Question
Can you use any hearing aid available (for instance, borrow someone else's) or do hearing aids need to be prescribed and made particularly for each individual? Can using the wrong hearing aids cause more problems instead of fixing the hearing loss?
Answer
Hearing instruments are very specific to a given person's needs. Therefore, it is very important that you work with a hearing care professional to determine the proper amplification needed for your situation. Based upon the results of your hearing test, your listening demands and your lifestyle needs, the professional will prescribe a hearing instrument for you. It is strongly not suggested that you borrow someonelse's hearing instrument as it may not fit you properly or be appropriate for your hearing loss.
In fact, using a hearing instrument that is not prescribed for you can be detrimental. First, hearing instruments of all styles need to be molded to the physical shape of your ear. If you use an instrument that hasn't been custom fit (whether it's a custom in the ear product or the earmold of a behind-the-ear instrument), it can cause pain. The other concern is if a person uses a hearing instrument that is too strong for their loss, they could damage their hearing further.
Bio- Elizabeth Brassine received her Masters Degree in Audiology from Northwestern University and is currently working on her Au.D. degree (almost finished-yeah!). She has been with Phonak Hearing Instruments for over 6 years. She currently serves as their Manager of Education and is responsible for customer training as well as education for the staff, including new employee education. She is also responsible for meetings and conventions for Phonak US. Prior to joining Phonak, she worked in 2 different private practice settings.
Liz Brassine, Au.D., is the Manager of Customer Education and Field Support at Phonak Hearing Systems. She has worked for Phonak since 1996. She is primarily responsible for customer training of hearing instrument technology and has spoken at many national and state meetings on Hearing in Noise and high-tech hearing instruments. Previous to this, she held positions as a clinical and dispensing audiologist. She holds an M.A. in Audiology from Northwestern University and an Au.D. from Arizona School of Health Sciences. Liz Brassine is employed by Phonak
Related Courses
1https://www.audiologyonline.com/audiology-ceus/course/61-better-hearing-in-noise-3865661% Better Hearing in Noise: The Roger PortfolioEvery patient wants to hear better in noise, whether it be celebrating over dinner with a group of friends or on a date with your significant other. Roger technology provides a significant improvement over normal-hearing ears, hearing aids, and cochlear implants to deliver excellent speech understanding.auditory, textual, visual
Every patient wants to hear better in noise, whether it be celebrating over dinner with a group of friends or on a date with your significant other. Roger technology provides a significant improvement over normal-hearing ears, hearing aids, and cochlear implants to deliver excellent speech understanding.
2https://www.audiologyonline.com/audiology-ceus/course/rogerpedia-36871RogerpediaRoger is a remote microphone technology using proprietary signal processing, such as adaptive gain and multibeam, to help create an enhanced sound experience for hearing in background noise. This presentation will cover the development of Roger, the various types of microphones that are available, and real world applications.auditory, textual, visual
Roger is a remote microphone technology using proprietary signal processing, such as adaptive gain and multibeam, to help create an enhanced sound experience for hearing in background noise. This presentation will cover the development of Roger, the various types of microphones that are available, and real world applications.
3https://www.audiologyonline.com/audiology-ceus/course/unlocking-key-to-simple-and-32778Unlocking the Key to a Simple and Effective In-office Demonstration Using Phonak Audeo MarvelThis course focused on how hearing healthcare providers can use various demonstration techniques and tools in their clinical environment to demonstrate technology, features and value to their patients. Various Phonak demonstration tools built into Phonak Target software, as well as protocols developed with clinical experts, will be reviewed.auditory, textual, visual
This course focused on how hearing healthcare providers can use various demonstration techniques and tools in their clinical environment to demonstrate technology, features and value to their patients. Various Phonak demonstration tools built into Phonak Target software, as well as protocols developed with clinical experts, will be reviewed.
4https://www.audiologyonline.com/audiology-ceus/course/phonak-s-suite-of-esolutions-37386Phonak's Suite of eSolutionsJoin us as we review Phonak's complete line of eSolutions including the myPhonak, myPhonak Junior, myRogerMic, and myRogerCoach apps.auditory, textual, visual
5https://www.audiologyonline.com/audiology-ceus/course/providing-some-direction-beamformers-explained-34071Providing Some Direction – Beamformers ExplainedDirectional microphone technology in hearing aids is a common method for improving hearing in noise in the near-field. This paper describes the various possible behaviors of directional microphone and how these provide benefit to the wearer, as well as some of the factors that can affect directional microphone performance and how these can be addressed.textual, visual
Directional microphone technology in hearing aids is a common method for improving hearing in noise in the near-field. This paper describes the various possible behaviors of directional microphone and how these provide benefit to the wearer, as well as some of the factors that can affect directional microphone performance and how these can be addressed.
