Hearing aids getting more high-tech

In the 17th century, hearing aids came in the form of ear trumpets _ large, horn-shaped devices with an ear tube attached. Often the butt of jokes in cartoons and comic books, they would amplify sound when pointed toward whomever was speaking. You could almost get the same effect from cupping your hand behind your ear.

Now, more than 300 years later, hearing aids are of course much more technologically advanced. But some new models that hit the market in the past few months are getting even smaller, to the point of being nearly invisible and are capable of drowning out background noise without overamplifying loud sounds.

The older, bulky styles were "something scary looking," says Ken Sheley, 64, of Oakland Park, Fla., who has been wearing a dot hearing aid, manufactured by ReSound, for two months. "It's very tiny ... When you're looking for it, you don't even see it" because it sits behind the ear and a nearly transparent receiver sits in the ear.

Like Sheley, 37 million adults have some form of hearing loss, according to 2006 data from the National Center for Health Statistics. That's an increase from 31.5 million in 2000.

Of the 37 million, more than 30 percent of men and about 25 percent of women 65 and older have a little trouble hearing and about 15 percent of men and 10 percent of women 65 and older are either deaf or have a lot of trouble hearing. Yet only 1 of 5 adults who could benefit from a hearing aid actually wears one. Reasons include the association with age and disability, denial, aesthetics and cost _ Medicare does not cover hearing aids for adults, but some insurance companies offer allowances toward the purchase.

Dr. Natalie Fernandez-Roque, an audiologist at Mercy Hospital's Professional Building, thinks the stigma surrounding hearing aids is fading as baby boomers "work longer into their older years. ... Boomers should have no problem wearing something on their ear because people wear Bluetooth, iPod, etc."

But unlike Bluetooth devices and iPod earphones, many of the newer digital hearing aids hide behind the ear. These advanced models are also tailored to the individual's hearing loss and designed to suppress noise, such as that of an airplane.

Here are some of the latest to hit the market:

dot by ReSound

Price: from $1,000 each

"This is the smallest hearing aid I fit," says Dr. Teryl Dever, an assistant professor in the Department of Audiology at Nova Southeastern University in Fort Lauderdale-Davie, Fla. "Dot is very comfortable. Patients forget they have it on."

Less than an inch long, it's available in three price ranges, the most costly featuring ultimate noise-reduction technology. Feedback cancellation, which keeps amplified sounds from being picked up by the microphone and re-amplified, is standard on all three models. The hearing aid fits behind the ear and is programmed to amplify only what the patient's hearing loss requires, therefore it has no volume control.

"Over-amplification was a problem years ago because we were not able to control individual frequency bands," says Dever, who fitted her father, Sheley, with two dot hearing aids, available since January.

He was 60 when he started experiencing hearing loss. "I had lung cancer and the radiation, medication and chemotherapy kind of caused me some problems. My hearing was already going and it went a little more," he says.

The hearing aids "take some getting used to," Sheley says. "I've had no problems. It's kind of nice to go to church now. Even though I could hear, the frequency was screwed up. Some of the sounds I could not hear because of the other noises. But with these, I can hear."

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Widex Passion

Price: about $4,000 each

"Most manufacturers have this arrangement _ amplifier, microphone and the receiver, which is the heart of the hearing aid, behind the ear," says Fernandez-Roque. "This is different in that the receiver sits inside the ear canal, so the transfer of energy is more efficient and the aesthetic is beautiful."

The Passion, on the market since March, has a remote control device, so the wearer can discreetly adjust the volume or switch the listening program to one for telephone conversations. The hearing aid can also be attached to an FM system to listen to television wirelessly.

"Hearing aids have come a long way and can be marketed to different groups," Fernandez-Roque says. "This is for 70 decibels of hearing loss _ moderate to severe _ not for profound hearing loss."

Features include multidirectional feedback cancellation and an Audibility Extender, which makes high frequency sounds audible and natural sounding.

Still, "like colonoscopies, people don't want hearing aids," Fernandez-Roque says. "They don't want to spend the money, they're disabled ... Then you put them in a booth to confirm they can't hear."

But the Passion "looks good and doesn't tell the world: 'I'm hearing impaired.""

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Siemens Pure

Price: from $3,100 each

Hall of Fame coach Don Shula, 78, knows a lot about noise. Surely, the cheers got louder and louder as his 1972 Dolphins got closer and closer to a 17-0 record. All together, he spent 33 years coaching in rowdy football stadiums, and even though loud noises can damage the inner ear, Shula was in denial about his hearing loss.

"I was stubborn," he says. "My wife would bring it to my attention. ... When I realized I should be tested," which took about five years, "I agreed."

Shula's hearing loss was gradual, beginning in his early 70s, and "it got to where it was annoying to people. I kept having them repeat things," he says.

About three years ago, he started wearing a Siemens hearing aid, and last month he switched to the Siemens Pure model, which has been on the market since April. "They're very comfortable," he says. "Everything is new and improved, clearer."

The Pure, like the Widex Passion, has a receiver that sits inside the canal, and volume and listening programs can be adjusted with a remote control device. It also suppresses wind noise, softens transient noises and detects and eliminates feedback patterns.

As Shula spends most of his time these days socializing, opening steak houses around the country and giving motivational speeches, his two hearing aids provide symmetry.

"I guess some people wear them in one ear," he says. "You got to lean in one way that way and get a stiff neck. I feel that wearing two gives me good balance."

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HEARING AIDS

Digital hearing aids convert sound waves into numerical codes before amplifying them. The code includes information about pitch or loudness, so the aid can be programmed to amplify some frequencies more than others.

Analog hearing aids convert sound waves into electrical signals, which are amplified. Analog/adjustable hearing aids are custom built for each user. Analog/programmable hearing aids have more than one program or setting. An audiologist can program the aid using a computer, and the user can change the program for different listening environments.

If you think you are experiencing hearing loss, schedule an appointment with an ear-nose-throat physician or an audiologist. Don't expect a hearing aid to restore your hearing to normal.

For information on organizations that provide financial assistance for hearing aids, call 800-241-1044 or e-mail nidcdinfo(AT)nidcd.nih.gov.

Source: National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders

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HEARING LOSS

Prolonged exposure to noise 90 decibels or higher causes progressive hearing loss. Such noise includes:

Rock concerts, firecrackers: 140 decibels

Loud, vibrating bass in cars: 120 decibels

MP3 players: up to 120 decibels

Chainsaw: 110 decibels

Lawn mowers, motorcycles: 90 decibels

You can take preventive measures by wearing ear plugs or turning down the volume on your MP3 player.

Source: MedicineNet.com; listentoyourbuds.org

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DETAILS ON HEARING AIDS:

Widex Passion

12 colors

High-definition locator

NanoCare system to prevent moisture and earwax from entering the receiver

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Dot by Resound

14 colors

Warp sound processing to mimic the function of the human cochlea

Typical battery life of 100 hours

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Siemens Pure

14 colors

TruEar technology to help distinguish sounds in front of you from those behind you

Two configurations: Receiver-in-Canal and Completely-in-Canal

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© 2008, The Miami Herald.