I remember my Uncle Dave had a slew of businesses. One of which was fitting clients with hearing adis (from Beltone). Now, this was way back when these were pretty big devices- the kind that make our Bluetooth earphones for our phones look downright sleek.
And, now that the baby boomers are aging, there is an even greater need for these devices. After all, we were the ones that went to these concerts where we “felt” the music. (Some of us really felt the mud- as in Woodstock, but that’s a whole different story.)
I have always been on my kids’ case about their earphones and ear buds. Because any time I can hear their music playing distinctly, it’s absolutely clear (pun intended) that the volume they are employing for their personal listening devices is way too high. High enough to damage their hearing- maybe not today, but soon enough. (Listening to your earphones or earbuds at 100 dB for more than 5 minutes is truly deafening. It’s also why there are now recommendations to limit listening – at 75 dB or less- to only 40 minutes an hour. Because that 20 minute respite is critical to preserving one’s hearing for the long term.)
These problems are compounded because most health care plans don’t cover hearing aids. Which, by the way, can top $ 3000 to $ 5000 for their purchase and fitting. (This is probably one big reason why some 75% of those 34 million Americans who need hearing aids don’t wear them.) But, there’s still hope to maintaining our ability to discern speech and music- even if we sat in the front row of those rock concerts or sat in a 600+ HP race car driver’s seat.
Because now a slew of companies are offering Bluetooth earpieces. These devices are not considered to be hearing aids by the FDA. Instead, they tread the grey zone as “personal sound amplifiers”. Even so, they are becoming significant players in the $ 6 billion hearing technology marketplace.
That does not bode well for the big six- Siemens, Sonova, Starkey, Willliam Demant, GN Resound, and Widex. These are the folks who sell their units that cost around $ 440 to make for 10X their cost- purportedly to cover R &D costs, fitting (and profits). Keep in mind these devices are regulated by the FDA – but not those personal sound amplifiers (PSA). Which means none of those PSA can claim medical benefits (unless they wish to attract the ire- and penalties of the FDA).
But, those PSA units from firms like Sound World, Ultimate Ears, or Etymotic Research are able to modulate sound by frequency, which may mean one could hear more sounds better. (Many of these devices are derived for musicians- to keep ambient sound controlled, but still “hear” the music they need to play in a group or band.) But, these companies do not incorporate patient examination (hearing tests and such) in their sales processes, so the FDA frowns upon such device “fittings”.
Maybe we can reach a happy medium. Because my friends who do use hearing aids all complain that all sounds are amplified- the clinking of glasses, the honking of horns, the scraping of shoes- so it’s still impossible to hear our conversations clearly.
