they don’t actually seek assistance to improve their fit and fine-tune the hearing aids. This means that these people could be missing out on even better results.

To read the full report, see the July issue of Consumer Reports in print or online.

Hearing Aids at Hearing Aid Express

At Hearing Aid Express, we’re proud to say that we offer affordable, well-priced hearing aids from a variety of brands like Starkey, Unitron and ReSound. We know how important it is to make sure your hearing aids fit right so that you can hear sounds clearly and loudly and be comfortable. Stop by one of our convenient locations in Houston, Austin or Dallas today, or give us a call (800-348-2018), and we’ll be happy to provide you with exceptional customer service.

Resound Aims at the Hearing Aid Sweet Spot

Resound hearing aids are known for making hearing devices that fit your life instead of forcing you to change your life to accomodate your hearing aid. Resound hearing aids are compact, sophisticated pieces of advanced technology. These aren’t your grandpa’s hearing aids.

Like most modern hearing aids, Resound hearing aids are targeted at the baby boomer generation, a massive demographic force that’s revolutionizing everything from walking sticks to the food they serve on cruise ships.

The X-plore: Resound’s Newest Hearing Aid Innovation

It looks like Resound’s hit that elusive hearing aid sweet spot, because 9 out of 10 X-plore users recommend the product. X-plore customers can opt for a more natural, behind-the-ear (BTE) fit that leaves the ear canal open to admit more sound, which results in a fuller hearing experience for the wearer, blending the hearing aid’s output with the ambient sound. A thin-tube coupling routes the hearing aid’s output into the wearer’s ear canal.

Resound’s hearing aid also adapts to the more vibrant, athletic lifestyle of today’s hearing loss sufferer with heavy-duty reliability. The Resound X-plore hearing aid is meant to accompany go-getters on their marathons, kayaking trips, mountaineering journeys, and globe-trotting fishing trips.

In addition, this Resound hearing aid runs for 330 hours on one size-13 battery and is factory-protected by an anti-corrosive coating.

The Resound X-plore Delivers Hearing Aid Performance

The directional microphone of the Resound X-plore, assisted by the innovative electronics in the heart of the hearing aid, excels at picking up soft speech, even in a busy restaurant or assembly hall. Feedback suppression from the Resound Dual Stabilizer prevents shrieking feedback from complex audio environments. The X-plore hearing aid also comes with Resound’s Active Wind Stop package, which prevents buffeting winds from turning into amplified roars of deafening noise.

The nice thing about all this engineering know-how is that, rather than complicating your life, the Resound X-plore hearing aid makes your life easier, not more complicated. How sweet is that?

Making the Switch to the Resound X-plore Hearing Aid

As you know, switching to a new Resound hearing aid can be a daunting challenge if you’re new to hearing aids. It’s quite a mental adjustment to go from the sounds you’ve heard for months and years to a completely new aural environment.

Fortunately, the Resound engineers have anticipated this problem with the Acceptance Manager, a digital audio coach that gradually increases its amplification over time, giving you plenty of time to adjust. At first, the Resound hearing aid does little to alter your sonic universe; as time passes, it gets more and more involved, bringing you the sounds you’ve been wanting to hear while weeding out the noise. The result? A short, painless transition to better hearing without any disorientation.

Consider This Resound Hearing Aid

A marvel of technology, the Resound X-plore hearing aid should be on your short list if you’re an active person with high standards about your hearing aid needs. If you’d like to see an X-plore in person, contact us or seek out one of our hearing aid store locations!

Medicaid Hearing Aid Benefits

The State of Texas, through TMHP (Texas Medicaid & Healthcare Partnership) offers generous hearing aid benefits to qualified Medicaid recipients. You can now receive those Medicaid hearing aid benefits at Hearing Aid Express.

What Are the Medicaid Hearing Benefits?

Medicaid recipients are entitled to a free hearing test. If you have a hearing loss that falls within TMHP’s guidelines you may be eligible for hearing aids at no cost to you.

Did the Medicaid Hearing Benefits Change?

Yes they have! Before, Medicaid would only provide one hearing aid every six years. Now, they provide up to two hearing aids every five years.

What if Medicaid Already Gave Me a Hearing Aid?

If you have a hearing loss in both ears, you may be eligible for a hearing aid for the ear that wasn’t fit. If the last time you got a hearing aid through Medicaid was more than five years ago you may be eligible for two hearing aids.

How Do I Find Out if I am Eligible?

