The more I think about this, the more I realise that audiologists are the problem. They are blindly trying to do what is, frankly, an impossible job. When they admit to that fact and act upon it, we will start making real progress.
In the old analogue days, audiologists had just a few options at their disposal. They could choose the correct sort of hearing aid, make sure it was working (or at least doing something), and crudely adjust a couple of screws – usually to the minimum or maximum marks which means that for any hearing aid, there were only about four common programming permutations. With digital, the permutations are practically infinite.
So why’s the job impossible today? It’s impossible because the audiologist can never know exactly (or even approximately) what the patient is hearing, no matter how good the patient is with his or her verbal descriptions. Trying to describe a soundscape with words is like trying to paint the Mona Lisa with a broom. The deaf patient has to keep painting and repainting the soundscape with insufficient words to do the job. Leonardo didn’t paint by numbers so why should we have to?
What deaf people need is appropriate hearing aids, the equipment to configure them and, most importantly of all, training to use the software. If audiologists are to survive, I think that their role must change from demigod-chief-programmer status to one in which they act as trainers to deaf people. Just show us how to set up the software and what the different options are for… and then let us get on with it! Audiologists are still needed to supply and repair our hearing aids. They are still needed to support and guide us. And they are still needed to configure the hearing aids for people who, for whatever reason, cannot do the job themselves.
Audiologists are of course also wanted by those people who secretly enjoy having warm goo piped into their ears. :-)
My point is that audiologists are not needed in the current all-controlling role which is blighting countless lives. So, please evolve or go the way of the dinosaurs.
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I strongly disagree. It's a huge field and demand is strong from the older generations as their hearing becomes faded due to age.
ReplyDeleteThe hearing aid industry is massive and reaps in billions and billions on an annual basis. The majority of their customers are seniors.
ReplyDeleteSo no, I wouldn't say audiologists are an endangered species. In fact, I know some and they are doing just fine.
It's a highly profitable industry to work in.
They are only an endangered species if they are struggling to make ends meet.
Thanks for the interesting points that you make Richard and Banjo.
ReplyDeleteRichard, yes, the majority of deaf people are older people. Naturally, as they lose their faculties and dexterity, they depend on audiologists. In the long term I hope that people will be supported in programming their own hearing aids until they can no longer do so. I'm sure that there are a lot of old people sitting in old people's homes with malfunctioning hearing aids and no-one checking on them. I'm dreading old age!!!
Banjo, it interests me that your arguments are wholly economic; may I ask which country you are from? In the ideal world, the deaf industry would support deaf people before audiologists wouldn't it? Long term, I'm still of the view that the role of audiologists should and will change. Anyway, thanks for the reminder that the worst case scenario for the industry is when all of the deaf people have been completely cured. :-)
More and more states are requiring audiologists to have an AuD, the equivalent of a PhD. This would certainly explain a reduction in the number of audiologists pursuing the field.
ReplyDeleteTo answer your question, I'm from Ontario in Canada.
ReplyDeleteI would say it depends on the audiologist, some are supportive of the deaf community, some are not. Their duty is to help the deaf and hard of hearing hear, not cure their hearing.
Unfortunately, many audiologists don't have a clue on how to deal with the Deaf. They are accustomed to dealing with just the elder and late-deafened clients. This is where a lot of negativity emerges due to the ignorance among many hearing professionals.
This is something they should educate everyone while they are pursuing the career of audiology at an university of their choice.
Haha. I would imagine they'll be in a frenzy of panic if all of the deaf people were cured.