I started testing digital hearing aids about fifteen years ago and, straight off the starting blocks, I wanted to program my own hearing aids. In view of my own strong urge, I’m sure that many other people must want to do the same thing. Therefore it’s surprising and strange that no fuss has been made about this in the press. I don’t know the reason is but I do have a hunch or two…
Hearing aid wearers fall into categories, typically: mild, moderate, severe and profound.
The mild and moderate groups encompass people who can hear at least some or even most daily sounds without hearing aids – albeit at a low level. Their hearing aids only need to give moderate amplification to restore hearing to a level close to normal. Such hearing aids are relatively simple because they are doing less work than high-power aids. It follows that these hearing aids are relatively easy to program to a live-withable level. If we compare it to a car engine, it can be running badly (misfiring on all cylinders) so long as its running well enough.
The severe and profound groups encompass people who can hear virtually no useful daily sounds without hearing aids. Their hearing aids must give massive amplification just to bring hearing up to even a moderate level of deafness – the wearer is still going to be quite deaf, isolated and find communication difficult. By default it is very difficult to fit hearing aids to the most severely deaf – not least because high amplification causes masses of hard-to-control feedback. The programme must squash the sounds of daily life into a very small space between what the wearer can hear and the threshold of pain (the latter is much the same whether you’re deaf or not). This group needs to drive their hearing aids to the max to get every last microwatt of power and performance from them. Misfiring on all cylinders is no use at all to this group. Nothing less than optimal tuning will do! So pimp my soundscape!
I would argue that the severely deaf are the group which most needs the freedom to program their own hearing aids. However, they’re also the group with the lowest confidence and self-esteem so they are also the least likely to organise themselves to make the required media fuss.
All in all, it looks like we will be last in line when it comes to self-programming when we should actually be at the head of the queue.
Hearing aid wearers fall into categories, typically: mild, moderate, severe and profound.
The mild and moderate groups encompass people who can hear at least some or even most daily sounds without hearing aids – albeit at a low level. Their hearing aids only need to give moderate amplification to restore hearing to a level close to normal. Such hearing aids are relatively simple because they are doing less work than high-power aids. It follows that these hearing aids are relatively easy to program to a live-withable level. If we compare it to a car engine, it can be running badly (misfiring on all cylinders) so long as its running well enough.
The severe and profound groups encompass people who can hear virtually no useful daily sounds without hearing aids. Their hearing aids must give massive amplification just to bring hearing up to even a moderate level of deafness – the wearer is still going to be quite deaf, isolated and find communication difficult. By default it is very difficult to fit hearing aids to the most severely deaf – not least because high amplification causes masses of hard-to-control feedback. The programme must squash the sounds of daily life into a very small space between what the wearer can hear and the threshold of pain (the latter is much the same whether you’re deaf or not). This group needs to drive their hearing aids to the max to get every last microwatt of power and performance from them. Misfiring on all cylinders is no use at all to this group. Nothing less than optimal tuning will do! So pimp my soundscape!
I would argue that the severely deaf are the group which most needs the freedom to program their own hearing aids. However, they’re also the group with the lowest confidence and self-esteem so they are also the least likely to organise themselves to make the required media fuss.
All in all, it looks like we will be last in line when it comes to self-programming when we should actually be at the head of the queue.
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