Call us! You will need to have a copy of your current Medicaid card. We can verify your benefits online with TMHP.

How Do I Use My Hearing Aid Benefits?

First you will need to see a medical doctor. The doctor will examine your ears to make sure there aren’t any medical conditions that need to be treated. If there aren’t any medical reasons that would keep you from being fit with a hearing aid, your doctor signs a “Physician’s Examination Report” and gives a copy of it to you. We need a signed copy of this form before we can test your hearing. Your doctor’s office should have a copy of this form (called a B.41). You can also pick up a copy of the form at any Hearing Aid Express office, call us and we will fax one to you, or click here to download a copy that you can print.

What if Medicaid Made Me Enroll in a Private Plan like Ameriroup?

Hearing Aid Express is a network provider for a number of Medicaid private plans. We can help you if you are enrolled with Traditional Medicaid, Amerigroup, Molina, certain Evercare plans and others. Get your current Medicaid card, call our office and we will check your benefits for you!

Where Do I Go To Get My Hearing Benefits?

Visit any Hearing Aid Express location. We have four offices in Houston, three in Dallas and two in Austin. To see which location is closest to you, click here.

What if I Still Have Questions?

Call us! We will be glad to help:

Houston: (800) 348-2018

Dallas: (800) 628-8250

Austin: (877) 512-4327

Are you in the Austin area and interested in hearing aids? If so, you may have seen our full-page color ad in today’s Austin American-Statesman. This week only, May 11-15, Austin and Cedar Park Hearing Aid Express locations are having a special event.

Wanted: 90 people! Be one of the first individuals in the U.S. to try the world’s most invisible hearing system. The ReSound bug is the first custom hearing aid ever created with Invisible Open Technology. It is made to fit entirely inside your ear.

The ReSound bug hearing aid fits entirely inside your ear — it’s cutting edge technology. This hearing aid has a microscopic sound processor. Traditional hearing aids are a thing of the past. The ReSound bug hearing aid is offered exclusively at Hearing Aid Express.

Unlike traditional hearing aids, the ReSound bug is a hearing aid engineered with Invisible Open Technology, which makes it an innovative — and virtually invisible — hearing instrument.

This week only, the ReSound bug is $1,495 each at Hearing Aid Express in Austin and Cedar Park. This offer cannot be combined with any other offer and expires on May 15, 2009.

Hearing Aid Express has another fantastic deal going on this week at the Austin and Cedar Park locations: All models of GN ReSound Essence are $695. Don’t be fooled by inferior technology — the ReSound Essence hearing aid is the most customizable longest-lasting hearing instrument in its class and comes standard with these features:

• Power-saving chip technology for extended battery life
• Three customizable programs
• NoiseTracker noise reduction
• Low battery indicator
• Dual Stabilizer DFS feedback manager
• Dual microphone technology

(Fitting range of up to 65/85dB loss. Some restrictions apply. At time of purchase only. Expires May 15, 2009.)

Don’t miss this great event all week long at Hearing Aid Express in Austin and Cedar Park!

Hearing Aid Express: Austin
8127 Mesa Dr., #B-207
(512) 346-6884

Hearing Aid Express: Cedar Park
200 South Bell Blvd., #C-1
(512) 249-9367

We just loved what “Doctor! Doctor! I Can’t Hear a Thing,” a recent Times Online article, had to say about hearing loss and hearing aids. Written by the director of the Help in Hearing Clinic, the article talks about how listening to loud music and going to rock ‘n’ roll concerts has done damage to people, and today’s generation has to worry about hearing loss from listening to MP3 players with in-ear headphones at an unreasonable volume.

The article gives a few tips for protecting yourself from hearing loss, like listening to music played on a portable music device with headphones that block out environmental noise. Also noted is that “wearing a hearing aid can help and the sooner you start the more benefit it will give you.” When you ignore your hearing loss, says the article, the longer your brain will be deprived of auditory stimulus.

Since so many young people are experiencing hearing loss, the common misconception is that hearing aids are big, embarrassing and noticeable. Hearing aids today are small and discreet, and there are even some available that help clarify sounds for people who can’t hear high frequencies anymore.

Though it can be tough to admit your hearing is going, says the article, people over 50 years of age should have hearing tests on a regular basis.

Get Hearing Aids

Are you having trouble hearing? Do you find that you’re watching television with the volume turned up very high, or listening to the radio with the volume up very high? Having difficulty hearing people during conversations in person or even over the phone? Get help with hearing loss at Hearing Aid Express. Stop by or contact us for more information. We have several convenient locations in Dallas, Austin and Houston.

If you have been trouble hearing lately, it might be time to look into getting hearing aids. Common misconceptions of hearing aids are that they’re big, way too expensive and embarrassing to wear. Well, today hearing aid technology is advanced — many hearing aids are so small and well-designed that it’s difficult to notice when someone is wearing one.

When  you have trouble hearing sounds, it can really affect your life and happiness. Getting hearing aids can help improve your life, enabling you to participate in conversations and hear sounds clearly and loudly.

So if you are wondering if it may be time to get your hearing checked and start looking into getting hearing aids, answer the following questions in this brief Hearing Self-Evaluation to get an idea of whether you are experiencing some hearing loss.

• Do you hear people talk but have difficulty understanding the words?Do people seem to mumble or speak more softly than they used to?
• Do you have trouble hearing at the movies, house of worship, concert halls or other public gathering places?
• Do you frequently need to ask people to repeat themselves?
• Have you had any significant noise exposure at work, during recreation or in military service?
• Do you experience ringing in the ears or other head noises (hissing, buzzing, crickets, etc.). Tinnitus often accompanies hearing loss, but not always, and as such, might be the ear’s way of saying “ouch”!

If your answer to two or more of those questions was “yes,” a more thorough hearing loss investigation may be needed in order to help you get on your way to hearing sounds more clearly and loudly. You can keep a journal near you for a few weeks to track each time you experience a difficulty keeping up with a conversation, or how many times you have to ask someone to repeat themselves. You may also want to ask a friend to turn your television’s volume to a comfortable listening level, then see if it’s loud enough for you to hear comfortably. Your answers should tell you whether you need to see a professional about your hearing loss.

Get Hearing Aids at Hearing Aid Express

With many locations in Austin, Dallas and Houston, Hearing Aid Express offers tremendous customer service, convenience and quality hearing aids. Contact us for more information, or stop by one of our locations. We even accept Medicare Hearing Aid Benefits.

It’s a simple question that has a simple answer: What if the three little pigs (you know, from the famous fairy tale) had hearing loss? When the presenter of a Three Little Pigs puppet show at a Connecticut school finished acting out the story, he posed this question to the kids.

“They wouldn’t have been able to hear the Big Bad Wolf!” is the answer. A great recent story in the Winston Bulletin newspaper talks about the puppet show, and how the presenter, Dick Smith, aimed to educate the children about hearing loss.

Smith is a member of Hearing Loss of America (HLAA), an organization that “educates people with hearing loss and the public about hearing loss and its management.” As someone who has hearing loss, Smith talked to the children about turning down the volume when they watch television and listen to music, especially when they’re listening to their iPods with headphones for hours on end. The Winston Bulletin story pointed out that according to the HLAA, noise pollution from iPods played on full volume for long periods of time accounts for 50% of hearing loss. What’s more is that 12% of teens suffer from hearing loss — and that number is on the rise.

Another thing Mr. Smith talked to the kids about was how to talk to a person who has hearing loss. He stressed speaking slowly while looking at the person to allow them to read your lips, and refrain from yelling.

Educating children about hearing loss is early intervention, and it helps to make kids aware of the problem and aware of the fact that hearing loss affects many, many people. When a child suffers from hearing loss, it could prevent them from learning.

Get Help With Hearing Loss

Getting help with hearing loss may mean getting a hearing aid. Whether you’re a teenager or you’re a senior, hearing aids do not have to be a source of embarrassment or shame. Hearing aids come in several varieties that are inobtrusive and discreet. Find one that’s right for you at Hearing Aid Express.

There was a great article at OrlandoSentinel.com yesterday that gave some tips for communicating with people who are suffering from hearing loss. The writer of the article discloses that she suffers from severe hearing loss and wears hearing aids. Though she’s learned to ask for help, she says, there are many who suffer in silence. She offers some tips for communicating with people who are experiencing hearing loss, noting that you might not even realize that a family member has lost hearing, and they might not know it either.

If you’re misunderstood, just politely correct the person so that they don’t go off on a tangent. The last tip is to never give up, as you could make the person feel like they’re not worth being included.

If you or a loved one are suffering from hearing loss, you may find that wearing hearing aids greatly improves your life, enabling you to hear sounds clearly and loudly. At Hearing Aid Express, we offer a variety of hearing aids. We also accept Medicaid Hearing Aid Benefits.